SUMMARY

The uses of lithium in psychiatry, a guide to dosages, side-effects and toxicity are discussed. The dangers inherent in the use of the substance and the manner in which these can be avoided are indicated. S. AII'. Med. 1., 46, 54 (1972) Lithium was first successfully used in the treatment of acute mania in 1949 ' but had previously been prescribed as a table-salt substitute with drastic results. Lithium bromide was one of the earliest effective anti-epileptic drugs available and the substance was also recommended for various rheumatic conditions, renal calculi, uraemia, etc. Recently, with the aid of careful laboratory and clinical controls, it has been widely used in the treatment of acute mania and as the first possible prophylactic agent for both mania and depression. Its serum level is easily estimated by a simple flame-photometer method, ' hence control can be carefully regulated. Blood levels must be kept within the generally recommended limits of 0,6 and 1,2 mEq/Iitre, as toxicity easily ensues at higher con-centrations. The estimation is best done on blood drawn in the morning prior to administration of the first dose