Intervention
Low-Dose Lithium
Last updated Sun May 17 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
What it is
Lithium is a monovalent cation. In psychiatry, lithium carbonate at doses producing serum levels of 0.4–1.0 mmol/L is a first-line treatment for bipolar disorder. “Microdose” lithium typically refers to lithium orotate or lithium aspartate at 1–5 mg/day — orders of magnitude below therapeutic.
Why it’s of interest
- Ecological studies (Japan, Texas) link higher lithium in drinking water to lower suicide rates and possibly lower dementia incidence.
- Forlenza et al. RCT of low-dose lithium in mild cognitive impairment showed slower cognitive decline.
- Lithium extends lifespan in C. elegans and Drosophila.
- Mechanistically inhibits GSK-3, with effects on Wnt, mTOR, autophagy.
What the data don’t establish
Microdose lithium has no large RCT mortality or dementia-incidence data. Therapeutic-dose lithium has very well-characterised adverse effects: thyroid dysfunction, renal impairment with chronic use, weight gain, tremor, narrow therapeutic window.
Practical considerations
Microdose lithium supplements (1–5 mg) are unlikely to produce the therapeutic-dose side-effect profile but are also unlikely to fully replicate any benefit shown in higher-dose trials.
Related entries
References
- Forlenza, O. V. et al. Disease-modifying properties of long-term lithium treatment for amnestic mild cognitive impairment: randomised controlled trial. Br. J. Psychiatry 198, 351–356 (2011).