Management of the renal adverse effects of lithium: An audit cycle

Abstract

Lithium is a standard first-line treatment for bipolar disorder and one of the recommended augmenting agents for treatment-resistant depression. However, concerns remain about the long-term organ toxicity of this drug, mainly renal adverse effects. Here, Dr Gupta and colleagues discuss their local audit of administering lithium in CKD patients and how the results were used to inform trust policy and improve clinical practice.