Question

I've been doing some research on lithium. Lithium is used in psychiatry as a medicine for mania and bipolar. This is generally a high dosage of lithium carbonate, with around 300mg of elemental lithium per dose. It is also available as a dietary supplement for example as lithium orotate, with a standard dosage being 5mg elemental lithium.I have seen statements that the ion that the lithium is bound with has an effect on how much of the lithium in the salt is able to cross the blood brain barrier. For example, that lithium from lithium orotate is able to cross the blood brain barrier more readily than lithium from lithium carbonate.

Is there any data on the percentage of lithium from different lithium compounds which is able to cross the blood brain barrier?

Answer 1

Different lithium compounds may have varying abilities to cross the blood-brain barrier, but specific data on the percentage of lithium from each compound is not available.

Step-by-step explanation:

There is no specific data on the percentage of lithium from different lithium compounds that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. However, studies have shown that lithium from different compounds can have varying abilities to cross the blood-brain barrier.

For example, lithium orotate has been suggested to cross the blood-brain barrier more readily than lithium carbonate. This may be due to the different chemical properties and structures of the compounds. Further research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms and percentages of lithium crossing the blood-brain barrier for different compounds.