Abstract
Lithium, a monovalent cation, is used as a mood stabilizer in bipolar disorder as well as in the adjunctive treatment of other psychiatric illnesses.The CNS is the major target organ in therapeutic as well as toxic doses.A narrow therapeutic index, 0.6–1.2 mmol/L, and an inherently at risk population increase the risk of toxicity.Lithium is relatively rapidly absorbed from the GI tract with therapeutic dosing although sustained release preparations do exist.Tissue distribution, most importantly to the CNS, however, is more prolonged.This is clinically relevant in that three subtypes of toxicity are recognized; acute, chronic, and acute on chronic.
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Corbett, B. (2018). Lithium Toxicity. In: Nordstrom, K., Wilson, M. (eds) Quick Guide to Psychiatric Emergencies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58260-3_48
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58260-3_48
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