I know this has been discussed on the forum before, but I think it deserves repeating as it seems, from studies, that attempting to quell memory loss early on is a critical point that can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure in trying to keep memory intact and functioning at a good level for as long as possible. Waiting too long to deal with memory issues, AD and dementia may push the issue past the point of no return.
On that note I will mention Lithium Orotate (LO) at very low dose (below 21 mg/day) as a potential long term memory aid. Many supplement manufacturers are now offering LO at 20 mg or less per capsule. These very low dose offerings appear to avoid the known and very significant side effects of lithium used at standard dosing in the 900 mg/day to 1200 mg/day range or higher, while apparently offering benefit in terms of protecting the current state of your memory as outlined in the link below. LO at these very low doses is inexpensive, easily available while having a much, much better safety profile than standard dose lithium and apparently can be effective if used early on in dementia and AD! Here is that link :
Initially in this article, studies using lower dose LO (100 ~ 600 mg / day) appeared to show that LO was not effective for the intended purpose, but the studies had flaws and the patients were at advanced stages of dementia or AD, possibly too advanced to recover from. Interestingly, in a more recent study where ultra low dose lithium (less than 1 mg/day) was used in patients who were not at such advanced stages, the LO was able to stabilize the memory scores and with time (3 months into the one year study), LO was also able to improve the memory test scores in patients, something that is not common in dementia and PD! The only other supplement that I have seen that could increase memory test scores in dementia / AD was the ultra high dose probiotic mix of four very common and easily available probiotics that I previously posted about. In that study, patients were at advanced disease stages, but still managed improved memory test scores. One can only imagine what the two together might do considering that they both likely work via different methods of action. LO has also shown itself to be neuroprotective.
Here is a link to the probiotic study that showed positive results in just 12 weeks:
The simplicity of LO is another plus, just one capsule per day.
The following link is a commentary by a psychiatrist who suggests that 5 mg per day should be adequate as a preventive, but possibly higher if there is a family history of dementia, but still a very low dose.
Anyway, I thought this was worth mentioning for those on the forum who may have concerns about memory loss, dementia or AD for themselves, family and friends.
In any case, it is worth discussing with your doctor to see if it is something you can consider and to make sure it is compatible with all medications you may be taking.
Here is more information on LO that covers toxicity,adverse reactions, contraindications, history, dosing etc.
Most members on this forum know that I am a believer in HDT/B-1 therapy and my main like about HDT is its potential to either slow or halt disease progression for an extended period of time while possibly improving existing PD symptoms. I tend to think of LO along that same line and just like HDT, it is not likely to work for everyone, but it is one of those things that just has to be tried in order to find out what, if anything, it can do for you. It is just like every med your neurologist, GP or movement disorder specialist prescribes for you, you take it and see how it works for you and if it doesn't workout, you move on to the next med, just as with supplements.
The reason that I have an interest in very low dose LO is because of a woman that I knew for decades who had dementia and her daughter started giving her LO at 5 mg per day, but she started after her mother's dementia had advanced fairly quickly. What I saw over about a 15 year period is that this woman's dementia seemed to stop progressing or very significantly slowed, which was a very significant and obvious change from the course that her dementia had previously taken. It is only an anecdotal report, but it definitely got my attention and has kept LO on my mind ever since. We all likely know somebody with dementia and perhaps this information may be worth sharing with someone you know and care about. Dementia is such a devastating disease for the individual as well as family, friends and care givers and what is currently available for treatment is clearly inadequate. Studies are desperately needed, but as we see with HDT, those studies seem unlikely at best.
Here are links to two studies which discuss lithium in dementia/AD and other neurodegenerative diseases like PD and ALS. The second study is more specific to PD:
It would be nice if there were some actual research to point to on lithium orotate. There doesn't seem to be much at all, nearly none published anyway.
That is the disappointing part, because, ultra low dose LO has been anecdotally known for this purpose for well over a decade. You'd think that a pharmaceutical company could figure out a way to repurpose it to make some money off of it, but I guess low dose naltrexone is in a similar situation and though it requires a prescription for the low dose form, it is very inexpensive at $35 to $40 per month.
