ABSTRACT
The effect of lithium on the gastrointestinal system and carbohydrate metabolism was primarily covered in the first major textbook on lithium research and therapy, which appeared in 19761. The issue of weight gain was included in the chapter on lithium and carbohydrate metabolism written by Mellerup and Rafaelsen2. It has been thought that gastrointestinal side-effects are common during a short period after the initiation of lithium therapy but rather rare during long-term lithium treatment. The origin of lithiuminduced weight gain has been mainly attributed to the effect of lithium on carbohydrate metabolism; the problem has been recognized in a number of lithium-treated patients, especially females. The following 30 years documented the importance and management of these two side-effects in the process of lithium therapy and have also given some new clues regarding the effects of lithium on carbohydrate metabolism in bipolar illness.
