Lithium
A long-established mood stabilizer used in bipolar disorder.
Lithium is the longest-established mood stabilizer in bipolar disorder and still one of the most effective, particularly for preventing mania. It is also one of the few bipolar medications with evidence behind it for lowering suicide risk over long-term use.
It needs more monitoring than most. The gap between a helpful level and a harmful one is narrow, so blood tests are routine rather than optional, alongside periodic kidney and thyroid checks.
Everyday things change the level of lithium in your blood: dehydration, a stomach bug, hot weather, a very low-salt diet, over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen, and some blood-pressure medicines.
The signs that a level has climbed too high are new vomiting or diarrhoea, a coarse hand tremor, unsteadiness, slurred speech or unusual confusion. Any of those needs urgent medical attention, not a wait-and-see. Pregnancy needs planning before conception rather than after, and alcohol its own conversation with your prescriber.
See also
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