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LithoTab: Full Drug Profile

Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026

LithoTab - General Information

LithoTab was used during the 19th century to treat gout. LithoTab salts such as lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), lithium citrate, and lithium orotate are mood stabilizers. They are used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, since unlike most other mood altering drugs, they counteract both mania and depression. LithoTab can also be used to augment other antidepressant drugs. It is also sometimes prescribed as a preventive treatment for migraine disease and cluster headaches. The active principle in these salts is the lithium ion Li+, which having a smaller diameter, can easily displace K+ and Na+ and even Ca+2, in spite of its greater charge, occupying their sites in several critical neuronal enzymes and neurotransmitter receptors.

 

Pharmacology of LithoTab

Not Available

 

Additional information about LithoTab

Mechanism Of Action
The precise mechanism of action of Li+ as a mood-stabilizing agent is currently unknown. It is possible that Li+ produces its effects by interacting with the transport of monovalent or divalent cations in neurons. An increasing number of scientists have come to the conclusion that the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate is the key factor in understanding how lithium works. LithoTab has been shown to change the inward and outward currents of glutamate receptors (especially GluR3), without a shift in reversal potential. LithoTab has been found to exert a dual effect on glutamate receptors, acting to keep the amount of glutamate active between cells at a stable, healthy level, neither too much nor too little. It is postulated that too much glutamate in the space between neurons causes mania, and too little, depression. Another mechanism by which lithium might help to regulate mood include the non-competitive inhibition of an enzyme called inositol monophosphatase. Alternately lithium's action may be enhanced through the deactivation of the GSK-3B enzyme. The regulation of GSK-3B by lithium may affect the circadian clock. GSK-3 is known for phosphorylating and thus inactivating glycogen synthase. GSK-3B has also been implicated in the control of cellular response to damaged DNA.
Drug Interactions
Aminophylline Theophylline decreases serum levels of lithium
Food Interactions
Avoid alcohol.
Generic Name
Lithium
Drug Type
Small Molecule; Approved
Other Brand Names containing Lithium
LithoTab; Eskalith;
Dosage Forms of LithoTab
Tablet, extended release Oral
Chemical IUPAC Name
lithium(+1) cation
Chemical Formula
Li+