Lithium-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease

Lithium is primarily used to treat and prevent episodes of mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood) in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which is a manic-depressive disorder, a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods[1]. Lithium decreases abnormal activity in the brain and can therefore be regarded as a mood-stabilizer.

In some cases lithium is also used to treat an episode of major depression, schizophrenia, disorders of impulse control, and certain mental illnesses in children.

Yes, Lithium has a documented positive effect on your brain, but beware of the side-effects. The problem of all medications is that, while you want it to have a positive effect in one part of your body, it also reaches those parts of the body you really do not want it to have effect.

A well-known complication of lithium is its detrimental effect on your kidneys. Research shows that the use of lithium seems to be related to a higher incidence of chronic kidney disease. Longer duration of lithium exposure significantly increased the risk of renal failure[2].

In the most extreme case your mood will have considerably improved, but you might die because your kidneys were so damaged that they stopped working altogether.

We would like to suggest to call this particular variant: Lithium-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease.

[1] Won, Kim: An Oldie but Goodie: Lithium in the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder through Neuroprotective and Neurotrophic Mechanisms in International Journal of Molecular Sciences - 2017
[2] Van Alphen et al: Chronic kidney disease in lithium-treated patients, incidence and rate of decline in International Journal of Bipolar Disorders - 2021