Lithium is a soft metal, it is the smallest metal found on column one, row two of the periodic table. Due to its small size and plus one charge lithium is useful in the biological system. To date the uses of lithium mostly revolve around bipolar disease among other mental disorders. However, this treatment has been used for quite some time; the exact mechanism to how it works is still unknown. The main target area of lithium is the apoptotic (cell death) part of the brain. Disorders like bipolar contribute to over apoptotic which is stopped by the drugs containing lithium. Is lithium good for people to be taking?
Lithium over dosing is a more common occurrence then one might think. There are two forms of OD; the acute and the chronic. Acute OD is the taking of too much lithium in one event. This can present itself in a number of symptoms like diarrhea, stomach pains, weakness, coma, hand tremors, ataxia, seizures, etc… Chronic OD is the taking of too much lithium on a daily bases. This is a more common occurrence than acute OD because this usually means the person was unknowingly prescribed too much by their doctor. This can result in serious symptoms like kidney failure, memory problems, movement problems, psychosis, etc… Not knowing the how much lithium can cause an OD the question becomes; is it ethical to continue prescribing it to people given the symptoms?
Lithium Toxicology
