What is the point of taking Lithium?

Question

Like if you were prescrited Lithium, what would it be for? WHy would you take it?

Answer 1

Lithium is an anti-manic agent used to treat the manic epidsodes of manic-depressive illness and to prevent and lesson the intensity of subsequent episodes. The actual mechanism of Lithium is not known, it is thought to alter sdoium transport in nerve and muscle cells as well as inhibit both norephine and dopamine from stimulated neurons. Lithium should be used with caution with people with CV disease, depleated sodium, dehydration, or using diuretics.
Lithium must be taken exactly as prscribed and should also be taken with food or milk. Regular blood test are needed to monitor for lithium toxity. Lithium takes 5-7 days for onset with peak levels being reached 10-21 days. The halflife of Lithium is 17-36 hours. Side effects of Lithium include drowsiness, dizziness, GI upset, increased urine output, and slight hand tremour. Diarrhoea and fever should be reported to your doctor.

Answer 2

Most people put on psych meds nowadays don't have conditions that deserve such treatments, its a marketing strategy. Taken all in all, this media supported corruption in our mental health system is biblical level sorcery. Just about every TV show or movie has a clip or theme that promotes this evil misuse of medicine.

I don't go for the newer explanation on how lithium works, as its too fuzzy. Lithium replaces potassium (to some extent) within the nerves. But lithium moves slower than potassium, so overall it slows down brain the brain, and makes the brain less excitable by sensory input.

Its good for the rare person who has mania, but it is also good for people recovering from massive brain trauma (not listed in literature, learned it the hard way from a neurologist who treated a family member in a car accident).

Answer 3

Lithium is a mood stabilizer- anti manic. It is used for the treatment of bipolar disorder and sometimes depression.I have taken it for years along with anti depressants. It keeps me from getting in those long depressed states that cause serious loss of work time, etc.

Answer 4

Lithium is a mood stabilizer used most commonly to prevent or reduce manic episodes associated with Bipolar Disorder.

Answer 5

I have bipolar w/ borderline traits. Lithium reigns me in and keep the ups and downs to a manageable level. Best thing that has worked for me so far.

Answer 6

If you are planning to start on your woodworking project, this isn't something you should use, it's something that you would be insane not to. Go here https://tr.im/8Flkz
Truth is, I've been a carpenter for almost 36 years, and I haven't found anything like this for less than 10's of thousands of dollars.

Answer 7

I prescribe a dose of myself for anyone laboring under the delusion that biological evolution does not exist.

Answer 8

Lithium is prescribed mostly to treat bi-polar and schizophrenics. It is also used as a last resort for depression. I have named it prescription:Suicide as most of NSAID's, anti-depressants, and pyschological drugs, like lithium, increase your wantingness to kill yourself!!

This article is about the chemical element named Lithium. For other uses, see Lithium (disambiguation).
3 helium ← lithium → beryllium
H
↑
Li
↓
Na
Periodic Table - Extended Periodic Table
General
Name, Symbol, Number lithium, Li, 3
Chemical series alkali metals
Group, Period, Block 1, 2, s
Appearance silvery white/grey
Standard atomic weight 6.941(2) g·mol−1
Electron configuration 1s2 2s1
Electrons per shell 2, 1
Physical properties
Phase solid
Density (near r.t.) 0.534 g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p. 0.512 g·cm−3
Melting point 453.69 K
(180.54 °C, 356.97 °F)
Boiling point 1615 K
(1342 °C, 2448 °F)
Critical point (extrapolated)
3223 K, 67 MPa
Heat of fusion 3.00 kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization 147.1 kJ·mol−1
Heat capacity (25 °C) 24.860 J·mol−1·K−1
Vapor pressure P/Pa 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T/K 797 885 995 1144 1337 1610
Atomic properties
Crystal structure cubic body centered
Oxidation states 1
(strongly basic oxide)
Electronegativity 0.98 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies 1st: 520.2 kJ/mol
2nd: 7298.1 kJ/mol
3rd: 11815.0 kJ/mol
Atomic radius 145 pm
Atomic radius (calc.) 167 pm
Covalent radius 134 pm
Van der Waals radius 182 pm
Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering paramagnetic
Electrical resistivity (20 °C) 92.8 nΩ·m
Thermal conductivity (300 K) 84.8 W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion (25 °C) 46 µm·m−1·K−1
Speed of sound (thin rod) (20 °C) 6000 m/s
Young's modulus 4.9 GPa
Shear modulus 4.2 GPa
Bulk modulus 11 GPa
Mohs hardness 0.6
CAS registry number 7439-93-2
Selected isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of lithium iso NA half-life DM DE (MeV) DP
6Li 7.5% Li is stable with 3 neutrons
7Li 92.5% Li is stable with 4 neutrons
6Li content may be as low as 3.75% in
natural samples. 7Li would therefore
have a content of up to 96.25%.
References
This box: view • talk • edit

