title: Lithium: clinical considerations in internal medicine.
abstract: Bipolar Disorders affect up to 5% of the population. While the pharmacological options for the treatment of bipolar disorder have expanded over the past several years, lithium remains an inexpensive and efficacious treatment for bipolar disorder. Lithium has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for acute mania, bipolar depression, the prophylactic treatment of bipolar disorder, and as an augmentation agent in the treatment of unipolar major depression. Lithium also is the only mood stabilizer that has been demonstrated to lower the suicide rate in patients with bipolar disorder. Use in special populations, side effects and toxicity, and drug interactions are discussed. Important laboratory monitoring guidelines are included in this review. Lithium remains an important intervention for the treatment of mood disorders.
authors.affiliation: Women's Mental Health Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ 85724-5002, USA. marlenef@email.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Marlene P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000139:chemically induced; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000139:chemically induced; D007774:Lactation; D018020:Lithium Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D012307:Risk Factors; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D014202:Tremor / Q000139:chemically induced; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
chemical_list: D018692:Antimanic Agents; D018020:Lithium Compounds