Lithium Carbonate Coupons & Prices

A lithium carbonate coupon from Rx.com lets you compare cash prices for this mood stabilizer at more than 60,000 pharmacies before you fill your prescription. Lithium carbonate is a generic medicine, but what you actually pay without insurance can differ a lot from one pharmacy to the next, even between stores in the same town. Enter your ZIP code above to see today's price near you, then show the coupon at the counter.

What is lithium carbonate and how does it work?

Lithium carbonate is an antimanic agent, or mood stabilizer. It is a salt of the alkali metal lithium, and it is not an antipsychotic and not an anticonvulsant, even though it is often used alongside or compared with medicines from those classes. It is FDA-approved as a single-drug (monotherapy) treatment for bipolar I disorder: for acute manic and mixed episodes in people 7 years and older, and for maintenance treatment in people 7 years and older.

Lithium carbonate is sold as a generic and under the brand name Lithobid, an extended-release tablet. Several older brands (Eskalith, Eskalith CR, Lithonate and Lithotabs) are no longer marketed in the US. Because the amount of lithium in your blood matters so much, any change between immediate-release and extended-release forms is a decision for your prescriber, who will tell you what monitoring you need.

Lithium carbonate cost and coupon savings

Lithium carbonate is available as a generic, which is usually the least expensive way to fill it, but generic pricing is not the same everywhere. Cash prices for the same strength and quantity can vary widely between a chain drugstore, a grocery pharmacy and an independent, which is exactly why comparing is worth the two minutes.

Rx.com compares cash prices at more than 60,000 pharmacies. Enter your ZIP above to see today's price for your strength and quantity, print or show the coupon, and hand it to the pharmacist. The coupon is for cash-paying customers and cannot be combined with insurance, so if you do have coverage it is worth asking the pharmacy to run both and charge you the lower one. If you were prescribed a brand version, check the manufacturer's website for any current savings program before you fill. Keep in mind lithium therapy also involves periodic lab work, which is billed separately from the prescription.

Lithium carbonate vs. other mood stabilizers

Lithium is one of several options for bipolar I disorder, and the right one depends on your history, your other health conditions and what you can tolerate. Only your prescriber can make that call. Other medicines commonly used in bipolar disorder include:

• Lamotrigine, divalproex sodium, valproic acid and carbamazepine
• Quetiapine, aripiprazole and olanzapine

If you were prescribed the extended-release brand, you can compare prices on our Lithobid page. Do not stop or switch a mood stabilizer on your own, even to save money. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist first, then use Rx.com to price whatever they decide on.

Lithium carbonate safety and monitoring

Lithium carbonate carries an FDA boxed warning: lithium toxicity is closely related to the level of lithium in your blood, and it can happen at doses close to the ones that treat you. The label says facilities for prompt and accurate serum lithium testing should be available before therapy is started. Early signs of toxicity include diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness, muscle weakness and poor coordination. At higher levels people can have unsteady walking, dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, frequent urination, confusion, seizures, and toxicity can be fatal. Call your prescriber right away if these appear.

Dehydration, low sodium and certain drugs can push lithium levels up, including NSAIDs, thiazide and loop diuretics, ACE inhibitors and ARBs (renin-angiotensin system antagonists), and metronidazole. Avoid big swings in your salt or fluid intake. Separately, and in the opposite direction, alkalinizing agents such as sodium bicarbonate increase how much lithium your kidneys excrete and can lower your lithium level, which risks the medicine not working rather than causing toxicity; do not start one without telling your prescriber, who may need to check your level more often.

Labeled risks include lithium-induced polyuria and nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, chronic kidney disease, hyponatremia (low blood sodium, which can range from no symptoms to stupor, seizures or coma at severe levels), an encephalopathic syndrome reported in people treated with lithium together with an antipsychotic, serotonin syndrome with serotonergic drugs, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, hypercalcemia and hyperparathyroidism, unmasking of Brugada syndrome, and pseudotumor cerebri.

On pregnancy, the label notes that early reports suggested an increase in cardiovascular malformations, particularly Ebstein's anomaly, with first-trimester use, but that subsequent studies indicate the increased risk for cardiac malformations is likely to be small, and the data are insufficient to establish a drug-associated risk. Breastfeeding is not recommended with maternal lithium use; if someone does choose to breastfeed, the infant should be closely monitored for signs of lithium toxicity. Tell your prescriber if you are pregnant, may become pregnant or are breastfeeding, so you can weigh the options together. Expect periodic blood tests for lithium level, kidney function, thyroid function and calcium. This is general information, not medical advice; talk with your provider or pharmacist about your situation.