Supplements for Mental Health

[VegetaGD]

Please contribute if you can. I'm likely not the only one on here who sometimes battles with their own minds & thought patterns such as negativity, self-doubt, unwanted thoughts, etc.

Sure I'm able to get by, but sometimes I feel like I don't have 100% control of my own mind which can be frustrating.

Aside from the normal things one might use to control & strengthen the mind (meditation, yoga, reading self help books) are there herbal formulas that any of you take on a long term basis that can evoke a sense of calm/inner peace/comfort or heightened awareness of your own thoughts?

So far I've looked around at it seems like StressCare from Himalaya USA is a pretty good option. I would love to hear what you guys are taking. Again, I'm not talking about gingko, or other herbs that improve focus, memory, etc...I'm thinking herbs that help you feel more grounded & at peace instead of always stressed or anxious. Thanks!

[diddy55]

fish oil, it is amazing, take 10 -20 caps of a good grade fish oil. Its will change your life.

[VegetaGD]

fish oil, it is amazing, take 10 -20 caps of a good grade fish oil. Its will change your life.

Take it everyday, but don't you think 10 to 20 caps is too much? I take 6 daily which equates to 1080mg EPA & 720mg DHA.

[user27629377]

St. John's Wort standardized to 3-5% Hyperforin, SAMe, Omega 3's

[Squat2Grow]

L-Theanine will put you more at ease and relax you

[CognitiveNutrition]

Please contribute if you can. I'm likely not the only one on here who sometimes battles with their own minds & thought patterns such as negativity, self-doubt, unwanted thoughts, etc.

Sure I'm able to get by, but sometimes I feel like I don't have 100% control of my own mind which can be frustrating.

Aside from the normal things one might use to control & strengthen the mind (meditation, yoga, reading self help books) are there herbal formulas that any of you take on a long term basis that can evoke a sense of calm/inner peace/comfort or heightened awareness of your own thoughts?

So far I've looked around at it seems like StressCare from Himalaya USA is a pretty good option. I would love to hear what you guys are taking. Again, I'm not talking about gingko, or other herbs that improve focus, memory, etc...I'm thinking herbs that help you feel more grounded & at peace instead of always stressed or anxious. Thanks!

Inositol 12-18 grams
EPA 2 grams
Lithium orotate 5-20 mg
L-Theanine 1-2 grams
Picamilon 150-300 mg
Phenibut 750-1,500 mg

[user27629377]

Inositol 12-18 grams
EPA 2 grams
Lithium orotate 5-20 mg
L-Theanine 1-2 grams
Picamilon 150-300 mg
Phenibut 750-1,500 mg

I would recommend against consistent lithium and phenibut use.

[CognitiveNutrition]

I would recommend against consistent lithium and phenibut use.

Lithium is quite safe and effective for regular use. Phenibut as label directed recommends cycling off or using as needed.

[user27629377]

Lithium is quite safe and effective for regular use.

Are you talking about lithium or lithium orotate, which you suggested in your previous post? There are also studies showing the exact opposite, and IMO, it is stupid to try and self-medicate yourself with something like lithium.

[CognitiveNutrition]

Are you talking about lithium or lithium orotate, which you suggested in your previous post? There are also studies showing the exact opposite, and IMO, it is stupid to try and self-medicate yourself with something like lithium.

Lithium orotate of course (which is why I listed it in my suggestion above). It's an otc supplement sold for years in the US.

Here's some info.

Lithium is usually thought of as a drug, used to medicate people with bipolar disorder - and at very high doses (typically 170 to 340 milligrams of elemental lithium), common lithium salts are very effective at treating this disease in most people. Yet lithium is not a drug, but a mineral, in the same chemical family as sodium and potassium. In fact, far from being a substance that's only found in prescription tablets, lithium is naturally present in our food and drinking water: typical diets contain between 0.650 and 3.1 milligrams of lithium per day, coming mostly from grains and vegetables.
And lithium is not just another box on the periodic table. Decades of evidence has accumulated to suggest that lithium is actually a nutritionally essential mineral for humans, like calcium, zinc, or potassium, so that a diet too low in lithium can cause a deficiency disease which is ruinous to your health. In this sense, the treatment of bipolar disorder with "megadoses" of lithium salts is an early example of conventional medicine embracing a fundamentally orthomolecular therapy, like the use of niacin against high cholesterol levels. More recently, research has unveiled new neuroprotective and even neuroregenerative powers in lithium.

An Essential Nutrient
Animal studies have shown that lithium is an essential mineral in mammals. Lithium-deficient laboratory rodents take a longer time to achieve pregnancy. When they do conceive, they bear 20 to 30% fewer pups in each litter - and those young are smaller, and 40 to 47% less likely to survive their first week. Lithium-deficient rodents also have abnormal lipid metabolism. They become less assertive in social groupings, spend less time using their running wheels, and have a harder time learning to avoid pressing a lever that delivers a shock after a short delay. When USDA scientists sat down to reformulate the standard rodent chow used in laboratory experiments in 1997, one of the key changes to the diet was to fortify its lithium content beyond the amount that naturally occurs in the elements of the diet.

Similarly, goats fed diets very low in lithium need more inseminations to conceive, and may even become barren; and once they become pregnant, lithium-deficient goats are at greater risk of spontaneously aborting their fetuses, and produce less milk in the first two months after giving birth. These lithium-deficient animals display depressed immune systems, chronic inflammation, splenic atrophy, excessive iron buildup in their tissues, and calcium deposits in their blood vessels; moreover, the activity of enzymes involved in mitochondrial energy production is depressed by lithium deficiency, and lithium-deficient goats develop "benign" tumors of the breast, salivary glands, and adrenal glands, as well as ovarian cysts.

Of course, no group of scientists is going to lock up a group of humans and feed them lithium-deficient diets for years to see what horrors result. Instead, evidence showing how important it is to get enough lithium is has come from studies, which have compared the health of people living in areas with higher and lower amounts of lithium in the rain or tap water, and individuals with higher and lower levels of the mineral in their hair, scalp, and urine.

