Figure 3. Serum lithium distribution at different time points.

Measurements of the serum lithium levels at 1, 5, 8, 18 and 24 hours and 2, 7, 14, and 28 days after an initial loading dose of 4 mmol/kg LiCl and the onset of 0.24% Li₂CO₃ chow administration. After a single intraperitoneal injection the clearance of lithium serum levels is observed by 18 hours (green line), whereas with the chow the increase in serum lithium levels to therapeutically relevant concentrations did not occur until after 14 days (red line). In this study we combined a loading dose and the lithium chow (black line). In each time point n = 5.