An open label pilot trial of low-dose lithium for young people at ultra-high risk for psychosis

SM Rice; B Nelson; GP Amminger; SM Francey; LJ Phillips; MB Simmons; M Ross; HP Yuen; AR Yung; K O'Gorman; PD McGorry; SJ Wood; GE Berger

Journal article

An open label pilot trial of low-dose lithium for young people at ultra-high risk for psychosis

SM Rice, B Nelson, GP Amminger, SM Francey, LJ Phillips, MB Simmons, M Ross, HP Yuen, AR Yung, K O'Gorman, PD McGorry, SJ Wood, GE Berger

Early Intervention in Psychiatry | WILEY | Published : 2024

DOI: 10.1111/eip.13526

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Abstract

Aim: Lithium, even at low doses, appears to offer neuroprotection against a wide variety of insults. In this controlled pilot, we examined the safety (i.e., side-effect profile) of lithium in a sample of young people identified at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. The secondary aim was to explore whether lithium provided a signal of clinical efficacy in reducing transition to psychosis compared with treatment as usual (TAU). Methods: Young people attending the PACE clinic at Orygen, Melbourne, were prescribed a fixed dose (450 mg) of lithium (n = 25) or received TAU (n = 78). The primary outcome examined side-effects, with transition to psychosis, functioning and measures of psychopatholo..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Simon Rice Author

Barnaby Nelson Author

Paul Amminger Author

Shona Francey Author

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Funding Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknlowedge the contributions of Husseini K. Manji and Christos Pantelis. Open access publishing facilitated by The University of Melbourne, as part of the Wiley - The University of Melbourne agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.