These studies have found that people living in areas with low lithium have higher rates of neurosis, schizophrenia, psychosis, mental ward admissions, homicide, suicide, forcible sexual assault, burglary, and runaways. Similarly, inmates in California prisons convicted of violent crimes have lower hair lithium levels than the population at large. Studies also suggest that low lithium levels may be a key reason for the higher rates of heart attack in areas with ?soft' water, although magnesium is probably the one mineral most responsible for the effect.

Based on the amount of lithium found in typical diets, and the amounts known to support brain health when consumed in the diet and drinking water, nutrition researchers are now suggesting an ?RDA' of lithium in the range of 0.400 to 1 milligram per day.

Neuroprotection
Most of what we know about lithium's effects on the brain come from studies investigating the mineral's effects on the brain biochemistry underlying bipolar disorder. But in recent years, a new line of research has opened up, to investigate the powerful neuroprotective effects of lithium. Lithium supplementation shields neurons and intact brains alike against insults as wide-ranging as excessive doses of anticonvulsant medications, deprival of growth factors or essential electrolytes, the Alzheimer's protein beta amyloid, and neurotoxins like oubain, quinolinic acid, and MPP+. Lithium supplements decrease the number of brain cells killed by experimental strokes by 40%, and help the animals to recover their balance and motility more quickly. Remarkably, most of these benefits can be gained even after the model stroke is over. Lithium supplements also aid brain regeneration in animal models of Huntington's disease.

While it's becoming clear that lithium protects the brain through quite a few different mechanisms, there are three that seem most exciting. First, lithium provides defense against excitotoxicity (the frying of brain cells by overstimulation), mostly through precision modulating of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor's response to the stimulatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Lithium has a "push/pull" effect on this neurotransmitter, raising glutamate levels when they are too low and lowering them when they are too high by modulating its reuptake. This balancing act helps to prevent both excessive stimulation (which kills brain cells) and inadequate activation of the NMDA receptor (which interferes normal activation and function of nerve cells needed for mood and memory).

Second, lithium increases levels of the major neuroprotective protein bcl-2 in brain cells. Bcl-2 is a cell survival protein which inhibits cell death n response to a wide range of neurotoxins and cellular stressors, including large doses of cortisol, ionizing radiation, free radicals, chemicals that deplete brain cells of the antioxidant reduced glutathione (GSH), and deprivation of crucial brain growth factors.

And perhaps most excitingly of all, lithium inhibits the activity GSK-3, an enzyme, which promotes the formation of the key pathological features of brains under assault by Alzheimer's disease. GSK-3 is involved in adding phosphate groups to the tau protein, and when tau becomes overphosphorylated it forms the ?tangles' that characterize the brains of Alzheimer's patients. So damping down the activity of GSK-3 would be expected to reduce tangle formation. And in animals given a gene that causes them to overproduce the precursor to the brain-wrecking amyloid beta protein, lithium supplements interfere with the formation of amyloid beta peptides and prevent plaque formation. This has led to the recommendation that the use of lithium in "experimental trials aimed to ameliorate neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease should be considered."

Neuroregeneration
Beyond its abilities to protect brain cells from toxic assault, it's now emerging that lithium, acting through bcl-2, also helps to regenerate nerve cells, activating a genetic program (the ERK/MAP kinase pathway) that stimulates the growth of new axons and promoting the sprouting of new neurites (the branching "tips" of nerve cells which bridge the gap between neurons). Some evidence also exists that lithium may enhance the proliferation and specialization of neural stem cells, which are the primal proto-neruons that can replace brain cells lost through aging or insult.

Evidence for this can be seen in the fact that lithium supplementation increases levels of N-acetylaspartate (a marker of brain cell viability and function) in the brains of supplemented animals. But more than that: lithium protects against the shrinkage of the prefrontal cortex and the reductions in glial cell density, which are otherwise seen in bipolar depression. Likewise, researchers have documented increases grey matter in humans taking lithium supplements for just four weeks - with the largest increases occurring in the hippocampus, a region of the brain crucial for moving short-term memories into long-term storage, and which is the first and most severely-hit area of the brain in victims of Alzheimer's disease. Importantly, these selective effects were specifically observed in areas where atrophy had previously occurred: there was no potentially disturbing, pell-mell growth of nerve cells.

While the human studies were performed in people suffering with bipolar disorder who were taking megadoses of conventional lithium salts, the scientists who made this observation suggest that "The adjunctive use of these agents - at low doses [our emphasis] - may provide the trophic [growth-promoting] support necessary to restore, enhance, and maintain normal synaptic connectivity, thereby allowing the chemical signal to reinstate the optimal functioning of critical circuits necessary for normal functioning."

[CognitiveNutrition]

Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing, Baby...
Lots of evidence supports the brain's need for a small amount of nutritional lithium for normal functioning. But megadoses of inorganic lithium salts have also been found useful in a variety of other conditions as well. Clinical trials have found that lithium helps to reduce the frequency of cluster headaches, as well as hypnic headaches (a disorder mostly seen in older folks, in which they regularly awake in the middle of the night with throbbing pain). There is also some evidence that lithium may help to relieve fibromyalgia and to improve blood sugar metabolism in diabetics; as well, lithium is well-established as a therapy for Graves' disease.

Some nutritionally-minded physicians report that they get great results with their patients suffering from these disorders using much smaller doses of Lithium Orotate, an organic form of lithium. Lithium Orotate first gained prominence amongst health-conscious people as a nutritional supplement following the work of Dr. Hans Nieper in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While Dr. Nieper was fond of jumping to wild conclusions from the merest shred of evidence to support his notions, there are a few gems amongst the rubble, and Lithium Orotate is one of them. He - and other nutritionally-oriented physicians after him - achieved excellent results using very low doses of lithium in this organic form with his patients. Typically, physicians using Lithium Orotate recommend just 5 milligrams of elemental lithium in this form, although in some cases they may suggest as much as 55 milligrams.

Some studies show that Lithium Orotate may be better absorbed by the brain than the prescription lithium salts; as well, some of the unique effects of Lithium Orotate appear to come from lithium's ability to increase the metabolism of orotate into RNA (the molecules that carry the instructions from the DNA in the cell's nucleus into the body of the cell, to instruct the cell's machinery to assemble the right protein) - an effect which could be important to lithium's neurotrophic powers.

