Lithium endocrine effects

Baptista T, Lacruz A, de Mendoza S, Guillen MM, Burguera JL, de Burguera M, Hernandez L. Endocrine effects of lithium carbonate in healthy premenopausal women relationship with body weight regulation. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2000 24(1) 1-16. 

Lithium has several effects on the endocrine system. For example, it can interfere with the synthesis and the release of testosterone, leading to an increase in luteinizing hormone levels. The thyroid system has been most implicated in neuroendocrine theories of lithium s antimanic effects. In particular, thyroid hormones can potentiate b-NE activity, and lithium s ability to block their release may subserve its mood-stabilizing properties (i.e., the thyroid-catecholamine receptor hypothesis)... 

Lazarus, J. H. Collard, K. J. Endocrine and Metabolic Effects of Lithium, Plenum, New York, 1986. 

Shen F-EI, Sherrad DJ. Lithium-induced hyperparathyroidism an alteration of the "set-point". Ann Int Med 1982 96(1) 63-65. Eladen ST, Brown EM, Stoll AL, Scott J, El-Elajj F, Ghada.The effect of lithium on calcium-induced changes in adrenocorticotrophin levels. J Clin Endocrin Met 1999 84(1) 198-200. 

Lazarus JFi. Endocrine and metabolic effects of lithium. New York Plenum Medical, 1986. 

Endocrine Thyroid Thyroid abnormalities are common during lithium treatment 20% develop hypothyroidism and 40% develop goiter if untreated [33 ]. In one study of elderly people (over 65 years old) taking lithium (n=79), 28 were hypothyroid [34 ]. This compares with a rate of only 7.1% of a matched non-lithium-treated control group (n = 85), a rate that is similar to that of the general population. This effect is not mediated by production of antithyroid antibodies, since antibodies were present in 27% of the patients who were tested, a rate that is similar to that in non-lithium-treated patients in this age group. The lack of association with antithyroid antibodies in lithium-related thyroid dysfunction is true for all age groups [35 j. 

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