This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Side effects at therapeutic concentrations

Authoring team

Common side effects include hand tremor, muscular weakness, nausea, polydipsia, polyuria, weight gain and oedema.

These are not usually dangerous, but may indicate the beginning of the toxic syndrome.

  • tremor is very common.
  • thyroid enlargement, hypothyroidism, ECG changes and EEG changes, nephrogenic diabetes-insipidus and depletion of calcium from bone may also take place. Long-term lithium treatment is associated with persistent hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcaemia (1).
  • patient may complain of a metallic taste in the mouth during lithium treatment.
  • skin rashes may occur.

Reference:

  1. Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 1999; 37 (3): 22-24.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.