Lithium Toxicity: Signs, Causes, and How to Stay Safe

When you take lithium, a mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar disorder. Also known as lithium carbonate, it helps control extreme mood swings—but only if your blood levels stay in a narrow, safe range. Too much lithium turns from medicine into poison. This isn’t rare. It happens when kidneys can’t clear it fast enough, when you get dehydrated, or when you mix it with common drugs like ibuprofen or blood pressure meds. Lithium toxicity, a dangerous buildup of lithium in the bloodstream doesn’t always come with obvious symptoms at first. You might just feel a little off—tremors, nausea, or fuzzy thinking. By the time you’re vomiting or confused, it’s already an emergency.

What makes lithium so tricky is how easily its levels shift. NSAIDs, like Advil or Aleve, reduce kidney flow and cause lithium to pile up. Even low-dose aspirin can do it. Diuretics, often called water pills, make you pee more, which sounds helpful—but they also make your body hold onto lithium instead of flushing it out. And if you’re sick with the flu or sweating hard from exercise, your sodium levels drop. That tricks your kidneys into reabsorbing more lithium. It’s not about taking too many pills—it’s about your body’s chemistry changing around a drug that’s already on the edge.

Most people on lithium take it for years without problems. But the risks are real. Lithium toxicity can damage your kidneys, mess with your heart rhythm, and in severe cases, cause seizures or coma. That’s why regular blood tests aren’t optional—they’re your lifeline. Doctors check lithium levels every few months, and more often if you’re sick or starting a new med. If you’re on valproate, another mood stabilizer often used with lithium, you’re at even higher risk. The two drugs interact in ways that can spike lithium levels without you knowing. Same goes for carbamazepine, a seizure and mood drug that can reduce lithium clearance. These aren’t just side effects—they’re dangerous combinations that need active monitoring.

There’s no magic trick to avoiding lithium toxicity. It’s about consistency: drink water, don’t skip doses, tell your doctor every new medicine you start—even OTC ones—and know your warning signs. A slight shake in your hands? That’s not just nerves. Nausea that won’t go away? Not just a stomach bug. If you’re on lithium and feel weird, don’t wait. Get your levels checked. The posts below cover everything from how lithium interacts with other drugs, to what to do if you accidentally take too much, to how to spot early signs before it’s too late. You’re not alone in this. Thousands manage lithium safely every day. You just need to know what to watch for—and when to act.