Lithium (IPA: [ˈlɪθiəm]) (from Greek λιθoς (lithos), "stone") is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft alkali metal with a silver-white color. Under standard conditions, it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Lithium is the 33rd most abundant element on Earth,[1] but due to its high reactivity only appears there naturally in the form of compounds. It corrodes quickly in moist air, forming a black tarnish. On a commercial scale, lithium metal is produced electrolytically from a mixture of lithium chloride and potassium chloride and typically stored under the cover of oil to prevent reactions with air.

Lithium occurs in a number of pegmatitic minerals, but is also commonly obtained from natural brines. Trace amounts of lithium are present in the oceans and in some organisms, though it serves no apparent biological function in humans. Nevertheless, the neurological effect of the lithium ion Li+ makes some lithium salts useful as a class of mood stabilizing drugs. Lithium and its compounds have several other commercial applications, including heat-resistant glass and ceramics, high strength-to-weight alloys used in aircraft, and lithium batteries. Lithium also has important links to nuclear physics: the splitting of lithium atoms was the first man-made nuclear reaction, and lithium deuteride serves as the fusion fuel in staged thermonuclear weapons.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Characteristics
* 2 Occurrence
* 3 Production
* 4 Isotopes
* 5 History
* 6 Applications
o 6.1 Medical Use
o 6.2 Other uses
* 7 Regulation
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

[edit] Characteristics

Like all alkali metals, it has a single valence electron, and will readily lose this electron to become a positive ion. Because of this, lithium reacts easily with water and does not occur as the free element on Earth, although it is less reactive than the other alkali metals.

Lithium is soft enough to be cut with a knife, though this is significantly more difficult to do than cutting sodium. The fresh metal is silver in color, rapidly tarnishing black in air. Lithium has only about half the specific gravity of water, giving solid metal lithium sticks the odd heft of a light/medium wood, such as pine. The metal floats highly in hydrocarbons due to its low density, and jars of lithium in the laboratory are typically composed of black-coated sticks held down in hydrocarbon mechanically by the lid of the jar and other sticks.

When placed over a flame, lithium gives off a striking crimson color, but when it burns strongly, the flame becomes a brilliant white. Lithium will ignite and burn when exposed to water and water vapours in oxygen. It is the only metal that reacts with nitrogen at room temperature. Lithium has a high specific heat capacity, 3582 J/(kg·K), and a great temperature range in its liquid form, which makes it a useful chemical.

Lithium metal is flammable and potentially explosive when exposed to air and especially water, though it is far less dangerous than other alkali metals in this regard. The lithium-water reaction at normal temperatures is brisk but not violent. Lithium fires are difficult to extinguish, requiring special chemicals designed to smother them.

Lithium metal, due to its alkaline tarnish, is corrosive and requires special handling to avoid skin contact. Breathing lithium dust or lithium compounds (which are often alkaline) can irritate the nose and throat; higher exposure to lithium can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs, leading to pulmonary edema. The metal itself is usually less a handling hazard than the caustic hydroxide produced when it is in contact with moisture. Lithium should be stored in a non-reactive compound such as naphtha or a hydrocarbon.

In humans lithium compounds have not been found to play a natural biological role; large amounts are slightly toxic. Lithium appears to be an essential trace element for goats, and possibly rats, suggesting a role in humans by analogy. However, the essentiality of ultratrace mineral in humans is far more difficult to determine, due to the difficulty and ethical issues involved with the experiments, which involve total isolation from the environment, and unpalatable semi-synthetic foods.

When used as a drug, blood concentrations of Li+ must be carefully monitored.

Lithium has been found to be superconductor below 0.0004 K temperatures. This scientific finding paves the way for development of the theories of the superconductivity since the structure of atomic lattice of lithium is the simplest of all metals.

