Number 153 of Nov 23, 2007.

“Lithium "to slow down, with a certainty in excess of 95%, the progression of ALS". These exceptional results came out from an Italian study on 48 ALS patients, 32 treated with standard therapy of riluzol, 16 treated with riluzol and lithium. These results have already been submitted to a well-known international journal that is now verifying the data and may publish the report shortly. "15 months after the start of the study, 30% of the patients treated only with riluzol died. In the second group there were no deaths, even though half of the patients in the group had the most aggressive form of ALS, that is bulbar". This is what one of the Italian researchers, experimenting with the use of lithium against ALS, Francesco Fornai, associate professor of the department of Human Morphology and applied biology at the University of Pisa, stated. Furthermore, utilizing parameters from the neurological scale to measure progression, there was no significant deterioration of the ALSFRS-R, while the decline was evident within 3 months in the other group. At the end of the study the decline was measured at 50%. A preview of this study was given on Nov 8, 2007 during the XXXIV LIMPE Congress, the Italian league in the fight against Parkinson's disease.”

Note: The same researchers who conducted the above trial have started a larger trial involving 100 experimental patients. We eagerly await the results of this study

UPDATE! On December 21, 2007, the study was accepted by the proceeding of the national academy of sciences for publication. This is great news, as it speaks to the quality of the study!

Lithium Dosage For Treatment of ALS
Dosage Used in Italian Study: Start with 150 mg twice daily (300 mg day). Lithium carbonate was used. Goal is to obtain a blood lithium level of 0.4 mmol/l or 0.4 mEq/l. Everyone’s body and kidneys processes lithium differently. Test lithium level 5 days after start of treatment, then test levels every week until appropriate level is obtained, then test monthly then every two months.

For comparison: Dosage for bipolar disorder: Usually 450-1200 mg/day. During manic episodes blood level target at 0.8 to 1.2 mmol/liter, for regular maintenance 0.6 – 1.0 mmol/liter.

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