Drug Lithium Side Effects

What are the drug Lithium side effects and are they bearable? Lithium is a mood stabilizer, but the exact way that it works is not known. As a result, lithium may work by changing the release of chemicals like dopamine or serotonin in your brain. Taking lithium helps you to have more control over your emotions. As a matter of fact, it helps you cope better with bipolar mood swings. Brand names are Priadel, Camcolit, Liskonum, Li-Liquid.

Medicine lithium carbonate is used for the severity of manic episodes. Therefore, manic-depressive patients experience severe mood changes, ranging from an excited or manic state (eg, unusual anger or irritability or a false sense of well-being) to depression or sadness.

It is not known how lithium works to stabilize a person’s mood. However, it does act on the central nervous system. It helps you to have more control over your emotions and helps you cope better with the problems of living.

Drug Lithium Side Effects

Lithium can cause side effects.

Short-term side effects
Hence, you may have some short-term side effects when you start taking lithium. These can also happen when you change your dose.

Consequently, these side effects often improve or disappear after a few days:

firstly, stomach discomfort
mild nausea or diarrhea
vertigo or dizziness
muscle weakness
lastly, feeling dazed

Long-term drug Lithium side effects

Possible long-term side effects include:

firstly, shaking hands
feeling very tired
feeling very thirsty
frequent or increased amount of urination (pee)
additionally, stomach upset or weight changes
metallic taste in your mouth or increased saliva
acne or rash
headache
dehydration
finally, hair loss

These side effects may continue but try to also remember the benefits of lithium on your mania or depression symptoms when looking at this list.

Lithium Medication Mechanism of Action

Lithium is a mood stabilizer, but the exact way that it works is not known. It may work by changing the release of chemicals like dopamine or serotonin in your brain.

At any rate, taking this med helps you to have more control over your emotions. It helps you cope better with bipolar mood swings.

Altogether, it may take several weeks to months for lithium to start working. At first you may need to be on other medicines at the same time. Therefore, these will help you to stay calm. You may need to be in hospital when you start lithium treatment.

Lithium Drug Interactions

Besides the drug Lithium side efects, what are some poosible interactions with other meds? As for over-the counter medications that can interact with lithium, the most common drug interactions with lithium are with the Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Agents (NSAIDs) that are often used to treat aches and pains. When combined with lithium, NSAIDs can increase lithium levels in the blood resulting in an increased risk for serious adverse effects like confusion, tremor, slurred speech, and vomiting. Examples of non-prescription NSAIDs include:

Ibuprofen (Advil® or Motrin®)
Naproxen (Naprosyn®, Aleve®)

There are also many prescription NSAIDs such as the following:

Celecoxib (Celebrex®)
Diclofenac (Voltaren® or Cataflam®)
Etodolac (Lodine®)
Indomethacin (Indocin®)
Ketoprofen (Orudis®)
Ketorolac (Toradol®)
Meloxicam (Mobic®)
Nabumetone (Relafen®)
Oxaprozin (Daypro®)
Piroxicam (Feldene®)
Tolmetin (Tolectin®)

In general, it is best to avoid the NSAIDS listed above when taking lithium. Certainly, they should not be used frequently or on a regular basis without consultation with your doctor(s).

If you do need a pain reliever while taking lithium, acetaminophen (Tylenol®) is a safe alternative. Sulindac (Clinoril®), a prescription pain reliever, can also be used as an alternative.

Many non-prescription medications, such as those used to treat the cold and flu, contain multiple active ingredients and may interact with your medication. For example, Advil Cold and Flu® contains ibuprofen which can increase your lithium level. Also, read the labeling information on all non-prescription medications; this may help avoid drug interactions.

Lithium Drug Levels

Usual Adult Dose for Mania
Acute Control: 1800 mg/day

Regular release formulations: 600 mg orally 2 to 3 times a day
Extended release formulations: 900 mg orally 2 times a day

Blood tests after starting to take lithium:
While you are taking lithium you need to have regular blood tests to see how much lithium is in your blood. Specifically, it is important that blood tests for lithium levels are taken at least 12 hours after you took your last dose of lithium.

Subsequently, the therapeutic range for lithium has been established at 0.5 to 1.2 mmol/L. Within this range, most people will respond to the drug without symptoms of toxicity.

Long-term Control: 900 to 1200 mg/day

Regular release formulations: 300 to 600 mg orally 2 to 3 times a day
Extended release formulations: 600 mg orally 2 times a day

Besides the drug Lithium side effects, there is a possibility of toxicity if not monitored. At length, some signs of lithium toxicity are similar to its side effects, but more severe. Symptoms of lithium toxicity include severe nausea and vomiting, severe hand tremors, confusion, and vision changes. Equally important, if you experience these, you should seek immediate medical attention to check your lithium levels.

There are two types of lithium toxicity. Given that, they range from mild and uncomfortable to severe and dangerous if left untreated. ‌

Acute lithium toxicity. Moreover, symptoms commonly include feeling weak, having a worsening tremor, feeling unbalanced or uncoordinated, poor concentration, diarrhea.

Acute-on-chronic lithium toxicity. Overall, with this level of poisoning, you could experience gastrointestinal (GI) problems. You may also experience neurological problems.

Lithium Drug Classification

Lithium is classified therapeutically as an antimanic medication. Obviously, from the standpoint of its chemical drug class, it is classified as an alkali metal. Don’t be too intimidated by that term.

When most people hear the word “lithium,” they think of a heavy-duty medication with serious side effects for bipolar disorder, but evidence shows that lithium is likely helpful for many more conditions. In fact, most of us get some lithium every day from our food and water.

Several conditions may benefit from low dose lithium supplementation, including: Depression and anxiety: In any event, studies have shown that low dose lithium supplementation can improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Conclusion

Therefore, Lithium is a mood stabilizing medicine used to treat certain mental illnesses, such as:

firstly, mania (feeling highly excited, overactive or distracted)
hypomania (like mania, but less severe)
bipolar disorder, where your mood changes between feeling very high (mania) and very low (depression)
finally, Lithium can also be used to treat schizophrenia and some types of depression.

What are the benefits of lithium?
Nontheless, Lithium helps reduce feelings of mania — excited, high mood, distracted. It also helps to treat bipolar episodes.

If you van handle the drug Lithium’s side effects, your doctor may prescribe lithium for long periods of time (months or years). Obviously, it’s important to continue treatment, even when you feel well. It is not a cure, but it is able to help control symptoms and prevent relapse while you are taking it.