The Promise of Lithium: How an Over-the-Counter Supplement May Prevent and Slow Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Kindle Edition is available for 99 cents until Monday! Thanks Fumaniron for letting me know! amazon.com/Promise-Lithium-...
The Promise of Lithium: How an Over-the-C... - Cure Parkinson's
The Promise of Lithium: How an Over-the-Counter Supplement May Prevent and Slow Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Kindle Edition 99 Cents
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Bolt_Upright
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has anyone tried it yet?
Are we talking about the drug lithium or "lithium orotate"?
Lithium Orotate or Lithium Aspartate.
I have been taking 15 mg and bumped it to 20 mg today based on this book. I have not been DXd with PD.
Good find, Bolt! I downloaded the book for $.99, read about 1/4 of it just now, and I’m going back on daily 5mg Lithium Orotate. Whatever one’s eventual decision is Re Lithium, the book is definitely worth reading. Thanks for the post - JG
Make sure you read chapter 5 and the last chapter. I bumped from 15 to 20 mg as the 15 mg in the trial was not effective in moving the biomarkers.
have you noticed any side effects @ 20? Any “calming”?
I found Lithium Aspartate at iHerb.com iherb.com/pr/solaray-lithiu...
exactly what I was looking at but I figured I wd read up on side effects of lithium first
Can anyone taking lithium give feedback? I would not take higher than 5 mg seriously cos it says low dose OTC
Aspartate is an excitotoxin and probably not something you want to take everyday indefinitely. Lithium orotate may offer a better choice over the lithium aspartate if daily consumption is the goal.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/274....
My friend with memory issues at the age of 78 used lithium orotate along with 4 other supplements to reverse all of her memory issues.
healthunlocked.com/cure-par...
Art
Thanks Art! Here is the complete article: Aspartate Neurotoxicity on Cultured Cortical Neurons 1989 sci-hub.ru/10.1002/jnr.4902...
In the book which is the subject of this post, Dr. Guttuso compares margin of safety of aspartate excitotoxicity vs. orotate carcinogenicity . Based on this study he concludes there is too little margin of safety re carcinogenicity of orotate:
academic.oup.com/carcin/art...
The study used livers already primed to get cancer so applicability to healthy tissue is unknown. He used this study of aspartate to determine its margin of safety:
sciencedirect.com/science/a...
The following is an idea for discussion and not a recommendation. Anyone acting on this idea does so at their own risk!
We have potential toxicities with both orotate and aspartate salts of lithium. The first thing to note is once these compounds get into the bloodstream, lithium dissociates into the ionic form. See attached image.
Why bother with either of these when we can simply use lithium chloride which dissociates into lithium and chloride ions? It is readily available online.
Lithium chloride got a bad rap in the middle of the last century when it was tried as a replacement for table salt and some people got poisoned by taking too much. To use it safely, a person would need to use a milligram scale and carefully measure out the appropriate amount. The molecular weight of lithium chloride is 42 versus a molecular weight of 7 for lithium. In other words, lithium chloride is 1/6th lithium by weight. So a person would multiply the lithium dosage by 6 to obtain the correct weight of lithium chloride to take. For 5 mg of lithium this would amount of 30 mg of lithium chloride. Note that this is a tiny pinch of substance - not something you could measure out with a measuring spoon.
Lithium chloride found online is not in pharmaceutical grade form. So one would have to be concerned about impurities. What are the contaminants in industrial grade lithium chloride? We have a study which sets this forth here: osti.gov/pages/servlets/pur...
The contaminants consist of trace amounts of a half dozen useful substances: calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, and iron, plus 100 ppm of nickel. If we ingest enough of this lithium chloride to obtain 30 mg of lithium, which is the recommended dosage in the book, we would end up ingesting nickel as follows: 30 mg lithium =>180 mg LiCl => 18 μg Ni. From this reference: sciencedirect.com/science/a...
“typical daily dietary intakes for nickel are 70–400 μg/d”. So the amount of nickel we would ingest is a fraction of what is already present in the diet.
This analysis depends upon impurities being as stated in the referenced study. There is no guarantee that this will be the case. Proceed at your own risk. On the other hand neither the orotate nor aspartate versions are risk free either.
Lithium salts, from "Lithium: A review of pharmacology, clinical uses, and toxicity"
You can buy Lithium Chloride supplements: amazon.com/Lithium-Premium-...
Good to know although this particular version would take 300 drops to get 30 mg of lithium.
It may be helpful but the reviews are suspicious. Not one is from a verified purchase.
that was the first thing I noticed as well.
I’m also suspicious when they’re all clustered around a few days.
The book was just released a few days ago.
Report from this reviewer - the book is great. Highly recommend.
80p in the UK. Thanks Bolt.
Thanks Bolt. I was all set for 5 mg lithium orotate
My pleasure!! Also, I’ve been taking 20mg lithium orotate, and my hair analysis for lithium levels looks great. The book was a nice, quick read. Good supporting references.
Lithium Aspartate Vs. Lithium Orotate leaf.tv/articles/lithium-as...
"Lithium Aspartate Vs. Lithium Orotate
Most proponents of low-dose lithium therapy such as Dr. Jonathan Wright recommend them equally. However, aspartate is considered to be an excitotoxic amino acid. Excitotoxins are substances that bind to a nerve cell receptor and cause damage via over-stimulation. According to Dr. Russell Blaycock, author of, "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills", excess aspartate may result in excitotoxic reactions in sensitive individuals.
