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The Impact of Lithium in South-West Scotland III. The Discontinuation of Lithium

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

R. G. McCreadie ,
M. McCormick  and
D. P. Morrison
D. P. Morrison
Affiliation:
Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh), Crichton Royal Hospital, Dumfries. DG1 4TG
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Summary

A review in South-West Scotland of all patients prescribed lithium for the first time during the years 1972–82 showed that on average, 12 per 100,000 of the general population start this drug each year. By the end of the period, lithium had been stopped in 58% of patients; the most common reason for discontinuation was the development of side-effects, of which tremor was the most frequent. In only 15% was lithium stopped as it was considered no longer necessary; 44% of patients discontinued lithium within one year of starting it.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 146 , Issue 1 , January 1985 , pp. 77 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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