[Pharmacoclinical value of the study of lithium cycles during 24 hours]

One cannot base a posology only upon morning lithiemy which turns out to be an unreliable criterion. It is useful to appreciate therapy equilibration through lithiemic cycle i.e. and every two hours dosage among patients on lithium carbonate or gluconate. Certain patients with quite an insufficient lithiemic morning level may be well equilibrated during day time. Lithiemy variations during the day are constantly reliable with the same patient. The study of nycthemeral variations among lithium salts treated patients allows us to understand some pathological subphenomena : intermittent tremor, subconfusional transitory onsets. Lastly lithiemic cycles allow comparison between lithiemy variations in manic or depressive relapses.