title: Lithium concentration and clinical responses.
abstract: The clinical use of measurements of drug concentrations in blood is empirical and largely confined to compliance and toxicity monitoring. As currently used in once or thrice a day dosage, lithium treatment is pulsatile, the blood concentration varying threefold over 24 hours; routine measurements reveal nothing of this and therefore do not aid therapeutic use. In a pilot study it is shown that the plasma lithium concentration can be raised from 0 to 2 mmol/l in a few hours, inducing changes in both kidney function and neuropsychological tests after only short delay. This suggests that mania might be quickly controlled with rapid dosage and opens up a new way of analysing the mechanisms of lithium action, or of using it to reveal changes in cerebral functioning.
mesh_terms: D004231:Diuresis; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000652:urine; D009318:Natriuresis; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008094:Lithium