[Lithium in the prevention of affective disorders: 20 years' experience]

Long term preventive lithium administration results are referred to with the manifestation of a full effect in 23% affective illness-related patients. In 70% of patients, the occurrence of side-effects including those initial ones was stated in no but 40% patients in the course of long term lithium-prophylaxis. This fact testifies about the decrease in number of side-effects during the treatment with lithium. Most frequent side-effects were tremors and diarrhea. No serious renal complications were observed, except the onsets of tardive dyskinesis in on patient after the combined administration of chlorprothixene, amitriptyline and lithium. In three patients, the distant relapses were observed without discontinuation of therapy after the 10-year-lasted successful lithium-prophylaxis. In accord to the long term experience, the authors estimate 0.4 mmol/l lithemia level to be the minimal effective one. They believe the lithium is a reliable thymoprophylactic agent, though in accord with them the other substances with larger therapeutic spectrum are to be searched as well as predictors of an effective lithium-prophylaxis.