But if you're looking to use this organic lithium as a nutritional supplement, you should know that nearly none of the so-called "Lithium Orotate" available in dietary supplements is the real deal. Dr. Nieper worked with fully-reacted Lithium Orotate, in which the lithium is directly chemically bound to the organic orotic acid ligand. By contrast, almost all "Lithium Orotate" that's commercially available today is not fully-reacted, but is actually a blend of inorganic lithium salts with orotic acid! While some of this blend will inevitably react in your stomach to form true Lithium Orotate, most will behave in your body exactly the way that conventional, prescription lithium will - except that you'll only be using a tiny fraction of the amount of elemental lithium needed to get results with these salts in clinical trials. Caveat emptor!

References

Schrauzer GN. Lithium: occurrence, dietary intakes, nutritional essentiality. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Feb; 21(1): 14-21.

Gray NA, Zhou R, Du J, Moore GJ, Manji HK. The use of mood stabilizers as plasticity enhancers in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. J Clin Psychiatry. 2003; 64 Suppl 5: 3-17.

Phiel CJ, Wilson CA, Lee VM, Klein PS. GSK-3alpha regulates production of Alzheimer's disease amyloid-beta peptides. Nature. 2003 May 22; 423(6938): 435-9.

Moore GJ, Bebchuk JM, Wilds IB, Chen G, Manji HK. Lithium-induced increase in human brain grey matter. Lancet. 2000 Oct 7; 356(9237): 1241-2.

Manji HK, Moore GJ, Chen G. Lithium at 50: have the neuroprotective effects of this unique cation been overlooked? Biol Psychiatry. 1999 Oct 1; 46(7): 929-40.

Kling MA, Manowitz P, Pollack IW. Rat brain and serum lithium concentrations after acute injections of lithium carbonate and orotate. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1978 Jun; 30(6): 368-70.

Nieper HA. The clinical applications of lithium orotate. A two years study. Agressologie. 1973; 14(6): 407-11.

[CognitiveNutrition]

Lithium: occurrence, dietary intakes, nutritional essentiality.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Feb;21(1):14-21.
Schrauzer GN.

Lithium is found in variable amounts in foods; primary food sources are grains and vegetables; in some areas, the drinking water also provides significant amounts of the element. Human dietary lithium intakes depend on location and the type of foods consumed and vary over a wide range. Traces of lithium were detected in human organs and fetal tissues already in the late 19th century, leading to early suggestions as to possible specific functions in the organism. However, it took another century until evidence for the essentiality of lithium became available. In studies conducted from the 1970s to the 1990s, rats and goats maintained on low-lithium rations were shown to exhibit higher mortalities as well as reproductive and behavioral abnormalities. In humans defined lithium deficiency diseases have not been characterized, but low lithium intakes from water supplies were associated with increased rates of suicides, homicides and the arrest rates for drug use and other crimes. Lithium appears to play an especially important role during the early fetal development as evidenced by the high lithium contents of the embryo during the early gestational period. The biochemical mechanisms of action of lithium appear to be multifactorial and are intercorrelated with the functions of several enzymes, hormones and vitamins, as well as with growth and transforming factors. The available experimental evidence now appears to be sufficient to accept lithium as essential; a provisional RDA for a 70 kg adult of 1,000 microg/day is suggested.

The clinical applications of lithium orotate. A two years study.
Agressologie. 1973; 14(6): 407-11.
Nieper HA.

Sixty-four patients were treated with lithium orotate and observed for time periods ranging from four months to two and one half years. Lithium orotate is of truly unparalleled efficiency in the treatment of constitutional migraine, constant headache and hemicrania. Also in the treatment of depression, alcoholism and epilepsy, lithium orotate has proven very useful without any problems in the application. Lithium orotate is effective at uncommonly low dosages and causes no negative side effects. Lithium citrate and lithium carbonate are far less effective that lithium orotate. The specific principle is considered to be a directed intracellular transport of lithium by means of the orotic carrier molecule, which has a high affinity for tissue dependent on the pentose pathway, e.g. glia and the blood brain barrier. The directed carrier principle of the lithium orotate therapy makes a determination of the lithium level in the blood serum unnecessary. The effectiveness of lithium therapy as such is based on a membranal and cellular displacement of sodium.

[CognitiveNutrition]

Lithium:
The Mood-Enhancing Mineral
By Jason E. Barker, ND

Depression and other mood disorders are some of the most common and debilitating conditions experienced by patients. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans suffer from mental disorders?including depression and bipolar disorder.1 Applied to the 2004 United States Census, this equates to roughly 57.7 million people.2 In other words, 1 in 4 people we encounter during the day (friends, family members, co-workers) have some form of depression. Furthermore, nearly half of those with mental disorders suffer from more than just one condition at any given time.1

Some of the more prevalent mental disorders include conditions that are classified as mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (depression) and bipolar disorder. Depression is considered the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for people aged 14 to 44,3 affecting a total of 14.8 million adults, or 6.7 percent of the adult (age 18 and above) population in the U.S.1 The median age of onset for depression is 324, and is more common in women than men?however, it can develop at any time and can occur in men as well.5

Depression

Depression is a mental illness that affects both the mind and the body, influencing the way a person eats, sleeps and how he or she views the world and themselves. It is not simply an extended ?bad? mood or a lack of personal or mental strength; nor is it laziness. Left untreated, depression exerts a profound crippling effect and symptoms can last a lifetime. Depression and other mental conditions are diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV).6

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a condition that is punctuated by wide changes in mood, thought, energy levels, and behavior. Although different from clinical depression, the depressive episodes in bipolar disorder are similar. Bipolar disorder affects roughly 5.7 million American adults, or about 2.6 percent of the adult population1; the median age of onset is 25 years for this condition.4

People with bipolar disorder experience moods that can alternate between excessive highs (mania) and excessive lows (depression). Changes can be apparent for as little as a few hours to days, weeks, and even months. The cyclical or episodic occurrences of depression and mania can be solitary in nature, and episodes of mixed mania and depression can appear as well, becoming increasingly frequent leading to disruptions in all aspects of the person?s life.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Another related condition to depression and bipolar disorder is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is generally caused by bodily rhythms that are out of synch with the sun due to the late dawn and early dusk of wintertime. Symptoms of SAD are similar to those of clinical depression, including lack of energy.7 In the U.S., it is thought that SAD affects roughly 9 percent of the population in the Northern U.S. and about 1.5 percent of the population in Florida.8 Additionally, a milder form of SAD known as Subsyndromal SAD is thought to affect 14.3 percent (northern) to 6.4 percent (Southern) of the population in the U.S.9 The majority of people with SAD will also experience depression, and up to 20 percent of people with SAD may also suffer from bipolar disorder.9 Such people will be depressed in the winter and manic in the summer.

