Lithium: Clinical Considerations in Internal Medicine

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.