LITHIUM

.

Discovered in 1817

The Periodic Table of Elements.  

Brings me back to oh, about.....sixth grade.  I made up a song for it like most other things in my life.  A tune, a beat, a pattern to remember.  

It's odd with the memory of the tune I made nearly 20 years ago, I can't seem to remember for the life of me what the element of LITHIUM stands for, does, assists, or contributions in life.  

I thought I knew what the scary term referred to and to be honest, if you were on it, of course then ......  You're Nuts.  

I'm going to stand corrected.  It's actually the strong and the brave. 

Here's the breakdown:

• Lithium is used to treat and prevent episodes of mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood) in people with bipolar disorder. Lithium is in a class of medications called antimanic agents. It works by decreasing abnormal activity in the brain.
• Lithium evens out mood swings in both directions--from mania to depression, and depression to mania--so it is used not just for manic attacks or flare-ups of the illness but also as an ongoing maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder.
• Regular blood tests are an important part of treatment with lithium. If too little is taken, lithium will not be effective. If too much is taken, a variety of side effects may occur. The range between an effective dose and a toxic one is small. Blood lithium levels are checked at the beginning of treatment to determine the best lithium dosage. Once a person is stable and on a maintenance dosage, the lithium level should be checked every few months. How much lithium people need to take may vary over time, depending on how ill they are, their body chemistry, and their physical condition.

Although lithium will reduce severe manic symptoms in about 5 to 14 days, it may be weeks to several months before the condition is fully controlled. Anti-psychotic medications are sometimes used in the first several days of treatment to control manic symptoms until the lithium begins to take effect. Antidepressants may also be added to lithium during the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. If given in the absence of lithium or another mood stabilizer, antidepressants may provoke a switch into mania in people with bipolar disorder.

Side effects of lithium. 

When people first take lithium, they may experience side effects such as:

• Drowsiness, 
• Weakness 
• Nausea 
• Fatigue 
• Hand tremor
• Increased thirst and urination. 
• Weight gain may also occur. Dieting will help, but crash diets should be avoided because they may raise or lower the lithium level. Drinking low-calorie or no-calorie beverages, especially water, will help keep weight down. Kidney changes--increased urination and, in children, enuresis (bed wetting)--may develop during treatment. These changes are generally manageable and are reduced by lowering the dosage. Because lithium may cause the thyroid gland to become under active (hypothyroidism) or sometimes enlarged (goiter), thyroid function monitoring is a part of the therapy. To restore normal thyroid function, thyroid hormone may be given along with lithium.  Some may disappear or decrease quickly, although hand tremor may persist.