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Lithium treatment during alcoholic withdrawal
Author(s) -
Sellers E. M.,
Cooper S. D.,
Zilm D. H.,
Shanks C.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt1976202199
Subject(s) - lithium (medication) , lithium carbonate , catecholamine , medicine , endocrinology , excretion , dopamine , ethanol , anesthesia , chemistry , biochemistry , ion , organic chemistry , ionic bonding
The efficacy of lithium carbonate was studied in 18 chronic alcoholic male patients in withdrawal. In mild alcoholic withdrawal, oral lithium carbonate, 0.3 gm every 8 hr, diminishes subjective symptoms of withdrawal and normalizes performance on a motor tracking task. Patients who start lithium while drinking ethanol improve most probably because it takes longer than 3 days for lithium concentrations in the blood to plateau. Lithium does not importantly alter patterns of catecholamine excretion, blood pressures, heart rate, serum cyclic‐adenosine monophosphate (AMP), serum dopamine ß‐hydroxylase (DBH), sleep pattern, or tremor amplitude during withdrawal.