I was able to find one study that discusses one method of action as it relates to PD, AD and ALS using lithium. I added it to the body of the post near the bottom of the post.
According to Dr. Mischley "hair is the gold standard for assessing lithium status-the inch closest to your head represents your average lithium status over the past 3 months"- so if someone is not sure about their lithium status they can get hair analysis done by Doctor's Data for $60.
You're welcome! Although the main point was that LO may help with cognitive decline, dementia and AD, based on the study I added near the bottom of that post, apparently it may be useful for PD and ALS.
Knowing that lithium levels can be determined from properly done hair analysis is very useful information!
I just tried the link to Dr. Mischley and it is working for me. I just clicked on the link at the HU redirect and it connected me to her "LithiumDeficiencyinParkinson’sDisease" .
The link works for me. I also typed "Lithium deficiency in PD" into a search browser and the very first entry was dr. Mischley's thesis. Hope it helps.
If you haven't already read bassofspades reply to this post, please scroll down toward the bottom of this page and read what he had to say about very low dose lithium orotate and his results after two weeks of daily use, it is very interesting!
Very interesting Art. I have always thought that dementia is more a spiritual condition than a physical one as a retreat from human being from life to prepare for retaliation with less suffering. Use sort of gradual recklessness instead of sudden as in an accident. Sorry for the sad talk.
I'm almost surrounded at work, but I don't care, I just know them. Where I work there are at least two hospices where they deal with AD. The charity sisters do more accurate work than the paid institutions because they work for the purpose of help.
Art, thanks for another excellent, informative post. I am sure we all, here on HU, appreciate your search and knowledge of a variety of health conditions. You have been a tremendous help to me and I believe all forum members feel the same.
Dr. Mischley recommended it to my husband and he started it a few weeks ago. I believe LO and MLT are two supplements that should be added to PwP's daily supplements/vitamins/minerals list.
Thx for the extensive information and links re LO. l am going to pass it on to my MDS who heads up MD at a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital in Boston. If he shares valuable feedback l will post here. He is open to discussing alternatives though double blind placebo results usually his go to question.
Re MLT, is there a dosage protocol? Have been taking it for years but not sure if it’s enough.
Studies have used less than 1 mg per day up to 70 mg per day from what I have seen as the highest dose that was used in a children's study. If you tolerate melatonin as the majority do, then dosing would probably fall in that range, but not everybody tolerates melatonin. There is an Italian researcher (Pierioli?) who spent over a decade researching melatonin in patients with cancer and he used 20 mg per day in patients in all of his studies that showed that melatonin extended the lifespan of his cancer patients compared to his patients that didn't take melatonin. If I were to guess for myself personally, I would take at least what he used in his studies, which I do, but it is better to get your doctor's approval and direction just in case melatonin is not compatible with anything else you are taking.
I was going through these posts before I saw my doctor this week and could not find my response thanking you for the above information about melatonin. Not sure what happened to it. As always, the knowledge you share so generously is much valued.
I don't know what happened to your post either. I have no control over any one else's post even if it is a thread that I started. As far as I know, only a moderator can do that.
LO, at the very low dose seems to have a good safety profile, but please let us know if your husband has any problems with it if he starts it. Melatonin studies speak for themselves. I'm having my third one just now of the melatonin 123, good night!
Art, you mentioned your friend's mother with dementia and her use of LO halted the progression. Can you be more specific on type of dementia? Thank you.
I can't. Her daughter only told me her mom had dementia. I imagine that it could have been AD, but I have always read that AD can only be accurately diagnosed via an autopsy. I didn't want to pry further into their business because the daughter did not seem as though she wanted to discuss it much.
I am familiar with his protocol. A drawback is cost because insurance is not likely to cover it and then the problem of having enough practitioners who are properly trained to implement his protocol.
If this is something that could work, for some, they should talk it over with their movement disorders specialist/neurologist, and, if they approve, go ahead and give it a try. If this helps slow progression of ALS, and/or PD, along with helping AD, and dementia, then it may be worth considering.
I agree, but it is sometimes difficult to get your doctor to prescribe a drug for off label use. The very low dose such as 20 mg and 5 mg LO are available on line from almost all major supplement suppliers at reasonable cost.
