Potassium reduces lithium toxicity: circadian rhythm actions are maintained.

We tested whether a high potassium diet alters lithium's effects on locomotor activity rhythms to the same extent as it prevents lithium toxicity. Rats fed a standard diet containing 0.47% potassium lost weight after subcutaneous implantation of an osmotic pump delivering 1.35 mg of lithium chloride per hour, and most died or became sick within three weeks after implantation. In contrast, all rats fed a diet containing 4.1% potassium gained weight at the same rate regardless of whether they had received lithium infusions or placebo. In a second experiment, lithium administration by either diet or osmotic pump delayed wheel running rhythms, showing that lithium's central nervous system action did not depend on potassium intake or method of lithium administration. Dietary potassium supplementation may provide a useful strategy for improving the therapeutic index of lithium treatment.