Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1
Can I use lithium orotate instead of the lithium carbonate prescribed by my psychiatrist?
No. If you have been prescribed lithium carbonate by your psychiatrist, you should discuss your medication with your physician. The products described in this website or sold here are not designed to treat any psychiatric disorder, and the dosages are ineffective as a replacement for lithium carbonate.
Question 2
What diseases has lithium, in any form, been approved for by the FDA for sale in the USA?
The FDA has approved lithium carbonate for the treatment of manic episodes of Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder, Manic (DSM-III) is equivalent to Manic Depressive illness and Manic in the older DSM-II terminology. Lithium is also indicated as a maintenance treatment for individuals with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. Maintenance therapy reduces the frequency of manic episodes and diminishes the intensity of those episodes which may occur.
Typical symptoms of mania include pressure of speech, motor hyperactivity, reduced need for sleep, flight of ideas, grandiosity, elation, poor judgment, aggressiveness, and possibly hostility. When given to a patient experiencing a manic episode, lithium carbonate may produce a normalization of symptomatology within 1 to 3 weeks.
As of now, these are the only indications, illnesses, and diseases for which lithium, as lithium carbonate, is FDA approved.
Question 3
I have read studies on the use of lithium in different diseases. Can I use lithium to treat these illnesses?
The FDA does not allow lithium to be marketed for any disease aside from manic depression. There are many studies, some of which can be found in our reference section, that show promise, in a variety of disorders, but none have been proven to the satisfaction of FDA to be both safe and effective. Therefore aside from use in bipolar depression, FDA at this time, forbids the marketing of lithium for the treatment of any other disease.
Question 4
What are current trends in lithium research?
While not approved for any treatment except for the manic episodes in bipolar depression, there are several very exciting trends in research. Most promising is research around memory, aging, cancer, neurological diseases, and mood disorders. While the studies are promising, no company has moved towards a full market approval for any of these indications at this time. To read more about these studies, see here.
Are the side effects of lithium carbonate avoidable by the use of lithium orotate?
This is a difficult question to answer. Typically lithium carbonate is prescribed at nearly the 1,000mg doses, while lithium orotate is typically prescribed at the 5-50mg dose level. At low doses, lithium orotate does not seem to have the known side effects of lithium carbonate, but again, these may not be seen if lithium carbonate was used at these lower doses. There is a long debate of whether lithium carbonate is less bioavailable than lithium orotate. Regardless, these discussions and questions should be asked of your psychiatrist.
Question 5
Why does Lithia Basic™ use such low doses?
Lithia Basic™ is designed to take advantage of a hormetic response, or the biphasic dose response curve, where ultralow doses have a different response than higher doses.