Experience trying over the counter lithium oronate 5mg daily?

@pb50 lithium o rotate is a drug, a medicine, even though it is OTC. When I researched it, there were many reports of serious side effects. No reported deaths.

So as with any other drug, please be aware of the side effects and drug interactions, tell your doc you are taking it, and have your kidney levels (chem 7 or creatinine) checked yearly.

Perhaps dosage matters. I have found no serious side effects of Lithium Orotate reported at dosages less than 5 mg. And I have read a lot. Perhaps the combination it is in - the Orotate- is the difference. there are more problematic combinations than Orotate - such as carbnonate more common in the high dose lithium applications - e.g. for bipolar.

Great advice on monitoring TSH and eGFR… fortunately it’s routine in my annual physical.

Here’s a decent discussion.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230021001136
As I have stated earlier, I have discussed with my primary and my neurologist. I’m good but thanks
for your guidance.

It looks like a number of folks are taking lithium orotate or have a partner who takes it. Question: has anyone seen any benefit from taking it? And if so, how long did it take to show up, and is it significant?

@annedallas
We have been slowly increasing the dose from 1 mg to just now 4mg.
No dramatic signals- but not sure there will be any? If it only slows progression, and cannot reverse it, how do you measure that on a patient level? In a big study where you have controls taking placebo and differing dosages, you would be able see differences.
Since there seems no downside at these low doses, we are taking it based on primarily the Harvard study and the earlier Danish research. Hoping for the upside!

@ralpha4 One way to measure progress (or lack of additional decline) would be to administer the Ohio State Universities "SAGE (Self Administered Gerocognitive Examaiation). I cannot post a link, but you can find it doing a search on wexner medical center sage test.
It is very similar to the test given by my Wife's Neurologist, however it is a self administered (the patient reads the instructions without any input from the care giver) with the care giver then scoring the results using a key provided with the download, There is also a link to an online version.
The test is available in four versions and in several languages.
You could start now and get a baseline score and then retest periodically - I suggest a minimum of three months as just based on online information about the time it takes the brain to recover from a traumatic brain injury combined with the fact that Alzheimer's patients are older so you could expect a longer healing time.

@dalecasto i would recommend a longer interval. Even in mice studies it took 9 mos to a year to materially reduce amyloid levels. I have had two instances of neuropsych testing 18 mos apart. So i am going to take 5mg and quit watching the clock for at least 18 mos. But i will also document in my Journal any improvement in my three chief complaints - word retrieval, name recall, and losing train of thought. Obviously subjective but not worthless.