Clinically, many patients present with these conditions that are often not extreme nor frequent enough for them to have been ?officially? diagnosed according to DSM-IV standards. This population is perhaps at greater risk of not obtaining proper treatment, as they may fall through the proverbial diagnostic criteria gap, resulting in their symptoms either being downplayed or completely unaddressed as a result. In my practice based in the Pacific Northwest, where sunlight is often scarce, I tend to see many patients who did not receive proper treatment and happen to mention mood symptoms. Other patients wait until they can no longer stand the emotional pain to finally speak out about their condition. In these cases, if the patients? symptoms are worse in winter, I suspect SAD as a possible cause.

Lithium?s Mood-Elevating Properties

The mineral lithium orotate is used by doctors to help stabilize and equilibrate mood swings and is therefore of particular interest to people with mood disorders. It is helpful in making the highs and lows of bipolar less dramatic, and for lifting depressive symptoms. It also works to stop mood swings and depressive lows, as long as it is taken regularly. The exact mechanism of action of lithium is not well understood; it is thought to regulate how the brain communicates messages within itself.

Lithium is available in several forms; most often it is prescribed in a form known as lithium carbonate or lithium citrate. Both of these types of lithium have a very narrow therapeutic range, meaning that the most effective dose is very close to a toxic dose as well. However, because of the side effects that are often encountered due to the large amounts typically prescribed, people taking lithium often suffer from several medication side effects.

Prescription strength lithium must be used in high amounts to achieve therapeutic efficacy, because the cells of the body generally poorly absorb it. Lithium and many other drugs must be absorbed into the cells where they affect the internal cellular chemistry to cause physiologic changes. Because lithium does not readily enter the cells, patients must take very high doses to ?force? lithium into the cells. At the same time, these high doses are extremely close to toxic levels; prescription strength lithium must be used with extreme caution, as the difference between therapeutic and toxic levels are extremely small. Because of this, people taking lithium must maintain strict dosing schedules and be diligent about obtaining blood tests every 3 months to ensure they stay within optimal, non-toxic dose ranges. Symptoms of lithium overdose include tremors, diarrhea, thirst and frequent urination, nausea and a feeling of detachedness.

Lithium in any of its forms is not a pharmaceutical drug in the strictest sense; rather the different forms are simply minerals (very similar to salt) with significant effects on conditions of the mind. Lithium occurs naturally in the environment and it is found in very small amounts in the food and water supply.

Lithium Orotate ? The Safe Lithium

Another form of lithium, known as lithium orotate, is much safer than its prescription strength counterparts yet at the same time it maintains a similar degree of efficacy. Because of this, much lower doses can be used, and toxic side effects are avoided, but clinical improvements are similar.

Lithium orotate differs chiefly from prescription strength lithium based on the ion it is bound to. This seemingly insignificant change makes all the difference in the world in the realm of safety. The original scientific study looking at lithium orotate theorized that this form of lithium was specifically released within cells at the critical sites where cellular transmission occurs, and that this form of lithium is able to cross the blood brain barrier with greater efficacy than standard lithium.10

It is theorized that the cells can absorb lithium orotate more effectively than the prescription form.11 This study looked at lithium orotate absorption in animals and showed that the brain and blood serum concentrations of lithium orotate remained stable in the serum up to 24 hours post-administration, and brain concentrations were 3 times higher than that found with prescription lithium carbonate ? leading to greater therapeutic efficacy.

Other Uses of Lithium

People with mood disorders (especially depression) are at a much higher risk of suicide than the general population.12 Lithium has been shown to lessen the incidence of suicide in patients with depression who are taking it compared to those who do not. And, suicide is also lower among those taking lithium compared to other types of antidepressant medications.13-14 Lithium has been used with success in a variety of conditions other than mood disorders, including alcoholism, anemia, migraine and cluster headache15, as well as nearsightedness and glaucoma.10

Conclusion

Lithium orotate is a simple mineral available as a safe nutritional preparation that has significant effects on conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Lithium orotate is available as a safer alternative to prescription strength lithium, which has a high risk of several dangerous side effects. Lithium orotate is uniquely designed to provide the same positive effects on mood as prescription lithium, but at a much lower and thus safer dose. Lithium can be used in clinically diagnosed mood disorders as well as for subclinical mood conditions that are not always readily diagnosed by clinicians. Lithium orotate should always be used under the discretion of a physician.

[CognitiveNutrition]

References

1. Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.

2. U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates by Demographic Characteristics. Table 2: Annual Estimates of the Population by Selected Age Groups and Sex for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004 (NC-EST2004-02) Source: Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau Release Date: June 9, 2005. http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/

3. The World Health Organization. The World Health Report 2004: Changing History, Annex Table 3: Burden of disease in DALYs by cause, sex, and mortality stratum in WHO regions, estimates for 2002. Geneva: WHO, 2004.

4. Kessler RC, Berglund PA, Demler O, Jin R, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62(6):593-602.

5. Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Koretz D, Merikangas KR, Rush AJ, Walters EE, Wang PS. The epidemiology of major depressive disorder: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003; Jun 18;289(23):3095-105.

6. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, 1994.

7. Lam RW, Levitt AJ, Levitan RD, Enns MW, Morehouse R, Michalak EE, Tam EM. ?The Can-SAD Study: a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of light therapy and fluoxetine in patients with winter seasonal affective disorder.? American Journal of Psychiatry. 2006;163(5):805-12.

8. Modell J, Rosenthal NE, Harriett AE, Krishen A, Asgharian A, Foster VJ, Metz A, Rockett CB, Wightman DS. Seasonal affective disorder and its prevention by anticipatory treatment with bupropion XL Biological Psychiatry. 2005;58(8): 658-667.