In contrast to the above, a study conducted at the Baker Medical Research Institute in Australia found that orotic acid on its own may have cardio protective benefits. Orotic acid has also been used for conditions such as multiple sclerosis, hepatitis and premature aging. Body builders sometimes use orotic acid because it is believed to enhance the production of ATP, a key component of cellular metabolism.
Safety
One 1979 study published in "The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology" found that lithium orotate decreased the kidney function of rats. However this study has been criticized because the dosages used were much higher than necessary.
Recent studies conducted by the University of Toronto found that orotic acid on its own promoted the formation of liver tumors in rats. Based on this, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that using orotate as a mineral transmitter was a safety concern. There are no long terms studies of either substance, so caution is warranted."
Lithium orotate: A superior option for lithium therapy? 2021 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
"7.5. Potential concerns regarding use of lithium orotate
7.5.1. Impaired renal function
LiOr received a brief surge of interest in the early‐to‐mid 1970s in part because of advocacy from Nieper, who argued for the use of orotate as a mineral transporter (Nieper, 1970, 1973). This was predicated on the fact that mineral orotates, including LiOr, do not dissociate at physiological pH, and may thus diffuse across biological membranes more readily on account of their electrically neutral state. Interest was greatly curtailed in the late 1970s after Smith et al. noted that LiOr resulted in reduced glomerular filtration rates relative to Li2CO3— though the mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown and may be dose‐dependent —and advised against its consideration as a treatment option (Smith & Schou, 1979); however, the study in question employed equivalent high concentrations of LiOr and Li2CO3, thereby defeating the suggested purpose of administering LiOr in place of Li2CO3.
It should be noted that the putative transport capacities of the orotic acid carrier could potentially contribute to worsened organ toxicity. If the increased ease of membrane transport associated with LiOr compared to Li2CO3 is not unique to the BBB and/or elements of the CNS, then the elevated accumulation of lithium within off‐target organs could accelerate development/risk of complications, for example, renal dysfunction.
With that being said, there have been no reported cases of death or serious side‐effects in over 40 years of use in North America (Devadason, 2018). In fact, one of the more well‐known cases of LiOr toxicity appears to highlight the safety of the compound. In 2007, Pauzé and Brooks submitted a case report for a patient who had ingested 18 LiOr tablets, with each tablet containing 3.83 mg of Li+. The patient displayed nausea, one episode of emesis, minor tremors, and normal vital signs; all symptoms resolved after 3 h of observation with no intervention (Pauzé & Brooks, 2007).
7.5.2. Promotion of cancerous cell growth
Dietary orotic acid has been linked to the promotion of hepatocarcinogenesis in rats acutely exposed to known carcinogens (Laconi et al., 1993; Laurier et al., 1984). While a cause for concern, there are a few factors worthy of note: (1) Stimulated cancerous cell growth was only observed in initiated rats; that is, rats destined for hepatocarcinoma. (2) The amount of orotic acid ingested in the course of LiOr therapy by BD patients (i.e., <1000 mg or ∼10–15 mg/kg) is unlikely to contribute to the growth of cancerous cells, as stimulation of cancerous cell growth was observed at orotic acid concentrations exceeding 100 mg/kg (Laconi et al., 1993). Nevertheless, use of orotic acid formulations, be it for lithium, magnesium, iron, or copper, is potentially not advisable for individuals known to be at risk for oncogenesis."
On that note, it might be worth mentioning that women with PD may be at increased risk for breast cancer :
healthunlocked.com/cure-par...
And people with PD may be at increased risk for colon cancer and Leukemia if they also happen to have the LRRK2 mutation :
healthunlocked.com/cure-par...
Art
Dr. Thomas Guttuso wrote that lithium aspartate is safer compared to lithium orotate because there might be a very remote possibility that a daily intake could increase cancer in humans. And litium aspartate is only excitotoxic in very high doses. So a low dose lithium is safe.
I have been taking 45mg lithium orotate for about 30 years with no side effects. Blood lithium is undetectable from blood tests.
P.S. : I have not been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Have been taking 20mg for a few months and noticed my mood is better also bought the book just started reading 
Bought the book. Thanks.
Just ordered it. Thanks for the heads up! 😊
Dr. Mischley wrote her master's thesis on Lithium Deficiency in Parkinson’s Disease, linked below. She considers it a "conditionally essential nutrient" for PD and prescribes dosage based on hair testing. It plays a big role in autophagy and may help with dystonia. I have been taking 20 mg of Orotate for 3 years, no side effects. Can be toxic if overdosed. Also, her PD School has 3 video segments discussing lithium. Here's her thesis: digital.lib.washington.edu/...
Same as you. 3 y post DX. Taken 20mg lithium orotate for most of that time. No harm, no foul. Been a patient of Dr. LKM for most of those three years. I believe that it has helped with my mood and engagement. However. My stack is extensive (and PD seemingly rather complex) so impossible to attribute any change/lack of change to any one supplement or activity.
So... how has your progression been over the 3 years if I may ask? Hopefully everything is in check?
Thankfully super slow. Or at least it seems that way. But good days and the less good. Stress seems to be the wildcard.
We're will I buy it from
Any thoughts on negative interactions with Rasagiline? The warning label on the below link referenced MAOI's which I believe Rasagiline is. Thx
this book came out several weeks ago. Has anyone tried this therapy? Any good results so far? Just curious.
I'm curious too
Does anyone know if you can take lithium aspartate along with high dose b1? Thank you
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