Posted by GC Support
on May 28, 2026
Table of Contents
Overview
The study “A Survey Exploring People’s Experiences With Lithium Bought as a Supplement” by Strawbridge et al. (2025) offers the first wide look at how people use a lithium supplement outside of a doctor’s office. Lithium is a well-known mood medicine, but the low-dose versions sold as supplements have not been studied much in real people. The research team surveyed 211 adults to determine which forms and doses they take, why they take them, and what changes (good or bad) they notice.
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What Is Lithium and Why Study It as a Supplement?
Lithium has been used in psychiatry longer than almost any other drug. It treats bipolar disorder and helps with depression. The World Health Organization put it on its essential medicines list back in 1977. Doctors also know it can lower suicide risk and may protect brain cells as people age.
Even so, doctors do not prescribe lithium often. The prescription doses can cause side effects and require regular blood tests. Many patients and doctors get nervous about that. Newer mood drugs also get more marketing, which pushes lithium aside.
In recent years, researchers have begun examining much smaller doses. Even tiny amounts of lithium in drinking water seem to be linked to lower suicide and dementia rates in big population studies. That has people asking a new question: could a small daily lithium supplement help mood or memory without the risks of high doses? The authors point out that high-quality human studies are still lacking, even though these supplements are widely sold.
Methodology
The team ran an online survey open to anyone over 18 who had taken a commercial lithium supplement and could read English. There were no other limits. People answered questions about their age, health, supplement details (form, dose, frequency, duration), why they started taking it, what they had heard about lithium, what they noticed, and any side effects or withdrawal symptoms.
The researchers received 266 responses, removed duplicates and unfinished ones, and analyzed 211. They used simple statistics to describe the group and check for links between variables. The study was set up as exploratory, meaning the team was hunting for patterns to guide future trials rather than proving anything firm.
Main Findings
Lithium Aspartate at 10 mg was the Most Common Form
People used many different products. Lithium aspartate showed up most often (42%), followed by ionic lithium (38%) and lithium orotate (37%). The most common doses were 10 mg once daily, followed by 5 mg and 20 mg. About a third of users had tried more than one form. The mix surprised the authors, who had expected 5 mg lithium orotate to dominate.
Anxiety, Mood, and Cognition Led to the Reported Benefits
The top reason people started taking a lithium supplement was anxiety (37%), thinking and memory (36%), and mood (29%). When asked what changed, users pointed to cognition first (23%), with anxiety and mood close behind. When asked about the largest improvement, mood led at 31%. Most rated their biggest benefit as moderate, while 22% rated it large and 5% very large.
Side Effects and Withdrawal Symptoms Appeared More Than Expected
This was the section that stood out most to the authors. Side effects of a lithium supplement were common: mood changes (39%), anxiety (26%), headache (24%), weight changes (23%), and shakiness (19%). Only 5% reported no side effects.
After stopping, people reported a mix of effects. Some felt better (anxiety improved for 39%), but others felt worse (anxiety worsened for 31%, agitation for 22%). The authors noted that “the most surprising finding to emerge was the frequency and range of withdrawal and side effects reported.” Earlier low-dose lithium studies had not flagged this. The team thinks part of it could be a nocebo effect, meaning people expected side effects because lithium has a strong reputation.
Longer Use Was Linked to More Benefits
People who took a lithium supplement for longer reported more types of benefit and larger effects. Higher daily doses are also linked to more perceived benefits and more positive views of lithium overall. The findings hint that both dose and time may matter, although the survey cannot prove cause and effect.
What Do These Lithium Supplement Findings Mean for Future Research?
The authors are careful. A survey like this only captures self-reported experience from people who chose to take the supplement, so the group leans toward fans of lithium. That can inflate the size of perceived benefits.
Still, the report points to clear next steps. Real controlled trials are needed to test if a lithium supplement actually helps anxiety, mood, or thinking, and at what dose and form. The side-effect rate also needs careful study, since this survey identified problems that earlier work missed. The authors call for trials in groups who might gain the most: older adults with memory worries, people with a family history of suicide, and people with depression that has mixed features.
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Lithium Supplements Show Promise but Demand Real Clinical Trials
A lithium supplement is widely sold and used, yet has been studied little. This 2025 survey is the first to map out what real users experience. People report help with mood, anxiety, and thinking, often at low doses. They also report side effects and withdrawal symptoms that the supplement industry tends not to mention. Until controlled trials test these products head-to-head, anyone considering a lithium supplement should talk to a doctor, especially if they take other medications or have a health condition.
References
- Hart, D. A. (2024). Lithium ions as modulators of complex biological processes: The conundrum of multiple targets, responsiveness and non-responsiveness, and the potential to prevent or correct dysregulation of systems during aging and in disease. Biomolecules, 14(8), 905. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14080905
- Strawbridge, R., Myrtle, S., Carmellini, P., Hampsey, E., Cousins, D. A., & Young, A. H. (2025). A survey exploring people’s experiences with lithium bought as a supplement. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 70(10), 782–795. https://doi.org/10.1177/07067437251328282
- World Health Organization. (2023, July 26). WHO model list of essential medicines: 23rd list, 2023. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-MHP-HPS-EML-2023.02
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