9. Avery DH, Kizer D, Bolte MA, Hellekson C. Bright light therapy of subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder in the workplace: morning vs. afternoon exposure. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2001;103 (4): 267-274.

10. Nieper HA. The clinical applications of lithium orotate. A two years study. Agressologie. 1973;14(6):407-11.

11. Kling MA, Manowitz P, Pollack IW. Rat brain and serum lithium concentrations after acute injections of lithium carbonate and orotate. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1978 Jun;30(6):368-70.

12. Moscicki EK. Epidemiology of completed and attempted suicide: toward a framework for prevention. Clinical Neuroscience Research. 2001; 1: 310-23.

13. McElroy SL, Kotwal R, Kaneria R, Keck PE Jr. Antidepressants and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord. 2006 Oct;8(5 Pt 2):596-617.

14. Howland RH. Lithium: underappreciated and underused?

J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2007 Aug;45(8):13-7.

15. Sartori HE. Lithium orotate in the treatment of alcoholism and related conditions. Alcohol. 1986 Mar; 3 (2): 97-100.



Dear Doctor Q & A
Lithium Deficiency

Question:
Dear Dr. Meletis, I have read about lithium depletion in bottled and filtered water. While the article focused on the relationship this might have to autism, they do describe what seem to be negative health implications for all consumers of bottled and filtered water. I would be interested in your comments on this and also in your recommendation for how to use Lithium Orotate supplementation to counterbalance the loss of natural lithium in drinking water. Ms. W.

Answer:
Dear Ms. W., Your observations relative to the article are correct. So, often we all lose track, including the health professionals, on what I will term ?common sense medicine.? Lithium is a natural salt, no different than sodium, potassium, calcium, or magnesium. Certainly in drug form is has side effects, yet as a nutrient found in a ?healthful diet? it is essential. Low levels of nutritional status in any area of human biochemistry results in lack of performance. There are some great articles on the website about the topic of lithium, in particular Lithium Orotate. I would propose that in the next few years it will be noted that a relative lithium deficiency is present in much of America, much like low iodine levels are slowly but surely being recognized. Sincerely, Chris D. Meletis, ND

Source: www.vrp.com

[user27629377]

It is wholly unpersuasive when you just copy/paste a bunch of **** you found on google scholar, especially when I could do the exact same thing showing the other side of lithium supplementation.

[Horns3]

look into something called "mood food" by saint johns wart....my bro was contemplating suicide last year and we started giving him this instead of ***** and stuff and it worked miracles, i've taken it myself and it really does help a lot

[CognitiveNutrition]

It is wholly unpersuasive when you just copy/paste a bunch of **** you found on google scholar, especially when I could do the exact same thing showing the other side of lithium supplementation.

If you have any studies showing Lithium orotate is unsafe as an essential mineral in the doses recommended by doctors please post away. I've been aware of the articles I've posted for years and have researched this before several times.

If excellent articles and research does not convince you nothing will. To each his own.

[CognitiveNutrition]

Lithium Orotate:
The Unique Safe Mineral with Multiple Uses

By Ward Dean, M.D. and Jim English


Lithium is a mineral with a cloudy reputation. It is an alkali metal in the same family as sodium, potassium and other elements. Although lithium is highly effective in the treatment of manic depressive illness (X4 DI), its pharmaceutical (prescription) versions, lithium carbonate and lithium citrate, must be used with caution. The reason for the caution with prescription lithium is because lithium in these forms is poorly absorbed by the cells of the body ? and it is within the cells that lithiums therapeutic effects take place. Lithium ions are believed to act only at particular sites on the membranes of intracellular structures like mitochondria and lysosomes.

Consequently, because of this poor intracellular transport, high dosages of pharmaceutical forms of lithium must be taken in order to obtain a satisfactory therapeutic effect. Unfortunately, these therapeutic dosages cause blood levels to be so high that they border on toxic levels. Consequently, patients taking prescription lithium must be closely monitored for toxic blood levels. Serum lithium and serum creatinine levels of prescription lithium-treated patients should be monitored every 3-6 months.

Toxic effects of lithium may include hand tremors, frequent urination, thirst, nausea, and vomiting. Even higher doses may cause drowsiness, muscular weakness, poor coordination, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, and other symptoms.

There has been concern that long-term lithium treatment may damage kidney function, but data in this regard are equivocal. Renal insufficiency without a known cause has occurred in the general population, and the incidence of renal failure among manic-depressive patients not treated with lithium remains unknown.

Most patients treated with lithium are also taking other medications, and it is just as likely that the few known cases of renal failure in patients taking lithium were due to other medications that they were simultaneously taking.2-5

Nevertheless, with potential side effects like this, why in the world would anyone want to take lithium? It is because lithium has been found to be one of the most effective treatments for manic-depressive illness (bi-polar disorder).

Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a severe mood disorder characterized by manic or depressive episodes that usually cycle back and forth between depression and mania. The depressive phase is characterized by sluggishness (inertia), loss of self-esteem, helplessness, withdrawal and sadness, with suicide being a risk. The manic phase is characterized by elation, hyperactivity, over-involvement in activities, inflated self-esteem, a tendency to be easily distracted, and little need for sleep. In either phase there is frequently a dependence on alcohol or other substances of abuse. The disorder first appears between the ages of 15 and 25 and affects men and women equally. The cause is unknown, but hereditary and psychological factors may play a role. The incidence is higher in relatives of people with bipolar disorders. A psychiatric history of mood swings, and an observation of current behavior and mood are important in the diagnosis of this disorder.7

Orthodox Treatment
Hospitalization may be required during an acute phase to control the symptoms. Antidepressant drugs may be given; anticonvulsants (Carbamazepine, Valproic acid, Depakote) may also be used. (These substances deplete body stores of L-carnitine and Taurine. Supplementation with several grams daily of these supplements greatly ameliorates adverse side effects of these drugs).

Lithium, however, is the treatment of choice for recurring bipolar (manic/depressive) illness, serving as an effective mood enhancer in 70-80 percent of bipolar patients.

