Lithium orotate is a mineral supplement, not a drug. It is very bioavailable and goes right into the cells so to be used by the body. My naturopath who suggested I add it to my amino acid regime told me you can often feel the effects in less than half an hour. From what I've been reading about it in the articles I posted above, by being so easily absorbed and utilized by the body, there are very few side-effects. You also are taking a much, much lower dosage as it's measured in the elemental amount that is bioavailable. The lithium orotate I take comes in 120 mg tablets but only has 4.5 mg that is elemental lithium orotate...see the article posted below for a complete explanation...

Lithium carbonate is a drug, and from what I've read, it's very difficult for the body to readily absorb so you have to take massive doses of it that are borderline toxic. This is why it causes symptoms like hand tremors, acne and dermatitis, memory loss to mention a few of what I experienced while on lithium carbonate.

Keep in mind also that Big Pharma would go out of business if they couldn't take and tweak something as basic as lithium, and sell it back to us at exorbitant prices. They don't want people realizing that a lot of their health issues can be controlled with nutrients they can buy at health food stores. Imagine how many people would be unemployed if those of us with bipolar didn't need to see a Pdoc to get a prescription for for meds, but just ordered things like lithium orotate from Amazon.com for less than $20 for 200 tablets? There's a whole industry built around keeping people sick...

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