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Lithium

Medication mood stabiliser mental health
Aka: lithium carbonate, Camcolit
Brands seen in Singapore: Camcolit-400
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
HealthHub: reducing mood swings in bipolar disorder
When to take
HealthHub: with or after food · NHS: usually once a day
Take with
Water · hh: hydration changes the level in your body
Pros & cons
Pros
  • Hh: a mood stabiliser for bipolar mood swings
  • NHS: once a day, usually at night
  • NHS: usually taken long term — often many years
Cons
  • Hh: thirst, more urine, tremor, weight gain
  • Hh: too high a level — blurred vision, confusion
  • NHS: weekly blood tests at first, then 3–6 monthly
Sources
  1. HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg open dataset, 5,511 rows, cached in full and filtered locally) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The single registered lithium product reads 'Prescription Only' — SIN01305P CAMCOLIT-400 TABLET 400 mg, active ingredient LITHIUM CARBONATE, ATC N05AN01, film-coated tablet.”
  2. HealthHub (National Medication Information workgroup, SG) — Lithium: what is this medication for · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Lithium is used as a mood stabilizer to help reduce mood swings in bipolar disorder. Lithium may also be used for other conditions.”
  3. HealthHub — Lithium: how should I take this medication · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Lithium should be taken with or after food to reduce stomach discomfort. The controlled-release (CR) tablet must be swallowed whole or halved; do not crush or chew it.”
  4. HealthHub — Lithium: what precautions should I take · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “You intend to start on a low salt diet as it may affect the way this medication works … Leukaemia, Psoriasis, Myasthenia Gravis … Heart disease … Low sodium levels … Kidney disease … Thyroid disease”
  5. HealthHub — Lithium: staying hydrated and blood monitoring · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Drinking too much or too little water can affect the amount of Lithium in your body and may result in unpleasant effects … Your doctor may order blood tests”
  6. HealthHub — Lithium: common side effects · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Drowsiness or feeling tired … Nausea, vomiting … Thirst, dry mouth … Passing out more urine than usual … Diarrhoea … Weight gain … Fine hand movements that are difficult to control”
  7. HealthHub — Lithium: rare but serious side effects (signs of too high a level) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “If the amount of Lithium in your body is too high, you may experience: Blurred vision … severe diarrhoea or vomiting … Muscle weakness … Confusion, clumsiness, dizziness, extreme tiredness … Ringing in the ears”
  8. HealthHub — Lithium: what food or medication should I avoid · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Lithium as it can cause excessive sleepiness.”
  9. NHS — Lithium: how and when to take it (brand names Priadel, Camcolit, Liskonum, Li-Liquid) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Swallow tablets whole with a drink of water or juice. Do not chew them. You can take lithium with or without food. You'll usually take your lithium once a day, at night”
  10. US FDA label for LITHOBID (lithium carbonate extended-release), DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION, via openFDA (ANI Pharmaceuticals, effective 2026-08-24) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Acute Mania Optimal patient response can usually be established with 1800 mg/day … Long-Term Control Desirable serum lithium concentrations are 0.6 to 1.2 mEq/L which can usually be achieved with 900 to 1200 mg/day”
  11. NHS — Lithium: changes to your dose and blood monitoring · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “you'll need to have a blood test every week … Your doctor may change your dose depending on the results of your blood test. Once the doctor is happy, you'll have a blood test every 3 to 6 months”
  12. NHS — Lithium: how long to take it for · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “As long as it's working well to control your condition, you'll generally take lithium for a long time. Some people need to take it for many years.”
  13. NHS — Lithium: if you have an infection or illness · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Call 111 now if you: have an illness that causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting, a high temperature or sweating … Infections and illnesses like colds and flu can also make you dehydrated.”
  14. US FDA label for LITHOBID, serum-concentration targets and individualisation, via openFDA · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Such doses will normally produce an effective serum lithium concentration ranging between 1.0 and 1.5 mEq/L. Dosage must be individualized according to serum concentrations and clinical response.”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.