Mortality-lowering, Anti-suicidal Effect of Lithium
The mortality of manic-depressive patients is markedly higher than that of the general population. The increased mortality is mainly, but not exclusively, caused by suicide. Studies have shown that the mortality of manic-depressive patients given long-term lithium treatment is markedly lower than that of patients not receiving lithium. The frequency of suicidal acts among treated patients is significantly lower than patients given other antidepressants or carbamazepine. The results of mortality studies are consistent with the assumption that lithium-treatment protects against suicidal behavior. 8-13

Unipolar Disorder
In addition to its well-recognized benefits in the management of bipolar disorder, trials have conclusively demonstrated that lithium is also an effective treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive illness (recurrent major affective disorder).14-16 Although physicians in Europe have successfully used lithium for this indication for many years, American psychiatrists do not share their appreciation of lithiums safety and effectiveness for conditions other than MDI. Perhaps it is due to a difference in the lithium preparations they have at their disposal.

Superiority of Lithium Orotate
The lithium salt of orotic acid (lithium orotate) improves the specific effects of lithium many-fold by increasing lithium bio-utilization. The orotates transport the lithium to the membranes of mitochondria, lysosomes and the glia cells. Lithium orotate stabilizes the lyso****l membranes and prevents the enzyme reactions that are responsible for the sodium depletion and dehydration effects of other lithium salts. Because of the superior bioavailability of lithium orotate, the therapeutic dosage is much less than prescription forms of lithium. For example, in cases of severe depression, the therapeutic dosage of lithium orotate is 150 mg/day. This is compared to 900-1800 mg of the prescription forms. In this dosage range of lithium orotate, there are no adverse lithium side reactions and no need for monitoring blood serum measurements.17

Other Uses for Lithium Orotate
Lithium orotate has also been used with success in alleviating the pain from migraine and cluster headaches, low white blood cell counts, juvenile convulsive disease, alcoholism and liver disorders.18 Nieper also reports that patients with myopia (nearsightedness) and glaucoma often benefit from the slight dehydrating effect of lithium on the eye, resulting in improvement in vision and reduction of intraocular pressure.17

References:

1. Aronson JK, Reynolds DJM. ABC of monitoring drag therapy: lithium. BMJ. 1992;305: 1273-1276.

2. Schou M, Effects of long-term lithium treatment on kidney function: an overview. J Psychiat Res, 1988;22.,287-296,

3. Waller DG, Edwards TG. Lithium and the kidney: an update. Psycliol Mod. 1989; 19:825-83 1.

4. Gitlin MJ. Lithium-induced renal insufficiency., J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1993) 13:276-279.

5, Kallner G,.Petterson IJ. Renal, thyroid and parathyroid function during lithium treatment: laboratory test in 207 people treated for 1-30 years. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1995;91:48-5 1.

6. Baastrup PC, Schou M. Lithium as a prophylactic agent: its effect against recurrent depressions and manic-depressive psychosis. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1967; 16:162-172.

7. Goodwin FK, Jamison KR. Manic-Depressive Illness. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press; 1990.

8. Mueller-Oerlinghausen D, Ahrens B, Volk J, Grof P, Grof E, Schou M, Vestergaard P, Lenz G, Sinihandl C, Tlau K, Wolf R. Reduced mortality of manic-depressive patients in long-term lithium treatment, an international collaborative study by IGSLI. Psychiatry Res. 1991;36:329-331.

9. Ahrens B, Mueller-Oerlinghausen 3, Schou M, Wolf T, Alda M, Grof. E. Grof P, Lejiz G, Simhandl C, Thau K, Vestergaard P, Wolf R, Moeller H. Cardiovascular and suicide mortality of affective disorders may be reduced by lithium prophylaxis. J Affect DI-Y, 1995;33:67-75.

10. Mueller-Oerlinghausen B, Mueser-Causemam B, Volk J. Suicides and parasuicides in a high-risk patient group on and off lithium long-term medication, J Affect Dis. 1992;25: 261-270.

11. Felber- NV, Kyber A. Suizide und Parasuizide wachrend und aubetadserhalb einer Lithiumprophylaxe. In-, Muclicr-Oerlinghausen B, Berghoefer A, eds. Ziele und Ergebnisse der medikagivitoeseyi I-i-opiiylaice affektiver Psychoseii. Stuttgart, Germany, Thieme; 1994:53-59.

12. Thies-Flechtner K, Seibert W, Walther A, Greil W, Mueller-Oerlinghausen B, Suizide bei rezldlvprophylaktisch behandelten Patienten mit affektiven Psychosen. In: Mueller-Oerlinghausen B, Berghoefer A, eds. Ziele und Ergebnisse der medikamentoesen Prophylaxe offekliver Psychosen. Stuttgart, Germany. Thieme; 1994,61-64.

13. Schou M.. Mortality-lowering effect of prophylactic lithium treatment, a look at the evidence, Pharmacopsychiatry. 1995;28: 1.

14. Souza FGM, Goodwin GM. Lithium treatment and prophylaxis in unipolar depression: a meta-analysis, Br J Psychiatry. 1991; 158:666-675.

15. Johnstone EC, Owens DGC, Lambert MT, Crow TJ, Frith CD, Done DJ. Combination tricyclic, antidepressant and lithium maintenance medication in unipolar and bipolar depressed patients. J Affect Dis, 1990;20:225-233,

16. Prien RF, Kupfer DJ, Mansky PA, Small JG, Iuason VB, Voss CB, Johnson WE. Drug therapy in the prevention of recurrences in unipolar and bipolar affective disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 1984;41.1096-1104,

17. Nieper HA The clinical application of lithium orotate. Agressologie 14(6). 407-411, 1973,

18. Sartori HE, Lithium orotate in the treatment of alcoholism and related conditions, Alcohol 1986 Mar; 3 (2): 97-100.

19. Nieper HA The curative effect of a combination of Calcium-orotate and Lithium orotate on primary and secondary chronic hepatitis and primary and secondary liver cirrhosis. From lecture Intl Acad of Prevent Med, Washington, DC March 9, 1974.

[user27629377]

If you have any studies showing Lithium orotate is unsafe as an essential mineral in the doses recommended by doctors please post away. I've been aware of the articles I've posted for years and have researched this before several times.