MD's get their training on the pharmaceutical model. It used to be that 1/2 hour throughout their course work was devoted to nutrition. I don't know what it is now. Those realizing that drugs, for the most part, do not cure or correct any disease, end up studying outside the pharma model. Many docs also have no idea about the fact that diseases, including brain diseases, are caused by lack of nutrients and caused by toxins. I know an MD who almost quit his last year of med school because he thought the pharma emphasis was not helpful and actually, destructive. He finished his last year, and now has been working with natural remedies, including ozone.
I did my hair mineral analysis by Trace Element last year and found I was low in a few trace minerals. The test result was pretty interesting and showed that I was low in Lithium, Boron, Molybdenum, vanadium, etc - not the typical trace minerals that people think about. I take LO 5mg occassionally.
I like this website's summary of Lithium Orotate supplementation.
The link you posted is very good and definitely worthwhile reading for anyone who is considering LO or recommending it to someone else! I'm repeating your link here so that nobody misses it and the important information it contains :
I went with Trace Elements for more accurate no-wash policy of hair samples for analysis. I was interested in metal toxicity but apparently I'm almost free of any toxic elements which allowed me to stop unnecessary detox protocols.
When my husband first was diagnosed with PD, we went to a great MD in Newport Beach, Ca. Every patient with a chronic disease, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, PD, etc, was tested for heavy metals. My husband tested off the charts for lead! He started a chelation program and also hyperbaric oxygen treatments, as well as neurofeedback.
He did chelation with EDTA, which was administered through an IV. You do the IV, and then do a 6-12 hour urine test. The urine vile is sent to Doctor's Data for analysis. His count went from 80 pbm or pbb to 40. There are EDTA suppositories that are less expensive, but you have to do them longer.
We have concerns, however, because my lead count is 60. We have only been together a little over 7 years. We have tested our water, coffee, wine, etc, and found nothing. We are going to send the results of a recent blood test to the county. We think we might be getting lead from our glassware or china. They will do testing at our house. The blood test showed continued exposure in the last 45 days, I believe. We have changed our cookware because all of it leached toxins. You take 2 TB of baking soda and boil it for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water. Then taste it.
HBO treatments were given to him right after diagnosis. I think they were helpful. There are some private companies that have HBO. Hospitals only recognize it for diabetic ulcers, I believe. There is no where we could go for more treatments. We do ozone and far infrared saunas. Which also help chelate the lead and glyphosate and 2-4D , other chemicals that are part of Agent Orange. I think those saunas, the PEMF mat, the near infrared nasal tube have all helped his PD. The problem is consistency.
I was taking LO some time ago and stopped awhile ago. I had Seasonal Affective Disorder. It worked well for that but at the time I didn't assess memory as being a problem. Now I do. What a great post. Thanks!
The safety profile of LO is impressive as are the multitude of health effects it has shown in people. I love it when one supplement shows potential to have multiple health benefits!
Hi Arte, do you have a particular product to recommend that offers good security profiles? In the market there many with very variable prices. Thank you
I have not searched through the available suppliers, but I would probably look for a fairly well known name that has been around for a long time. This one seems to have a large number of good ratings on Amazon compared to others which have quite a few less ratings :
It is also available in a three pack which is just a little less per bottle, but includes free shipping whereas the single bottle requires extra for shipping :
Very interesting. My husband has LBD with moderate memory impairment, executive dysfunction; severe REM sleep disorder, occasional hallucinations. Unless you can see a distinct contraindication in LBD vs. Alzheimers, I will try to get him to try this.
Any contraindication would likely be with other medications he is taking, but your doctor can answer that question for you since he should know every medication he is taking.
One would hope the doctor, or doctors would know what medications their patients are on. It doesn't happen always. We helped treat a man who was on 25 different medications, including 3 opioids for over 30 years. He was on hospice when we offered to help. He, almost 2 years later, is off all medications. Many of them were contraindicated. Siince we aren't doctors, he had to decide himself what to do. His blood pressure is normal. He was on 5 different meds for blood pressure, alone. The other meds were to counteract the side effects. He originally couldn't walk without a walker, he needed oxygen 24 hours a day. Now, he is out cutting wood and is very active. Go to Drugs.com. List the drug and then read the side effects.
