Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCommon EffectsSerious EffectsLong-Term EffectsEasing the EffectsHistory of Use
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Common Effects
Serious Effects
Long-Term Effects
Easing the Effects
History of Use
Close
Lithium is a drug often prescribed as a mood stabilizer for people withbipolar disorder.It is sold under many brand names, including Duralith, Eskalith, Lithobid, Lithotabs, Lithane, Lithizine, and Lithonate.
If you are taking lithium, it’s important to be aware of this medication’s possible side effects. We also share a few ways to help ease these effects, helping you to take this drug for bipolar disorder with less discomfort.
The Most Important Things to Know About Lithium
Common Side Effects of Lithium
Some of the most common side effects experienced when taking lithium include:
Typically, these effects are more annoying than problematic. However, if they persist or are bothersome, talk to your healthcare provider about your options.
Your provider may make changes to yourbipolar treatment protocolto help minimize the effects of this drug. Options include taking the medication at a different time of day, reducing the lithium dose, or prescribing another medication to help manage the negative effects.
Serious Side Effects of Lithium
Although rare, serious side effects can occur when taking lithium, one being diabetes insipidus.Diabetes insipidus causes the body to produce too much urine, resulting in constant thirstiness and frequent urination. This condition develops in roughly 20% of people taking lithium.
While the average person makes between one and three quarts of urine daily, someone with diabetes insipidus makes up to 20 quarts of urine per day.
Not replacing the excessive amount of urine lost can lead to severe dehydration and cause seizures, permanent brain damage, and even death. This makes it important to talk to your physician right away if you experience excessive thirst or urination when taking lithium, to diagnose or rule out diabetes insipidus.
Lithium Toxicity or Overdose
Other serious side effects can occur if you take more than the prescribed amount of lithium, resulting inlithium toxicityor overdose. Even small amounts of too much lithium taken slowly over time can lead to overdose as this drug has a narrow safety range.
Signs of lithium overdoseinclude:
If you experience any of these serious adverse effects, call your healthcare provider right away or get emergency medical attention.
Long-Term Side Effects of Lithium
Taking lithium for long periods of time can also lead to certain side effects, namely hypothyroidism and kidney problems.Hypothyroidism refers to anunderactive thyroidand low thyroid hormone levels. This causes the body to slow down and can lead to fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, slowed heart rate, and depression.
Diabetes insipidus is a kidney issue that can also develop due to long-term lithium use, with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) being another.ESRD involves a permanent loss of kidney function, potentially leading to dialysis or the need for a kidney transplant.
Taking lower doses of lithium can help reduce the risk of kidney damage when using this drug long-term.
How to Ease Lithium Side Effects
In addition to starting with a lower dose of lithium before raising the dosage as tolerable, there are a handful of ways to help keep side effects to a minimum.They include:
History of Lithium Use
Lithium wasfirst used for mental illnessesin the mid-19th century but fell out of favor in the psychiatric world until it was brought back into use to treat mania around 1949.It has proven through time and research to be one of the most effective treatments for bipolar disorder in keeping moods stable and mood episodes at bay.
Most side effects go away with treatment and many people stay on low doses of lithium for years with success.
Summary
Your healthcare provider can give you tips to help you deal with the side effects of lithium until your system adjusts. If you experience side effects that do not go away after a time, talk to your provider about lowering your dose. Many patients do well on a lower dose of lithium, and without the side effects.
10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Lithium.Gitlin M.Lithium side effects and toxicity: prevalence and management strategies.Int J Bipol Disord. 2016;4:27. doi:10.1186/s40345-016-0068-yNational Alliance on Mental Illness.Lithium.Alsady M, Baumgarten R, Deen P, de Groot T.Lithium in the kidney: friend or foe?J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016;27(6):1587-1595. doi:10.1681/ASN.2015080907National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes insipidus.National Library of Medicine.Lithium toxicity.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).Azab AN, Shnaider A, Osher Y, Wang D, Bersudsky Y, Belmaker RH.Lithium nephrotoxicity.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2015;3:13. doi:10.1186/s40345-015-0028-yMcInnis MG.Lithium for bipolar disorder: A re-emerging treatment for mood instability.Curr Psychiatry.2014;13(6):39-44.Rybakowski JK.Lithium — past, present, future.Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2020;24(4):330-340. doi:10.1080/13651501.2020.1775855
10 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Lithium.Gitlin M.Lithium side effects and toxicity: prevalence and management strategies.Int J Bipol Disord. 2016;4:27. doi:10.1186/s40345-016-0068-yNational Alliance on Mental Illness.Lithium.Alsady M, Baumgarten R, Deen P, de Groot T.Lithium in the kidney: friend or foe?J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016;27(6):1587-1595. doi:10.1681/ASN.2015080907National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes insipidus.National Library of Medicine.Lithium toxicity.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).Azab AN, Shnaider A, Osher Y, Wang D, Bersudsky Y, Belmaker RH.Lithium nephrotoxicity.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2015;3:13. doi:10.1186/s40345-015-0028-yMcInnis MG.Lithium for bipolar disorder: A re-emerging treatment for mood instability.Curr Psychiatry.2014;13(6):39-44.Rybakowski JK.Lithium — past, present, future.Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2020;24(4):330-340. doi:10.1080/13651501.2020.1775855
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Library of Medicine.Lithium.Gitlin M.Lithium side effects and toxicity: prevalence and management strategies.Int J Bipol Disord. 2016;4:27. doi:10.1186/s40345-016-0068-yNational Alliance on Mental Illness.Lithium.Alsady M, Baumgarten R, Deen P, de Groot T.Lithium in the kidney: friend or foe?J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016;27(6):1587-1595. doi:10.1681/ASN.2015080907National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes insipidus.National Library of Medicine.Lithium toxicity.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).Azab AN, Shnaider A, Osher Y, Wang D, Bersudsky Y, Belmaker RH.Lithium nephrotoxicity.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2015;3:13. doi:10.1186/s40345-015-0028-yMcInnis MG.Lithium for bipolar disorder: A re-emerging treatment for mood instability.Curr Psychiatry.2014;13(6):39-44.Rybakowski JK.Lithium — past, present, future.Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2020;24(4):330-340. doi:10.1080/13651501.2020.1775855
National Library of Medicine.Lithium.
Gitlin M.Lithium side effects and toxicity: prevalence and management strategies.Int J Bipol Disord. 2016;4:27. doi:10.1186/s40345-016-0068-y
National Alliance on Mental Illness.Lithium.
Alsady M, Baumgarten R, Deen P, de Groot T.Lithium in the kidney: friend or foe?J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016;27(6):1587-1595. doi:10.1681/ASN.2015080907
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes insipidus.
National Library of Medicine.Lithium toxicity.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
Azab AN, Shnaider A, Osher Y, Wang D, Bersudsky Y, Belmaker RH.Lithium nephrotoxicity.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2015;3:13. doi:10.1186/s40345-015-0028-y
McInnis MG.Lithium for bipolar disorder: A re-emerging treatment for mood instability.Curr Psychiatry.2014;13(6):39-44.
Rybakowski JK.Lithium — past, present, future.Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2020;24(4):330-340. doi:10.1080/13651501.2020.1775855
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