Does Lithium Cause Brain Fog?

A common complaint made by those who take lithium, but one which may easily be overlooked, is cognitive compromise. Clinically, patients describe this as “brain fog”-an elusive admixture of complaints regarding attention, concentration, and memory occurring in conjunction with a slowing of thought processes.

Does lithium affect your thinking?

Bipolar patients commonly complain of lithium-induced cognitive slowing, which may lead to nonadherence, even though limited and poorly controlled studies have shown that lithium has, at most, mild cognitive effects.

Does lithium affect your memory?

Lithium has been associated with impaired memory, word finding difficulties, and impaired recall. Often, my patients have reported a cognitive “dulling” and a loss of cognitive “creativity” with lithium use that they found most disturbing.

Does lithium make you spacey?

This medicine may cause pseudotumor cerebri (increased pressure in the brain). Call your doctor right away if you have blurred or double vision, dizziness, eye pain, severe headache, or nausea and vomiting.

Can lithium cause lack of concentration?

Patients taking lithium often report of difficulties in concentration, memory, learning, and attention. Laboratory tests of cognitive functions in healthy volunteers on chronic lithium demonstrate that disruptions in memory-learning processes are apparent at the time of memory retrieval.

Does lithium dull your personality?

Another potential side effect is cognitive dulling, which is when a person does not feel as “sharp” or alert as they once did. Sometimes, a doctor may have difficulty telling whether a person is depressed or experiencing cognitive dulling due to lithium treatment.

Can bipolar cause brain fog?

Besides severe mood swings, bipolar disorder sufferers also report brain ‘fog’, which, studies have shown, is rooted in real brain activities.

Can lithium cause permanent brain damage?

Prolonged lithium intoxication >2 mM can cause permanent brain damage. Lithium has low mutagenic and carcinogenic risk. Lithium is still the most effective therapy for depression.

Does lithium affect intelligence?

Overall, lithium treatment was associated with small but significant impairment in immediate verbal learning and memory (ES = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.05-0.43) and creativity (ES = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.02-0.64), whereas delayed verbal memory, visual memory, attention, executive function, processing speed, and psychomotor performance

Does lithium affect cognitive functioning?

Some clinicians believe that lithium use can result in an impairment of cognition. A meta-analysis of bipolar patients treated with lithium compared with patients not receiving the drug shows a moderately unfavorable effect of this drug on cognitive functions (Wingo et al., 2009).

Does lithium tiredness go away?

feeling tired or sleepy – as your body gets used to lithium, these side effects should wear off. If these symptoms do not get better within a week or two, your doctor may either reduce your dose or increase it more slowly. If that does not work you may need to switch to a different medicine.

Does lithium affect eyesight?

Based on the search, documented ophthalmic adverse effects of lithium include: exophthalmos; abnormal eye movements; ocular myasthenia gravis; papilledema; photophobia; and abnormal tear film, contributing to dry eye disease.

What are the long-term effects of taking lithium?

With long-term use, lithium can cause chronic tubulo-interstitial nephritis, which is characterized by a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and may lead to chronic kidney disease (lithium nephropathy) (97, 98).

Does lithium cause emotional blunting?

Lithium only works in approximately one-third of patients. But even if the drug does work, it comes with a raft of side effects, including nausea, muscle tremors, emotional numbing, weight gain, and birth defects.

Is 900 mg of lithium a lot?

The right dosage of lithium varies from person to person, but most people are prescribed between 900 milligrams (mg) to 1,200 mg per day, in divided doses. Some people take more than 1,200 mg per day, especially during acute episodes. Others may be more sensitive to lower doses.

How long can you stay on lithium?

The NICE guidelines for bipolar disorder recommend that you gradually reduce your dose of lithium over at least four weeks. Ideally, you would reduce it over a period of up to three months. This is to lower your risk of relapse.

How can I clear my brain fog?

Treatment – ways to end brain fog

1. Spend less time on computer and mobile phone – remind yourself to take a break.
2. Positive thinking, reduce stress.
3. Change your diet.
4. Get enough sleep – 7-8 hours a day, go to bed at 10pm or no later than midnight.
5. Regular exercise.
6. Avoid alcohol, smoking, and drinking coffee in the afternoon.

Why does my mind feel foggy?

Brain fog can be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency , sleep disorder, bacterial overgrowth from overconsumption of sugar , depression, or even a thyroid condition. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, not getting enough sleep , chronic stress, and a poor diet.

Will my brain fog go away?

For some patients, post-COVID brain fog goes away in about three months. But for others, it can last much longer. “We are seeing patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in March 2020 that are still experiencing brain fog,” shares Soriano.

Can lithium cause neurological problems?

Rarely, lithium is reported to cause irreversible, permanent neurological sequelae such as cerebellar impairment, dementia, parkinsonian syndromes, choreoathetosis, brain stem syndromes, and peripheral neuropathies.

Is 600 mg of lithium a lot?

For long-term treatment of mania: Adults and children 12 years of age—600 milligrams (mg) 2 times a day, or 3 times a day up to 1200 mg per day. Children younger than 12 years of age—Use is not recommended.