Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:1369-1371
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Practicality of a lithium dosing guide
IF Naiman, CE Muniz, RB Stewart and RL Yost
A method of dosing lithium based on a 24-hour serum lithium level obtained
after a single 600-mg oral dose of lithium carbonate has been reported to
provide a steady-state lithium concentration of 0.6--1.2 mEq/liter. Since
this regimen is widely used in clinical practice, the authors designed a
study to determine the practicality of the dosing guide. Of 13 patients who
followed this dosing protocol, 4 (30.7%) failed to achieve the defined
steady-state range. The authors discuss factors that may affect the
reliability of the dosing guide.
