Normotim: Brain and focus supplement
BUY NOWA Psychiatrist’s View On Lithium Ascorbate
Professor Nina Vanchakova, M.D., is a member of the International Association for the Study of Pain, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist. Dr. Vanchakova has been using lithium and lithium ascorbate in her practice for many years. Dr. Vanchakova shared her experience with Normotim’s science writer for this article.
Lithium’s Reputation
Lithium has a long history in psychiatry, but it carries a negative reputation among some patients. Dr. Vanchakova says that psychiatrists themselves do not fear lithium. Lithium remains one of the most reliable medications for stabilizing mood, reducing manic and depressive episodes, and helping patients with affective disorders return to normal life.
Lithium is a well-known treatment for bipolar disorder. It is also a treatment option for recurrent depression and treatment-resistant depression, when the condition does not respond well to antidepressants.
She emphasized that lithium is not a new or experimental idea in psychiatry. Different forms of lithium have been tested over the decades, and lithium carbonate became the most widely used form. Newer research on lithium gave clinicians lithium ascorbate, which may be easier to tolerate.
Lithium Ascorbate As Treatment
Dr. Vanchakova’s approach to bipolar disorder followed a standard psychiatric strategy. First, lithium ascorbate was used during active treatment, when the patient still had symptoms and needed stronger therapeutic support. After a good clinical effect was achieved and the disorder improved, the patient could move to preventive therapy with lower doses of lithium.
As for the dose, each patient received treatment based on their condition, weight, metabolism, and response to the medicine.
Some of Dr. Vanchakova’s patients took lithium ascorbate for up to seven years. She described the effect as stable and clinically meaningful.
Safety
In Dr. Vanchakova’s clinical experience, lithium ascorbate did not have the same side effects as lithium carbonate. Among her patients, no serious adverse reactions occurred. Dr. Vanchakova mentions that the only theoretical concern would be an allergic reaction to vitamin C, which is part of the lithium ascorbate compound.
One of the goals of treatment is to reach the effective lithium level in the blood, so blood monitoring is essential. Patients need blood tests before and during treatment to ensure they stay in the therapeutic window.