The Benefits of Lithium Orotate

Lithium orotate is a substance that consists of lithium (an alkali metal) and orotic acid (a compound produced naturally in the body). Available in dietary supplement form, lithium orotate is touted as a natural treatment for a wide range of mental health problems.

In alternative medicine, lithium orotate is sometimes promoted as an alternative to lithium, a medication prescribed to treat and prevent episodes of mania in people with bipolar disorder. Lithium is said to treat and prevent manic episodes by reducing abnormal brain activity.

Although orotic acid is sometimes referred to as vitamin B13, it's not actually considered a vitamin. In the human body, orotic acid is produced from microorganisms found in the intestines.

In alternative medicine, lithium orotate is purported to treat and prevent the following conditions:

• alcoholism
• Alzheimer's disease
• anxiety
• attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• bipolar disorder
• cluster headaches
• depression
• glaucoma
• insomnia
• migraine
• Parkinson's disease
• post-traumatic stress disorder

In addition, lithium orotate is used to reduce stress, relieve pain, and improve memory.

Some patients with bipolar disorder also use lithium orotate in combination with lithium. Since orotic acid is thought to increase the body's absorption of lithium, it's thought that taking a combination of lithium orotate and lithium may allow patients to decrease their dosage of lithium (and, in turn, reduce some of the adverse effects associated with lithium).

Research on the health effects of lithium orotate is very limited. Although a number of studies published in the 1970s and 1980s determined that lithium orotate may offer certain benefits, more recent research on lithium orotate is lacking.

The available research on lithium orotate includes a small study published in the journal Alcohol in 1986. In a six-month-long experiment involving 42 people with alcoholism, researchers found that daily treatment with lithium orotate helped protect against relapses in alcoholism.

Due to a lack research, little is known about the safety of lithium orotate supplements. However, there's some evidence that lithium orotate may have some toxic effects. For instance, a 2007 report published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology warns that chronic use of lithium orotate may cause nausea and tremors. There's also some concern that use of lithium orotate may lead to kidney damage.

In addition, use of lithium orotate may cause adverse effects similar to those that result from lithium toxicity (a commonly occurring problem that has contributed to the development of newer drugs to take the place of lithium as a therapy for bipolar disorder). Along with nausea and vomiting, these adverse effects include cardiac arrhythmias and potentially permanent or long-lasting neurological problems (such as tremors, dementia, and ataxia). Severe toxicity may cause toxic psychosis, kidney failure, syncope, dehydration, coma, and occasionally death.

Due to the health risks associated with lithium toxicity, safe use of lithium requires periodic blood-testing to ensure that toxic levels of the drug are not being reached. Also, lithium may interact with a variety of medications such as ACE inhibitors, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers, dextromethorphan, loop diuretics, meperidine, methyldopa, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

It's also important to note that self-treating a chronic condition (such as bipolar disorder) with lithium orotate, and avoiding or delaying standard care, may have serious consequences. If you're considering the use of lithium orotate in treatment of a chronic condition, it's crucial to consult your physician before starting your supplement regimen.