Lithium
Lithium is a mood stabiliser that treats mania in bipolar disorder and helps prevent it returning, sold as 300mg tablets in three versions: Eskalith, Lithobid and plain Lithium.
What lithium treats
Mania is the abnormally excited, frenzied mood of bipolar disorder, and it alternates with periods of depression. Lithium treats a manic episode and makes the next swing less likely, which is why most people stay on it for years rather than weeks. Its exact action is not fully understood, but it settles overactive signalling in the brain rather than sedating you. The effect builds over one to three weeks, sometimes longer, and it holds the condition steady without curing it. Because the amount that helps sits close to the amount that harms, blood tests run alongside treatment.
Mealtimes, fluids and the daily round
Lithium usually lands at meals: plain 300mg tablets three or four times across the day, slow-release tablets two or three times, at about the same hours each day. Slow-release tablets are swallowed whole, since breaking or chewing one spoils the gradual release, and a dose that upsets your stomach sits better with food. Steady habits matter as much as timing, too. Roughly the same amount of fluid and salt from day to day keeps the level more predictable than any one rule. Keep the tablets in their pack, away from damp and strong sunlight.
Eskalith, Lithobid and the plain tablets
All three products are 300mg tablets containing lithium carbonate: Eskalith, Lithobid and Lithium. The medicine, the strength and the tablet form are the same in each; what separates them is the brand name printed on the box. Eskalith and Lithobid are brand names, while the third carries the ingredient's own name. All three appear under mental health.
Side effects, early and later
Hand tremor, thirst, more trips to the toilet, a dry mouth, nausea, loose stools and drowsiness are the early complaints, and most ease off within the first weeks, though a slight tremor can stay as long as the tablets are taken. Weight tends to creep up over months. Over years, lithium can change how the thyroid gland and the kidneys work, which is one reason checks carry on.
What sends the level too high
Dehydration is the usual route: a fever, heavy sweating or a run of severe diarrhoea leaves the same lithium in less fluid. A heatwave, a stomach bug or a crash diet can do the same, and so can eating far less salt than usual. Water tablets (diuretics), anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen, and the sodium bicarbonate in some indigestion remedies all make the body hold on to lithium. Caffeine pulls the other way, so a big change in tea, coffee, cola or energy drinks can unsettle the level. A coarse shaking tremor, repeated vomiting, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, confusion, slurred speech or unsteadiness mean the level has climbed too far and needs urgent treatment.
Sources
- Lithium: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine
- Bipolar Disorder - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) — National Institute of Mental Health
Where can I order Lithium for delivery in Hong Kong?
How much do Lithium products cost in Hong Kong?
Each of the three lithium products has its own price per pack, shown on its page in HKD or your selected currency; larger packs usually cost less per unit.
Is there a generic Lithobid?
Yes, generic Lithobid is listed as 300mg tablets and contains lithium. Alongside it the page carries the plain version, Lithium tablets, also in 300mg. Both are oral tablets.
What are the brand names for lithium?
Eskalith and Lithobid are brand names of lithium, which is also sold as Priadel, Quilonum and Liskonum. Here, lithium can be bought online as generic Eskalith, generic Lithobid and lithium tablets. These are generics, not the original brand.
How long does lithium take to work?
Most people notice a change within one to three weeks, and the full effect can take longer to appear. Lithium is taken every day through that time, because heading off the next episode is as much its job as settling the current one.
Can I drink alcohol with lithium?
A heavy drinking session is the part that matters, because it leaves you short of fluid and concentrates lithium in the blood; hot weather or exercise on top makes it worse. An occasional drink on an ordinary day, with meals and normal fluids, is a far smaller matter.
Can I take ibuprofen with lithium?
Ibuprofen and naproxen belong to a group of painkillers that make the kidneys hold on to lithium, so the level can rise while they are used. One tablet for an odd headache is a small thing; a run of them over several days is a bigger one.
Why does lithium need blood tests?
The same dose gives different blood levels in different people, and the helpful range sits close to the range that causes trouble. Levels also shift with illness, hot weather, salt intake and other medicines, so testing shows where things stand.
Is Eskalith the same as Lithobid?
Both are 300mg lithium tablets and work in the same way; they simply carry different brand names. The plain tablets sold alongside them are the same medicine again, under the ingredient's own name.