[edit] Occurrence
Lithium pellets (covered in white lithium hydroxide)
Lithium pellets (covered in white lithium hydroxide)

On Earth, lithium is widely distributed, but because of its reactivity does not occur in its free form. In keeping with the origin of its name, lithium forms a minor part of almost all igneous rocks and is also found in many natural brines. Lithium is the 33rd most abundant element, contained particularly in the minerals spodumene, lepidolite, petalite, and amblygonite. On average, Earth's crust contains 65 ppm (.0007%) lithium.[1]

[edit] Production

Since the end of World War II, lithium metal production has greatly increased. The metal is separated from other elements in igneous mineral such as those above, and is also extracted from the water of mineral springs.

The metal is produced electrolytically from a mixture of fused lithium and potassium chloride. In 1998 it was about US$ 43 per pound ($95 per kg).[2]

Chile is currently the leading lithium metal producer in the world, with Argentina next. Both countries recover the lithium from brine pools. In the United States lithium is similarly recovered from brine pools in Nevada.[3]

China may emerge as a significant producer of brine-based lithium carbonate towards the end of this decade. Potential capacity of up to 45,000 tonnes per year could come on-stream if projects in Qinghai province and Tibet proceed.[4]

See also Lithium minerals.

[edit] Isotopes

Main article: Isotopes of lithium

Naturally occurring lithium is composed of two stable isotopes 6Li and 7Li, the latter being the more abundant (92.5% natural abundance). Seven radioisotopes have been characterized, the most stable being 8Li with a half-life of 838 ms and 9Li with a half-life of 178.3 ms. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are shorter than 8.6 ms. The shortest-lived isotope of lithium is 4Li which decays through proton emission and has a half-life of 7.58043x10-23 s.

7Li is one of the primordial elements or, more properly, primordial isotopes, produced in Big Bang nucleosynthesis (a small amount of 6Li is also produced in stars). Lithium isotopes fractionate substantially during a wide variety of natural processes, including mineral formation (chemical precipitation), metabolism, and ion exchange. Lithium ion substitutes for magnesium and iron in octahedral sites in clay minerals, where 6Li is preferred to 7Li, resulting in enrichment of the light isotope in processes of hyperfiltration and rock alteration.

The exotic 11Li is known to exhibit a nuclear halo.

[edit] History

Petalite, which has lithium in it, was discovered by the Brazilian scientist José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva in the late 1700s on a trip to Sweden. Lithium was discovered by Johan August Arfwedson in 1817. Arfwedson found the new element within the minerals spodumene and lepidolite in a petalite ore (LiAl(Si2O5)2) that he was analyzing during a routine investigation of some minerals from a mine on the island Utö in Sweden. In 1818 Christian Gmelin was the first to observe that lithium salts give a bright red color in flame. Both men tried and failed to isolate the element from its salts.

The element was not isolated until William Thomas Brande and Sir Humphry Davy later used electrolysis on lithium oxide in 1818. Robert Bunsen and Matiessen isolated larger quantities of the metal by electrolysis of lithium chloride in 1855. Commercial production of lithium metal was achieved in 1923 by the German company Metallgesellschaft through using electrolysis of molten lithium chloride and potassium chloride. It was apparently given the name "lithium" (Greek λιθoς (lithos), meaning "stone") because it was discovered from a mineral while other common alkali metals were first discovered from plant tissue.

[edit] Applications

Because of its specific heat capacity, the highest of all solids, lithium is often used in heat transfer applications.

It is an important ingredient in cathode materials, used in rechargeable and single-use batteries because of its high electrochemical potential, light weight, and high current density.

Large quantities of lithium are also used in the manufacture of organolithium reagents, especially n-butyllithium which has many uses in fine chemical and polymer synthesis.

[edit] Medical Use

Main article: Lithium pharmacology

Lithium 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. Lithium 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 interacts with the normal function of sodium ions to produce numerous changes in the neurotransmitter activity of the brain. Therapeutically useful amounts of lithium are only slightly lower than toxic amounts, so the blood levels of lithium must be carefully monitored during treatment.

Common side effects include muscle tremors, twitching, ataxia, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (polyuria and polydipsia) and seizures. Most of the side-effects are a result caused by the increased elimination of potassium.