It has been my experience that the ones who are best able to tell you about drug contraindications are pharmacists. A good pharmacist will be willing to go over everything you are taking and they sometimes have more knowledge about supplements when compared to doctors.
That makes sense. At the same time, he was on 25 medications. I printed out all the side effects, so he could see there were several that caused breathing problems. Drugs.com works, too.
In case this applies to your husband, here is a copy of question and answer #44 from the "Thiamine/HDT FAQ" page :
44. Does your experience with thiamine in your patients suggest that thiamine can prevent PD dementia from getting started in the first place or can it have a positive impact in a PWP who already has PD dementia?
A : Usually cognitive disorders in PD are mild or medium. These have good regression with thiamine that also prevents the appearance,but there are cases where the patient appears to have severe dementia and motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. In that case we have no data, but the impression is that dementia is not very sensitive to treatment.
Thank you for the info re: HDT/dementia. I am planning to start my husband on LO soon. His LBD fluctuates, of course, but he's going through a tough time now with increased depression, decreased energy.
If you do end up starting your husband on very low dose LO, please keep us updated on how he does with it. So far, bassofspades has reported the amazing results above, but more feedback would be very helpful also! Good luck to the both of you!
Here is my testimony on lithium. I suffered from terrible brain fog and poor memory for all of my adult life . A doctor recommended lithium 20mg per day. I chose the lithium orotate variety. Within 2 weeks my brain fog was gone and my memory for even the most trivial minutia has skyrocketed. My coworkers now claim that I am the smartest person they know , which I never thought I'd hear in my lifetime.
I recently switched to 100mg twice per week because the price was nice and, at this dose, my ptsd is really improving. That's something I did not expect.
bass, thank you for that update, it is really great news and I am very happy for you!!!
Memory, brain fog and PTSD too, that's too good! There appears to be quite a bit written on the PTSD aspect of LO and is thought to be one of the best available drugs for that condition! Can you tell if the LO has helped with depression and anxiety also as I remember that was a real issue that you discussed within the last three months on this forum?
That is all fantastic news and I'll bet a lot of members are beside themselves knowing that you have just improved your PTSD, depression, anxiety, brain fog and memory by just taking the supplement LO!!!
I'm going to go out and get some right now! 😜😜😜
Thank you again for this update, this is valuable information for other forum members that are struggling with the same issues!
I read that article and that is what inspired me to make the original post at the top of this page. I liked it so much, that it was the first link in the post. Toward the bottom of the post there are two links that discuss how LO can be beneficial for PD also because of its neuroprotective effects. The second of those two links near the bottom of the post is more of a compilation of other studies that discuss LO in relation to PD.
Thank you again, bass, for posting your results and congratulations to you on your great improvements, that must feel like a tremendous burden lifted from your shoulders!
chartist Thank you so much for drawing my attention to this! The "Cinderella" book is in my Amazon shopping cart, and I am ordering KAL brand lithium orotate capsules that each deliver 5 mg elemental lithium.
Cost is >> $4.22 << for 60 capsules, which should last me two months. Long enough to see what happens.
Thanks for posting that. Vitacost is one of my go-to stores, as well. The B1 we got from them was without the Hcl. I really don't know what the difference in efficacy is.
The B-1 they sell that is Thiamine HCI is their house brand which is currently (12/23/2019) buy one, get one for 50% off the second bottle and this includes free shipping in the US :
That link is the Thiamine HCL that quite a few forum members are using and it is discounted at the moment if you are buying two bottles, the second bottle is supposed to be 50% off.
We just got "confirmation" from a test yesterday that my mom has dementia secondary to PD. I am going to send some of this research to her neuro and make sure it doesn't interact with her meds. If she okays it, I will definitely give this to my mom.
Do you think I should also start supplementation with LO? ( I don't take any prescription meds)
My sister has her masters in psychiatric nursing. She does not believe that going off wheat and other grains can cure bipolar and schizophrenia. They do. Doctors know very, very little about how nutrition plays a significant role in most illnesses, including bipolar and depression. Remove wheat from her diet and see what happens in 2 months.
