Lithium blood-level monitoring
If you take lithium long-term, a blood lithium level should be checked every few months to keep the dose safe.
Across de-identified U.S. psychiatric records, we found this step was missed about 78% of the time it should have happened.
Among people taking lithium, those whose blood level had drifted too low were about 3.7 times as likely to end up in the hospital over the next year as those whose level stayed in the safe range.
This step also is not missed evenly for everyone. For Native American patients this step is missed 94% of the time, versus 78% for White patients.
This page is here to help you know what to ask about. It is not medical advice, and you should never start, stop, or change a medication on your own. Bring these questions to a doctor who knows you.
Questions to ask your doctor
Copy a line and ask it at your next visit. These are questions to start a conversation, not instructions to change your treatment.
- I take lithium - when was my last lithium blood level?
- How often should my lithium level, kidneys and thyroid be checked?
The evidence
Among people taking lithium, those whose blood level had drifted too low were about 3.7 times as likely to end up in the hospital over the next year as those whose level stayed in the safe range.
This page is information, not medical advice. It describes care patterns across many people and can't speak to your own situation. Bring these questions to a clinician who knows you.
Build a checklist for your own care →