Bulimia nervosa lithium

A small controlled study of lithium was no more promising, with bulimia nervosa patients on active drug showing improvement similar to those on placebo ( 541). The relatively low lithium plasma levels (0.62 mEq/L) achieved may have been a factor. 

Hsu LKG, Clement L, Santhouse R, et al. Treatment of bulimia nervosa with lithium carbonate a controlled study. J Nerv Ment Dis 1991 179 351-355. 

In addition, it exerts beneficial effects in many disorders as an adjuvant to other treatment modalities. Such effects are apparent only if it is administered to an already pharmacologically treated patient. For example, in unresponsive major depressive disorder, the co-administration of lithium to an ongoing antidepressant treatment increases the response rate by up to 50%. In most cases, the response to lithium augmentation is either considerable or not at all ( all-or-none phenomenon). Some (currently not convincing) results have also been reported in unipolar depression, bulimia nervosa, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Lithium also exerts antiaggressive effects in conduct disorder, independent of any mood disorder, and can reduce behavioral dyscontrol and self-mutilation in mentally retarded patients. One of the most striking effects of lithium is its antisuicidal effect in patients who suffer from bipolar and unipolar depressive disorder irrespective of comorbid axis I disorder. ... 

Levine J, Barak Y, Gonsalves M, et al A double-blind controlled trial of inositol treatment of depression. Am J Psychiatry 152 792-794, 1995a Levine J, Pomerantz T, Stier S, et al Lack of effect of 6 g inositol treatment on post-ECT cognitive function in humans. J Psychiatr Res 29 487-489, 1995b Levy A, Zohar J, Belmaker RH The effect of chronic lithium pretreatment on rat brain muscarinic receptor regulation. Neuropharmacology 21 1199-1201, 1983 Levy AB, Dixon KN, Schmidt H Sleep architecture in anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Biol Psychiatry 23 99-101, 1988... 

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