Does lithium cause organ damage?

Lithium may cause problems with kidney health. Kidney damage due to lithium may include acute (sudden) or chronic (long-term) kidney disease and kidney cysts. The amount of kidney damage depends on how long you have been taking lithium.

What organs can lithium damage?

Lithium has adverse effects on the kidneys, thyroid gland and parathyroid glands, necessitating monitoring of these organ functions through periodic blood tests. In most cases, lithium-associated renal effects are relatively mild.

What does lithium do to your organs?

Taking lithium for long periods can affect your kidneys and your thyroid. Lithium can also cause drowsiness. Your doctor will carry out blood tests regularly to monitor how much lithium is in your blood. They will also monitor your kidney function, your thyroid gland and your parathyroid gland.

Why is lithium hard on the kidneys?

The link between lithium and renal dysfunction may be explained by exposure to toxic lithium levels. Toxic levels kill renal cells, and that damage builds up every time the level rises above the toxic line.

Does lithium cause long term damage?

With long-term use, lithium can cause chronic tubulo-interstitial nephritis, which is characterized by a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and may lead to chronic kidney disease (lithium nephropathy) (97, 98).

Lithium induced renal disease

Can lithium damage your liver?

(Review of the mechanism of action of lithium, its clinical uses and toxicity; states that prolonged exposure to high doses of lithium [above 2 mM] can cause liver injury).

What are the dangers of taking lithium?

How common is kidney failure with lithium?

Although several reports suggest little effect of lithium on renal function, other studies estimate prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) amongst lithium users between 10 and 35% (Presne et al.

Why do people quit lithium?

Adverse effects were the most common cause for lithium discontinuation. Among the adverse effects, diarrhoea, tremor, creatinine increase, polyuria/polydipsia/diabetes insipidus and weight gain were the top five reasons for discontinuing lithium.

What is an alternative to lithium for bipolar?

The ones that treat bipolar depression are cariprazine (Vraylar), lurasidone (Latuda), olanzapine-fluoxetine combo (Symbyax), and quetiapine (Seroquel). Among them, lurasidone offers a good balance of efficacy and tolerability.

Is lithium hard on kidneys or liver?

Kidney damage due to lithium may include acute (sudden) or chronic (long-term) kidney disease and kidney cysts. The amount of kidney damage depends on how long you have been taking lithium. It is possible to reverse kidney damage caused by lithium early in treatment, but the damage may become permanent over time.

Is lithium toxicity permanent?

Most often, lithium neurotoxicity is reversible but sometimes may be irreversible. Reversible lithium neurotoxicity has been defined as cases of lithium neurotoxicity in which patients recovered without any permanent neurologic sequelae, even after 2 months of an episode of lithium toxicity.

How long does it take to develop lithium toxicity?

The standard therapeutic range for serum lithium levels normally falls between 0.6 and 1.2 mEq/l . To diagnose toxicity in a person who normally takes lithium, doctors should take their serum levels 6 to 12 hours after their last dose.

Why did doctors stop prescribing lithium?

In 62% of episodes, lithium was discontinued due to adverse effects, in 44% due to psychiatric reasons, and in 12% due to physical reasons interfering with lithium treatment.

What are the two major long-term risks of lithium therapy?

Lithium also exerts antisuicidal, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective effects. The main problems associated with long-term lithium treatment include kidney, thyroid, and probably cognitive issues.

What drugs Cannot be taken with lithium?

The most commonly prescribed drugs that have the potential to interact with lithium are ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists (sartans), diuretics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Does lithium ruin your kidneys?

Abstract. Long-term lithium treatment is associated with end-stage renal disease, but there is little evidence of a clinically significant reduction in renal function in most patients.

Does lithium decrease life expectancy?

Lithium May Extend Longevity

In addition to the well-known positive effects on mood,¹⁸ lithium has also been linked with longer overall longevity. Two studies have found that individuals living in areas with even modest, low levels of lithium in the drinking water tend to live longer.

What part of kidney does lithium affect?

The most common renal side effect of lithium is of concentrating urine despite normal or elevated concentrations of the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin (Table 1). The concentrating defect leads to decreased urine osmolality and increased urine volume (polyuria).

Can lithium damage your heart?

Introduction. Lithium overdose can be associated with cardiac toxicity, especially in those with underlying heart disease. Toxic levels of serum lithium are associated with cardiotoxic effects ranging from simple ECG disorders to dysrhythmias, cardiomyopathy and even acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Can lithium damage pancreas?

Similarly, there is no compelling evidence to indicate that lithium carbonate is associated with pancreatitis.

What are 3 of the common early signs of lithium toxicity?

Symptoms of lithium toxicity include severe nausea and vomiting, severe hand tremors, confusion, and vision changes. If you experience these, you should seek immediate medical attention to check your lithium levels.

What are the common signs of lithium toxicity?

In mild lithium toxicity, symptoms include weakness, worsening tremor, mild ataxia, poor concentration and diarrhea. With worsening toxicity, vomiting, the development of a gross tremor, slurred speech, confusion and lethargy emerge (Bauer and Gitlin 2016).

Does lithium damage the brain?

Prolonged lithium intoxication >2 mM can cause permanent brain damage. Lithium has low mutagenic and carcinogenic risk.