Posted by Elizabeth on April 19, 2002, at 23:09:43
In reply to Re: Serenity-All natural Lithium? » jazzdog, posted by Ritch on April 16, 2002, at 12:39:51
In some localities, the water has small amounts of lithium dissolved in it. Not enough to have significant clinical effects, of course (unless you drank, like, a river).
In therapeutic doses, lithium is toxic enough and has a narrow enough therapeutic window that I really doubt that the FDA would permit it to be marketed over the counter as a "food supplement" (they probably haven't noticed that this is going on, that's my guess). As always, natural doesn't = safe. (Actually, I'm not convinced that "natural" means anything in these ads for so-called "supplements.")
These people are claiming that their product contains the salt lithium orotate -- orotate is just an ion. (I think orotic acid is one of the B vitamins.) It is true that some lithium salts are more toxic than others -- for example, lithium chloride is no longer used because it's too toxic. The salts that are used clinically in the USA are carbonate and citrate. The orotate is used in Germany and probably some other places.
I'm not sure if the orotate is any less toxic than other salts, although I've heard some claims that it has fewer or milder side effects. It does result in higher lithium levels than an equal dose of lithium carbonate, so the therapeutic dose range is lower. That doesn't necessarily mean there are fewer side effects, though.
On another note -- Jane, what do you mean, exactly, when you say that:
> Lithium in its natural form breaks down in a matter of hours
?
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:102373
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020416/msgs/103614.html