If excellent articles and research does not convince you nothing will. To each his own.

I'm not denying lithium is an essential mineral, you're the one in here recommending it in a self-medication realm. There are studies out there that show the possibility of reduced kidney function as a consequence of lithium orotate supplementation. I'm not the one trying to make money here, IMO there are safer alternatives to lithium orotate.

[VegetaGD]

Lithium Orotate:
The Unique Safe Mineral with Multiple Uses

By Ward Dean, M.D. and Jim English


Lithium is a mineral with a cloudy reputation. It is an alkali metal in the same family as sodium, potassium and other elements. Although lithium is highly effective in the treatment of manic depressive illness (X4 DI), its pharmaceutical (prescription) versions, lithium carbonate and lithium citrate, must be used with caution. The reason for the caution with prescription lithium is because lithium in these forms is poorly absorbed by the cells of the body ? and it is within the cells that lithiums therapeutic effects take place. Lithium ions are believed to act only at particular sites on the membranes of intracellular structures like mitochondria and lysosomes.

Consequently, because of this poor intracellular transport, high dosages of pharmaceutical forms of lithium must be taken in order to obtain a satisfactory therapeutic effect. Unfortunately, these therapeutic dosages cause blood levels to be so high that they border on toxic levels. Consequently, patients taking prescription lithium must be closely monitored for toxic blood levels. Serum lithium and serum creatinine levels of prescription lithium-treated patients should be monitored every 3-6 months.

Toxic effects of lithium may include hand tremors, frequent urination, thirst, nausea, and vomiting. Even higher doses may cause drowsiness, muscular weakness, poor coordination, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, and other symptoms.

There has been concern that long-term lithium treatment may damage kidney function, but data in this regard are equivocal. Renal insufficiency without a known cause has occurred in the general population, and the incidence of renal failure among manic-depressive patients not treated with lithium remains unknown.

Most patients treated with lithium are also taking other medications, and it is just as likely that the few known cases of renal failure in patients taking lithium were due to other medications that they were simultaneously taking.2-5

Nevertheless, with potential side effects like this, why in the world would anyone want to take lithium? It is because lithium has been found to be one of the most effective treatments for manic-depressive illness (bi-polar disorder).

Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a severe mood disorder characterized by manic or depressive episodes that usually cycle back and forth between depression and mania. The depressive phase is characterized by sluggishness (inertia), loss of self-esteem, helplessness, withdrawal and sadness, with suicide being a risk. The manic phase is characterized by elation, hyperactivity, over-involvement in activities, inflated self-esteem, a tendency to be easily distracted, and little need for sleep. In either phase there is frequently a dependence on alcohol or other substances of abuse. The disorder first appears between the ages of 15 and 25 and affects men and women equally. The cause is unknown, but hereditary and psychological factors may play a role. The incidence is higher in relatives of people with bipolar disorders. A psychiatric history of mood swings, and an observation of current behavior and mood are important in the diagnosis of this disorder.7

Orthodox Treatment
Hospitalization may be required during an acute phase to control the symptoms. Antidepressant drugs may be given; anticonvulsants (Carbamazepine, Valproic acid, Depakote) may also be used. (These substances deplete body stores of L-carnitine and Taurine. Supplementation with several grams daily of these supplements greatly ameliorates adverse side effects of these drugs).

Lithium, however, is the treatment of choice for recurring bipolar (manic/depressive) illness, serving as an effective mood enhancer in 70-80 percent of bipolar patients.

Mortality-lowering, Anti-suicidal Effect of Lithium
The mortality of manic-depressive patients is markedly higher than that of the general population. The increased mortality is mainly, but not exclusively, caused by suicide. Studies have shown that the mortality of manic-depressive patients given long-term lithium treatment is markedly lower than that of patients not receiving lithium. The frequency of suicidal acts among treated patients is significantly lower than patients given other antidepressants or carbamazepine. The results of mortality studies are consistent with the assumption that lithium-treatment protects against suicidal behavior. 8-13

Unipolar Disorder
In addition to its well-recognized benefits in the management of bipolar disorder, trials have conclusively demonstrated that lithium is also an effective treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive illness (recurrent major affective disorder).14-16 Although physicians in Europe have successfully used lithium for this indication for many years, American psychiatrists do not share their appreciation of lithiums safety and effectiveness for conditions other than MDI. Perhaps it is due to a difference in the lithium preparations they have at their disposal.

Superiority of Lithium Orotate
The lithium salt of orotic acid (lithium orotate) improves the specific effects of lithium many-fold by increasing lithium bio-utilization. The orotates transport the lithium to the membranes of mitochondria, lysosomes and the glia cells. Lithium orotate stabilizes the lyso****l membranes and prevents the enzyme reactions that are responsible for the sodium depletion and dehydration effects of other lithium salts. Because of the superior bioavailability of lithium orotate, the therapeutic dosage is much less than prescription forms of lithium. For example, in cases of severe depression, the therapeutic dosage of lithium orotate is 150 mg/day. This is compared to 900-1800 mg of the prescription forms. In this dosage range of lithium orotate, there are no adverse lithium side reactions and no need for monitoring blood serum measurements.17

Other Uses for Lithium Orotate
Lithium orotate has also been used with success in alleviating the pain from migraine and cluster headaches, low white blood cell counts, juvenile convulsive disease, alcoholism and liver disorders.18 Nieper also reports that patients with myopia (nearsightedness) and glaucoma often benefit from the slight dehydrating effect of lithium on the eye, resulting in improvement in vision and reduction of intraocular pressure.17

References:

1. Aronson JK, Reynolds DJM. ABC of monitoring drag therapy: lithium. BMJ. 1992;305: 1273-1276.

2. Schou M, Effects of long-term lithium treatment on kidney function: an overview. J Psychiat Res, 1988;22.,287-296,

3. Waller DG, Edwards TG. Lithium and the kidney: an update. Psycliol Mod. 1989; 19:825-83 1.

4. Gitlin MJ. Lithium-induced renal insufficiency., J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1993) 13:276-279.

5, Kallner G,.Petterson IJ. Renal, thyroid and parathyroid function during lithium treatment: laboratory test in 207 people treated for 1-30 years. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1995;91:48-5 1.

