Lithium toxicity profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis
How often will we check my kidney and thyroid function on lithium, and what result would make you change the plan?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Pooling 385 studies, long-term lithium was linked to a modest reduction in kidney filtration, reduced urine-concentrating ability, about six-fold higher odds of hypothyroidism, and weight gain, while end-stage kidney failure was rare (18 of 3,369 patients, 0.5%).
Worth asking
How often will we check my kidney and thyroid function on lithium, and what result would make you change the plan?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Treatment of manic episodes of bipolar disorder
- Maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder
Source
Lithium toxicity profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis — McKnight RF, et al. (2012)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61516-X
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61516-X
How this was scored
- Study design
- Systematic review of observational studies
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- not recorded
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 72 out of 100 on our published rubric. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Lithium toxicity profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis — McKnight RF, et al. (2012). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61516-X. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Systematic review of observational studies. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith), lithobid, eskalith FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Treatment of manic episodes of bipolar disorder, Maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.