Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Lithium therapy in bipolar disorder: a balancing act?

This recent article in The Lancet concedes that Lithium is without doubt the best treatment for many patients with bipolar disorder because it confers long-term mood stability and prophylaxis. "Lithium also reduces the risk of suicide and is possibly neuroprotective. The dilemma of lithium therapy arises because, if poorly managed, lithium can compromise renal function, sometimes irreversibly, and severely disrupt endocrine homoeostasis—ultimately limiting its usefulness. Therefore, lithium therapy remains a challenge that will benefit from a better understanding of its therapeutic properties."
You can read the full text for free in this open access article from the Lancet.