Post by Hannah on Sept 3, 2015 7:16:08 GMT
Lithium Carbonate
a.) Lithium carbonate is neither a typical or atypical antipsychotic, as it is a mood stabiliser. Mood stabilisers relieve the symptoms of mood changes such as mania and severe depression. At the right dose, determined by blood monitoring, lithium treats the symptoms of mania and helps prevent recurrence of manic and depressive symptoms in Bipolar Disorder.
b.) Quilonum SR Prolonged release tablets
Lithicarb Tablets
c.) The dosage of lithium depends upon what it is being used for - either an acute condition, or for prophylactic purposes.
Some patients take up to 2 weeks to respond.
Doses of up to 1.75 g daily may be given in divided doses, recommended dosages:
Day 1: 500 to 1,000 mg in divided doses.
Day 2: 1,250 to 1,750 mg in divided doses.
Day 3: 1,500 to 2,000 mg in divided doses.
This should give blood levels of between 0.8 to 1.6 mmol/L, but the serum level must be checked. It is important not to exceed a level of 2 mmol/L.
Lithium should be taken with food, as it causes less nausea than on an empty stomach.
d.) Common Side Effects: Commonly experienced side effects are thirst, nausea, stomach upset, weight gain, slight shaking, swollen ankles and passing a lot of urine.
e.) There are many medications which can interfere with Lithium, including:
diuretics, some medicines for high blood pressure and other heart drugs, some kinds of tranquilizers ie diazepam, some medicines for depression (e.g. fluoxetine, imipramine), some medicines for arthritis or pain, appetite suppressors, some medicines for epilepsy, medicines used to treat respiratory illness, ziprasidone, which can interact with lithium to affect the heart, medicines containing steroids (e.g. prednisolone), medicines used to treat glaucoma and skin disorders, and some antibiotics.
Do not take if suffering from severe heart or kidney disease, low activity of the adrenal gland (e.g. Addison's disease) , an underactive thyroid gland, low levels of sodium in your body (e.g. if you are dehydrated or on a low salt diet).
f.) Special Monitoring: When remission is achieved, it is important to maintain satisfactory basal blood levels. At the beginning of treatment, blood levels should be estimated at least twice weekly. Thereafter, estimation should be done weekly for the next month, monthly for the next year and from then on quarterly. If there is evidence of recurrence of symptoms, blood level determinations should also be done.
g.) Education for patients/carers
- Lithium interacts with many other medicines. This can cause a change in the blood levels of either the lithium or of the other medicine, increasing the chance of side effects or lithium toxicity. Lithium toxicity may occur if the level of lithium in the blood becomes too high.
- Lithium should always be taken with care and under a doctor's supervision because serious side effects may occur if the level of lithium in the blood becomes too high (lithium toxicity).
- Do not miss any doses and do not stop taking the medicine even if feeling better. Missing doses may make symptoms worse.
- Sometimes it must be taken for one to several weeks before patient will start to feel better. However, it may take six to twelve months before the full benefits of lithium therapy become apparent.
a.) Lithium carbonate is neither a typical or atypical antipsychotic, as it is a mood stabiliser. Mood stabilisers relieve the symptoms of mood changes such as mania and severe depression. At the right dose, determined by blood monitoring, lithium treats the symptoms of mania and helps prevent recurrence of manic and depressive symptoms in Bipolar Disorder.
b.) Quilonum SR Prolonged release tablets
Lithicarb Tablets
c.) The dosage of lithium depends upon what it is being used for - either an acute condition, or for prophylactic purposes.
Some patients take up to 2 weeks to respond.
Doses of up to 1.75 g daily may be given in divided doses, recommended dosages:
Day 1: 500 to 1,000 mg in divided doses.
Day 2: 1,250 to 1,750 mg in divided doses.
Day 3: 1,500 to 2,000 mg in divided doses.
This should give blood levels of between 0.8 to 1.6 mmol/L, but the serum level must be checked. It is important not to exceed a level of 2 mmol/L.
Lithium should be taken with food, as it causes less nausea than on an empty stomach.
d.) Common Side Effects: Commonly experienced side effects are thirst, nausea, stomach upset, weight gain, slight shaking, swollen ankles and passing a lot of urine.
e.) There are many medications which can interfere with Lithium, including:
diuretics, some medicines for high blood pressure and other heart drugs, some kinds of tranquilizers ie diazepam, some medicines for depression (e.g. fluoxetine, imipramine), some medicines for arthritis or pain, appetite suppressors, some medicines for epilepsy, medicines used to treat respiratory illness, ziprasidone, which can interact with lithium to affect the heart, medicines containing steroids (e.g. prednisolone), medicines used to treat glaucoma and skin disorders, and some antibiotics.
Do not take if suffering from severe heart or kidney disease, low activity of the adrenal gland (e.g. Addison's disease) , an underactive thyroid gland, low levels of sodium in your body (e.g. if you are dehydrated or on a low salt diet).
f.) Special Monitoring: When remission is achieved, it is important to maintain satisfactory basal blood levels. At the beginning of treatment, blood levels should be estimated at least twice weekly. Thereafter, estimation should be done weekly for the next month, monthly for the next year and from then on quarterly. If there is evidence of recurrence of symptoms, blood level determinations should also be done.
g.) Education for patients/carers
- Lithium interacts with many other medicines. This can cause a change in the blood levels of either the lithium or of the other medicine, increasing the chance of side effects or lithium toxicity. Lithium toxicity may occur if the level of lithium in the blood becomes too high.
- Lithium should always be taken with care and under a doctor's supervision because serious side effects may occur if the level of lithium in the blood becomes too high (lithium toxicity).
- Do not miss any doses and do not stop taking the medicine even if feeling better. Missing doses may make symptoms worse.
- Sometimes it must be taken for one to several weeks before patient will start to feel better. However, it may take six to twelve months before the full benefits of lithium therapy become apparent.