To add a bit of real life experience to this thread, I would like to mention about my sister and the use of supplements. About three years ago, I noticed that my sister, who will be 78 this month, would be in the middle of a conversation and suddenly forget what she wanted to say to the point that she would just say, 'I can't remember what I wanted to say'.
At this same time I also noticed that she seemed withdrawn and I chalked this up to the idea that she was engaging in less conversation so that she would not be embarrassed when she forgot what she was saying, but I wasn't sure about that point.
Last year in February, her husband passed away and she consequently started spending more time at my house which gave me plenty of time to observe her and it was clear, that her short term memory had worsened significantly! She would forget her chain of thought in the middle of a conversation about 4 or 5 times a day that I noticed. I asked her if she was aware she was doing this and she said yes, she was, but had no idea if there was anything she could do about it. Her doctor told her that these "senior moments" were common for someone her age and that it was normal and not to worry about it.
I told her I did not consider it to be normal for someone her age to have these memory issues as two of my neighbors are older than her and one of these two ladies is over 80 and one is over 90 and neither one of them has this problem!
In March of last year, I suggested that she start with Amla Extract at 500 mg + 500 mg per day and she agreed to that because even she realized that she was becoming more forgetful and she said it worried her a bit. About a month later, I asked her if she would like to go up to 1,000 mg + 1,000 mg and she agreed because she said that she hadn't noticed any problems with taking the Amla Extract. I told her I didn't know if Amla could help her memory directly, but I knew it was a good antioxidant and antiinflammatory and could very significantly increase glutathione as well as have anti diabetic effects and in total would be helpful for her body overall. A month later she told me she was tolerating the Amla Extract with no problems, so I asked her if she would like to add another supplement that would be directed more at potentially improving her memory and she agreed that might be a good idea so I gave her lithium orotate and told her to take 10 mg per day and if she tolerated it after a month or two, she could consider going up to 20 mg per day and she ended up doing that with no problems. Right when she was about to switch to 20 mg, I noticed that her senior moments had reduced by at least half of what I remember from March of 2019 and I asked her if she noticed any differences since starting on these two supplements and she said she was forgetting less often, but still forgetting and so she started with the 20 mg of lithium orotate per day. About a month later we spent the day together at a family gathering and I told her that I noticed your memory seems better and she told me that she had one senior moment that day and that she still has them, but the frequency seems much less to her.
I asked her if she would consider another supplement that may have potential to help her memory and she said she would, so I gave her Vinpocetine and told her 30 mg per day is the recommended dosage, but not to go over that amount and she agreed. That was a few months ago. I saw her this week very briefly and I noticed that she seemed more outgoing and focused in the present. I asked her if she had noticed any further improvement in her memory and she said definitely and I asked her in what way. She said those senior moments are rare these days and she told me that when ever she set out to do anything around the house or on the computer that she was at a point where she had to write her plans down or she would forget them almost instantly. She went on to say that she no longer needs to take those notes, because now she just remembers! She also said that before, she would go to another room with the intention of doing something specific in that room, but once she got to that room she could not remember why she had gone there. She said that rarely happens now! Needless to say, she is very happy about her new memory and I am very happy to see the sister I remember, slowly coming back in just a years time! Generally speaking when a person starts having these memory issues, they tend to only get worse, so I am very glad to see how this is working out for her and I thought it very appropriate as an update for this thread. One thing I notice about her is that she is very faithful about taking her supplements because she always loads her pill box.
Art, it's going to seem like I am harping on the melatonin but I also had forgetfulness. Not as bad as when I was on azilect but bad enough that I noticed it. After taking melatonin it stopped.
You know melatonin is easily one of my favorite supplements and I already have her taking it! I made her a topical oil for her hair that contains melatonin among other things and it is absorbed through the hair follicles slowly, so this will allow me to add another memory supplement to her oral regimen when she is ready. I know that the more supplements you take, the greater the chance for non-compliance, so I don't want to go overboard giving her too many oral supplements too soon!
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What serum levels indicate someone is deficient in Lithium? 