6. Baastrup PC, Schou M. Lithium as a prophylactic agent: its effect against recurrent depressions and manic-depressive psychosis. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1967; 16:162-172.

7. Goodwin FK, Jamison KR. Manic-Depressive Illness. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press; 1990.

8. Mueller-Oerlinghausen D, Ahrens B, Volk J, Grof P, Grof E, Schou M, Vestergaard P, Lenz G, Sinihandl C, Tlau K, Wolf R. Reduced mortality of manic-depressive patients in long-term lithium treatment, an international collaborative study by IGSLI. Psychiatry Res. 1991;36:329-331.

9. Ahrens B, Mueller-Oerlinghausen 3, Schou M, Wolf T, Alda M, Grof. E. Grof P, Lejiz G, Simhandl C, Thau K, Vestergaard P, Wolf R, Moeller H. Cardiovascular and suicide mortality of affective disorders may be reduced by lithium prophylaxis. J Affect DI-Y, 1995;33:67-75.

10. Mueller-Oerlinghausen B, Mueser-Causemam B, Volk J. Suicides and parasuicides in a high-risk patient group on and off lithium long-term medication, J Affect Dis. 1992;25: 261-270.

11. Felber- NV, Kyber A. Suizide und Parasuizide wachrend und aubetadserhalb einer Lithiumprophylaxe. In-, Muclicr-Oerlinghausen B, Berghoefer A, eds. Ziele und Ergebnisse der medikagivitoeseyi I-i-opiiylaice affektiver Psychoseii. Stuttgart, Germany, Thieme; 1994:53-59.

12. Thies-Flechtner K, Seibert W, Walther A, Greil W, Mueller-Oerlinghausen B, Suizide bei rezldlvprophylaktisch behandelten Patienten mit affektiven Psychosen. In: Mueller-Oerlinghausen B, Berghoefer A, eds. Ziele und Ergebnisse der medikamentoesen Prophylaxe offekliver Psychosen. Stuttgart, Germany. Thieme; 1994,61-64.

13. Schou M.. Mortality-lowering effect of prophylactic lithium treatment, a look at the evidence, Pharmacopsychiatry. 1995;28: 1.

14. Souza FGM, Goodwin GM. Lithium treatment and prophylaxis in unipolar depression: a meta-analysis, Br J Psychiatry. 1991; 158:666-675.

15. Johnstone EC, Owens DGC, Lambert MT, Crow TJ, Frith CD, Done DJ. Combination tricyclic, antidepressant and lithium maintenance medication in unipolar and bipolar depressed patients. J Affect Dis, 1990;20:225-233,

16. Prien RF, Kupfer DJ, Mansky PA, Small JG, Iuason VB, Voss CB, Johnson WE. Drug therapy in the prevention of recurrences in unipolar and bipolar affective disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 1984;41.1096-1104,

17. Nieper HA The clinical application of lithium orotate. Agressologie 14(6). 407-411, 1973,

18. Sartori HE, Lithium orotate in the treatment of alcoholism and related conditions, Alcohol 1986 Mar; 3 (2): 97-100.

19. Nieper HA The curative effect of a combination of Calcium-orotate and Lithium orotate on primary and secondary chronic hepatitis and primary and secondary liver cirrhosis. From lecture Intl Acad of Prevent Med, Washington, DC March 9, 1974.

Some of the info suggests getting the correct form of Lithium O...what brand (s) would you reccomend here?

[VegetaGD]

If you have any studies showing Lithium orotate is unsafe as an essential mineral in the doses recommended by doctors please post away. I've been aware of the articles I've posted for years and have researched this before several times.

If excellent articles and research does not convince you nothing will. To each his own.

Yo...ordered Lithium Orotate by NCI Dr. Hans Nieper. I read somewhere that lithium might cause weight gain, but it might have been discussing one of the other lithium salts. Should I be worried here?

[adrenalin18stud]

i've suffered from severe anxiety and mild depression, some of the amazing stuff iv'e tried for mood are....

Valerian - the pills don't do much, The tea is really good however it doesn't smell hat good when you brew it lol, it is very calming and relaxing and is also a vasolidator.

phenubut - very simular to the anxiety medications i was on like ****** and *****, it can help you relax for anxiety and help you sleep, use occaisionaly and at low to average doeses or you will build a tolerance to it quickly.

kava kava - amazing stuff, i've tried the tea and pills, tea is best and it has a relaxing numbing effect simular to alcohol it will get rid of your worries and improve your mood aswell, you will feel numb and relaxed but not drunk like alcohol, the pills all i noticed is they made me tired so thier ok for sleep.

damiana - this stuff is beleived to be the closest legal stuff to marijuana and after trying it i have to agree, however unlike weed its actually good for you, i noticed in immediate increase in mood, felt calm and my breathing was alot slower, it can be made as a tea or smoked.

L-dopa - this stuff is the prosecuter to the neurotransmitter dopamine and it works wonders,dopamine is the chemical in the brain that stimulates the senses, it helps alot with focus/alertness, energy and sex drive aswell, i would only take it during the day and or pre-workout, taking it at night is not the best idea as it will keep you awake, a reduction of dopamine is important at nightime.

5-htp - simular to L-dopa but its a prosecuter to serotonin which will increase your mood just like anti depressants do, its also good for anxiety. i usually take it when i am having a bad day and feeling down.

Alcetyl-L carnitine - also an amazing supplement for the brain and for fat loss, it makes me more alert and i always have more energy when i am on it, it also has other beneifts such as increasing sex drive, better sleep, so many benefits, take an average dose pre-workout or small doses throughout the day.

good luck

[CognitiveNutrition]

Some of the info suggests getting the correct form of Lithium O...what brand (s) would you reccomend here?

AOR one of the best companies around.

[SPACECLOWN]

Don't forget SAM-e in the list.

[VegetaGD]

Lithium is quite safe and effective for regular use. Phenibut as label directed recommends cycling off or using as needed.

What is your personal experience with Lithium O.?

[CognitiveNutrition]

What is your personal experience with Lithium O.?

I have found 20 mg to be relaxing. Never had any problems with it.