4 ms·
> Medicinally Li is provided as the carbonate salt. A minimal dose is 300 mg/day, which contains ~ 30 mg elemental Li. Lithium carbonate is about 19 % elementa
by ozy23378 12y ago
> Medicinally Li is provided as the carbonate salt. A minimal dose is 300 mg/day, which contains ~ 30 mg elemental Li.
Lithium carbonate is about 19 % elemental lithium by mass (lithium carbonate contains two lithium atoms per molecule), so 300 mg would be ~ 57 mg lithium.
Also, to my knowledge, the typical therapeutic doses are at least 900 mg/d in adults.
- jrapdx3 12y agoThanks, I did miscalculate and your figure is right. That means that Li+ concentration of 0.17 mg/L is ~1/160 of a minimal therapeutic dose. As a drug Li carbonate comes in 300 and 450 mg doses. Dosing is determined by monitoring the blood level of Li since only a narrow range of levels represent optimal therapeutic effect, and above that range toxicity can develop. There is no "standard" dose of Li. It's necessary to start at lowest dose and increase gradually while monitoring the blood level. While 900-1200 mg/day is common, there are many individuals who need lower or higher dosage to have measured Li levels fall within acceptable limits. Occasionally 300 mg/day is sufficient to get a good level, so that's the reason I used it for estimating the ratio of the natural vs. medicinal Li intake.