Lithium and chronic kidney disease: to stop or not to stop?

Abstract

Lithium is the first‐line treatment as a mood stabiliser in bipolar affective disorder, but it is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Consideration of ongoing lithium therapy in patients with CKD is a relatively common clinical scenario, but there is a lack of clear clinical guidelines and management practices vary. We discuss two cases of patients on lithium therapy who developed CKD, in order to provide a meaningful context to further explore the clinical framework for decision making and management.