Incidence of side effects in patients on long-term lithium therapy

Abstract

Lithium carbonate is used increasingly in clinical practice for the treatment of acute mania (1) and the prophylaxis of bipolar illness (2). Because of concern about the seriousness and frequency of side effects, lithium is often discontinued prematurely, maintained at less than optimal levels, or not used when it should be. We conducted a survey of the patients at the New York State Psychiatric Institute Lithium Clinic to evaluate the instance and severity of several lithium side effects. We hypothesized that mood and the concomitant use of other psychiatric medications such as antipsychotics and tricyclic antidepressants would be positively correlated with the severity of reported side effects.