Common questions about lithium - Brand names: Priadel, Camcolit, Liskonum, Li-Liquid

Lithium is a metal. Tiny amounts of lithium are found naturally in rocks, and in our food and bodies.

We do not really know how lithium works to treat mental health conditions, but it's thought that it may protect and help create more neurons (the cells that pass messages in your brain).

Lithium may take several weeks or months to work.

If you have the right amount of lithium in your blood, you probably will not have any problems with your medicine.

However, some people find it slows down their thinking or makes them feel a bit “numb”. Sometimes it's hard to know if this is because the lithium is helping to control your mood, or if you have mania.

Talk to your doctor if you're worried that lithium is slowing down your thinking or numbing your emotions. You may need to have your lithium levels checked again.

If you or your doctor decide to stop your lithium, it must be reduced gradually over a number of weeks or months. If you stop taking it suddenly the symptoms of your condition are likely to come back.

Do not stop taking lithium suddenly even if you feel better, or because you think the dose is too little or too much.

Your doctor will help you to reduce your medicine and stop completely, if you need to.

However, if you think you have lithium toxicity (the side effects of having taken more than your prescribed dose) it's important to stop taking lithium straight away and get medical help.

These are signs of lithium toxicity, which is an emergency. Stop taking lithium straight away.

Lithium is generally safe to take for a long time. Most people take it for years with no problems.

If you've been taking lithium for some time, it can cause weight gain.

If you find you're putting on weight after taking lithium for a while, try to have a healthy balanced diet. Regular exercise will also help you keep your weight stable. Your doctor will usually monitor your weight while you're taking this medicine.

It can also cause problems with your kidneys or thyroid gland.

Common signs of an underactive thyroid are tiredness, weight gain and feeling depressed. Signs of kidney problems include swollen hands or ankles, feeling tired and short of breath, changes in your pee and feeling sick.

Tell your doctor if you get any these symptoms. Your doctor will arrange a blood test to check your thyroid and kidneys for any changes.

Your doctor may discuss topping up levels of the hormone that the thyroid gland normally produces (thyroxine) with a tablet.

Lithium is used to stabilise your mood and is not an antipsychotic medicine. However, your doctor might prescribe an antipsychotic medicine with lithium.

Usually, if you have depression, you'll be prescribed an antidepressant medicine first as they're considered more effective for depression than lithium.

However, if antidepressants have not worked, your doctor might prescribe lithium as well. This may be more effective and help your symptoms get better.

Lithium does not affect any contraception, including the combined pill, progestogen-only pill or emergency contraception.

However, if you're sick (vomit) or have severe diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, your combined pill may not protect you from pregnancy. Check the pill packet to find out what to do.

Find out more:

• What to do if you're sick or have diarrhoea when taking the combined pill
• What to do if you're sick or have diarrhoea when taking the progestogen-only pill

If you have just started taking lithium, or your dose has recently been changed, it may make you feel tired, dizzy, sleepy and make your hands shake.

If this happens, stop driving a car, riding a bike or using tools or heavy machinery for the first few days, until you know how lithium affects you and until you feel more alert.

If you've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder you must tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking lithium. GOV.UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving

Lithium can make you drowsy so it's best to stop drinking alcohol during the first few days of taking lithium, or if your dose is increased.

If you feel OK after this, you can drink alcohol but it's best not to drink too much as it's likely to make you dehydrated. This can increase the chance of high levels of lithium in your blood. It's important to remember this, especially in hot weather when you will sweat more, and your body loses water.

You can eat and drink normally while taking lithium.

However, it's best to avoid a low-sodium (low-salt) diet as this can increase the levels of lithium in your blood and increase the chance of getting side effects.

The amount of fluid you drink is very important as it can affect the levels of lithium in your blood. Getting dehydrated will affect the levels, so it's good to drink plenty of fluids.

Some people may put on weight when taking lithium. Try to eat well without increasing your portion sizes. Regular exercise can also help to keep your weight stable.

Using recreational drugs can affect the level of lithium in the body.

Taking ecstasy while you're on lithium can make you dehydrated, which can lead to lithium toxicity.

Tell your doctor if you think you may take recreational drugs while you're on lithium.

Find out more about the side effects of some recreational drugs on the Frank website.