lithium orotate (Serenity)

Introduction

Over the counter.

Uses

• stress
• anxiety
• depression
• mood swings

Contraindications

• not much data

Dosage

• 1 to 3 pills a day
• ~ 5 mg Li+ per 120 mg pill, compared to about 60 mg for each 300 mg capsule of lithium carbonate

Adverse effects

• lithium toxicity noted in a patient taking 18 pills (90 mg)/day

• drug adverse effects of psychotropic agents

Mechanism of action

• lithium is dynamically regulated in the brain & contributes to cognitive preservation during ageing
• lithium is the only metal found reduced in the brain of patients with mild cognitive impairment
• lithium bioavailability is further reduced in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by amyloid-beta sequestration
• see lithium carbonate

Comparative biology

• depleting lithium from the diet of wild-type & AD mouse models reducing endogenous cortical lithium by ~50% increases deposition of amyloid-beta & accumulation of phospho-tau leading to pro-inflammatory microglial activation, loss of synapses, axons & myelin, & accelerated cognitive decline
  • effects at least partially mediated via activation of GSK3-beta

More general terms

• pharmaceutical lithium
• salt
• alternative medication