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The Essential Guide to Lithium Treatment pp 129–139Cite as

Adverse Effects of Lithium and Their Management

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Abstract

Concerns about lithium’s adverse effects have been prominent since before the beginning of lithium’s use in mood disorders. In fact, lithium’s use as a sodium chloride (table salt) substitute in the 1940s and 1950s resulting in clearly documented cases of lithium toxicity played a major role in the resistance to its use after the early reports and studies by Cade and Schou (Johnson 1984). Additionally, adverse effects continue to be a major cause of lithium nonadherence. Lithium’s adverse effects can be divided into three groups: (1) side effects, both acute and long term; (2) long-term effects on organ systems; and (3) toxicity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technische Universtät Dresden, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany

    Michael Bauer

  2. Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Michael Gitlin

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  1. Michael Bauer
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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Bauer, M., Gitlin, M. (2016). Adverse Effects of Lithium and Their Management. In: The Essential Guide to Lithium Treatment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31214-9_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31214-9_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31212-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31214-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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