I went to visit my aunt one day, and my favourite uncle couldn't recognize me.
It made me think that Alzheimer's is probably the worst thing that could happen to a person. I mean, what's worse than not being able to recognize those closest to you?
You work a lifetime, and then you go out in such an undignified manner.
Lithium orotate is available over the counter. People could try it today.
> Since lithium has not yet been shown to be safe or effective in protecting against neurodegeneration in humans, Yankner emphasizes that people should not take lithium compounds on their own
I reject this kind of blind safetyism. A cursory search suggests that lithium orotate has been used for decades, and the article suggests that "profound effects" were seen at an "exquisitely low dose" which should be safe. They're going to need a much better explanation of why people shouldn't try it.
Lithium is a strange drug. It also cures bipolar disorder and nobody knows why. It also fucks up the liver over time and basically people on lithium eventually have to make a choice between dying or being insane.
Watch out, there is no reliable Mouse Model for Alzheimer's. I was deeply involved with mouse models at some point before quitting my phd in neuroscience and I quite remember that.
A spring near where I grew up used to be considered a notable watersource, and was actively bottled and sold, with the marketing proclaiming the benefits of "Lithia Water" --- always wondered how trace minerals from wells and springs affects health, and how consistent the elemental content is from year-to-year.
Given that tens of millions people have been treated for bipolar disorder with Lithium Carbonate, shouldn't researchers have already seen a correlation with Alzheimer's in patients?
Lithium carbonate was tested and didn't help the mice at all because it was just absorbed by the plaques. The exciting thing is they found a form of lithium (already commonly available as a supplement) which is not absorbed by the plaques and showed a reversal of symptoms with P=0.00007. That's the kind of statistical significance I like to see in my medical papers.
"Conclusion: Individuals with BD are at higher risk of dementia than both the general population or those with MDD. Lithium appears to reduce the risk of developing dementia in BD."
Overall people with Bi-Polar have a much higher rate of dementia but lithium treatment appears to reduce that.
People treated with valproate instead (a mood stabilizer) do not enjoy the same benefit.
So I'll commit to adding low dose lithium to my daily supplements
Interestingly, the proposed mechanism seems consistent with the apparent small benefit of anti-amyloid antibody therapy: if amyloid deposits interfere with lithium uptake, then removing them could restore some lithium availability without doing anything about the underlying initial cause of insufficient lithium.
There are so many misconceptions about lithium wrt to the human body.
I don't know why so many people differentiate between lithium orotate and the lithium carbonate in psychiatry. Although they differ in absorption the active component is the lithium ion in both cases. Dosage is done according to lithium content, there are tables for converting from orotate to carbonate and back.
Then the effects of lithium orotate and carbonate can't be that different. And thus, above a particular dose blood monitoring is mandatory.
There are benefits of low dose lithium for sure. And the dosages in psychiatry have been on a steady decline. With lower doses come less side effects. It is definitly not the hammer of psychiatry that turns people into zombies or messes. It feels quite natural.
In addition the reduction of Alzheimers cases is not unique to lithium. Many meds cause Alzheimers rates in mentally ill people to decline to general population levels.
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[ 5.8 ms ] story [ 50.7 ms ] threadI went to visit my aunt one day, and my favourite uncle couldn't recognize me. It made me think that Alzheimer's is probably the worst thing that could happen to a person. I mean, what's worse than not being able to recognize those closest to you? You work a lifetime, and then you go out in such an undignified manner.
I pray for a cure in my lifetime.
> Since lithium has not yet been shown to be safe or effective in protecting against neurodegeneration in humans, Yankner emphasizes that people should not take lithium compounds on their own
I reject this kind of blind safetyism. A cursory search suggests that lithium orotate has been used for decades, and the article suggests that "profound effects" were seen at an "exquisitely low dose" which should be safe. They're going to need a much better explanation of why people shouldn't try it.
Seems like a good real world example that should prove out if lithium works as we know people with BD take it.
Turns out there is a study that says there is.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31954065/
"Conclusion: Individuals with BD are at higher risk of dementia than both the general population or those with MDD. Lithium appears to reduce the risk of developing dementia in BD."
Overall people with Bi-Polar have a much higher rate of dementia but lithium treatment appears to reduce that.
People treated with valproate instead (a mood stabilizer) do not enjoy the same benefit.
So I'll commit to adding low dose lithium to my daily supplements
I don't know why so many people differentiate between lithium orotate and the lithium carbonate in psychiatry. Although they differ in absorption the active component is the lithium ion in both cases. Dosage is done according to lithium content, there are tables for converting from orotate to carbonate and back.
Then the effects of lithium orotate and carbonate can't be that different. And thus, above a particular dose blood monitoring is mandatory.
There are benefits of low dose lithium for sure. And the dosages in psychiatry have been on a steady decline. With lower doses come less side effects. It is definitly not the hammer of psychiatry that turns people into zombies or messes. It feels quite natural.
In addition the reduction of Alzheimers cases is not unique to lithium. Many meds cause Alzheimers rates in mentally ill people to decline to general population levels.
The headline right now "Lithium Reverses Alzheimer's in Mice"
Those are two quite different statements. Someone should fix that.