Case report
Parkinsonism during lithium use
T.R.W.M. Walrave, C. Bulens
Two patients with bipolar disorder had been treated for years with lithium without any complications but began to develop symptoms of rigidity and an altered gait, namely symptoms compatible with a diagnosis of Parkinsonism with an action tremor. In both patients lithium levels were within the therapeutic range. Medication-induced Parkinsonism occurs frequently in patients using antipsychotic medication, but is a rare complication in patients receiving long term treatment with lithium. The lithium dosage was reduced gradually and within a few months all neurological symptoms subsided completely.