Skip to main content

Drugs and Conditions which Affect Serum Lithium Levels

Drugs and Conditions which Affect Serum Lithium Levels

Question

Which one of the following may affect blood levels of lithium?

A. NSAIDS

B. ACE inhibitors

C. Thiazide diuretics

D. Dehydration

Drugs Which Raise Serum Lithium

The following drugs increase lithium levels through a pharmacokinetic interaction:

DNA

  • DIURETICS, furosemide is the safest one.
  • NSAIDs, sulindac and aspirin are the safest ones.
  • ACEIs, ARBs, Antipsychotics.

Drugs Which Decrease Serum Lithium


The following drugs reduce lithium levels (also a pharmacokinetic interaction).

  • Sodium bicarbonate
  • Theophylline

The body reabsorbs lithium in competition with sodium from the kidney tubule. If the reabsorption of sodium increases, that of lithium decreases, and if the reabsorption of sodium decreases, that of lithium increases. Thiazide diuretics cause sodium diuresis, i.e.decreased reabsorption. In this way, thiazides lead to increase lithium levels. Lithium reabsorption also depends on water reabsorption. It moves in parallel with the water. If the reabsorption of water increases, lithium reabsorption also increases, and vice versa. With dehydration, the body reabsorbs water in larger quantities, which leads to increased lithium reabsorption and increased blood lithium.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ICD-11 Criteria for Depression (Recurrent Depressive Disorder) 6A71

ICD-11 Criteria for Depression (Recurrent Depressive Disorder) 6A71 Recurrent depressive disorder is characterised by a history or at least two depressive episodes separated by at least several months without significant mood disturbance. A depressive episode is characterised by a period of depressed mood or diminished interest in activities occurring most of the day, nearly every day during a period lasting at least two weeks accompanied by other symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt, hopelessness, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, changes in appetite or sleep, psychomotor agitation or retardation, and reduced energy or fatigue. There have never been any prior manic, hypomanic, or mixed episodes, which would indicate the presence of a Bipolar disorder. Inclusions:                Seasonal depressive disorder Exclusions:    ...

ICD-11 Criteria for Schizophrenia (6A20 )

ICD-11 Criteria for Schizophrenia (6A20 ) Schizophrenia is characterised by disturbances in multiple mental modalities, including thinking (e.g., delusions, disorganisation in the form of thought), perception (e.g., hallucinations), self-experience (e.g., the experience that one's feelings, impulses, thoughts, or behaviour are under the control of an external force), cognition (e.g., impaired attention, verbal memory, and social cognition), volition (e.g., loss of motivation), affect (e.g., blunted emotional expression), and behaviour (e.g., behaviour that appears bizarre or purposeless, unpredictable or inappropriate emotional responses that interfere with the organisation of behaviour). Psychomotor disturbances, including catatonia, may be present. Persistent delusions, persistent hallucinations, thought disorder, and experiences of influence, passivity, or control are considered core symptoms. Symptoms must have persisted for at least one month in order for a diagnosis of schi...

ADVOKATE: A Mnemonic Tool for the Assessment of Eyewitness Evidence

ADVOKATE: A Mnemonic Tool for Assessment of Eyewitness Evidence A tool for assessing eyewitness  ADVOKATE is a tool designed to assess eyewitness evidence and how much it is reliable. It requires the user to respond to several statements/questions. Forensic psychologists, police or investigative officer can do it. The mnemonic ADVOKATE stands for: A = amount of time under observation (event and act) D = distance from suspect V = visibility (night-day, lighting) O = obstruction to the view of the witness K = known or seen before when and where (suspect) A = any special reason for remembering the subject T = time-lapse (how long has it been since witness saw suspect) E = error or material discrepancy between the description given first or any subsequent accounts by a witness.  Working with suspects (college.police.uk)