This papers highlights the importance of understanding the CAUSE of symptoms. Stopping treatment with Lithium resulted in the ceasation of the CJD-like symptoms.
This puts forward an important question, "how many CJD victims (deceased/diagnosed) were being treated with Lithium?"
The Alberta company "TrueHope" manufactures a nutritional supplement called "Empower Plus" for treating people suffering from bi-polar disease. Users have successfully gone off Lithium and other drugs.
This puts forward an important question, "how many CJD victims (deceased/diagnosed) were being treated with Lithium?"
The Alberta company "TrueHope" manufactures a nutritional supplement called "Empower Plus" for treating people suffering from bi-polar disease. Users have successfully gone off Lithium and other drugs.
Rev Neurol (Paris). 2006 Nov;162(11):1118-21.
Lithium-induced encephalopathy mimicking Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Mouldi S, Le Rhun E, Gautier S, Devemy M, Destee A, Defebvre L. (article in French)
Service de Neurologie et Pathologie du Mouvement, EA 2683, Hopital Roger Salengro, rue du Professeur Emile Laine, CHRU, 59037 Lille Cedex.
Introduction. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has a poor prognosis. Certain clinical presentations can be suggestive yet mimic a curable disease. Observation. In the present study, we report the case of a 67-year-old man with a one-month history of progressive dementia, with myoclonic jerks and cerebellar syndrome suggesting a diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob encephalopathy. He had been treated for 9 years with lithium for a bipolar disorder. The results of the different investigations and the favorable course after discontinuation of lithium were in favor of the diagnosis of drug-induced Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndrome. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the importance for researching a curable etiology in presence of clinical features suggesting a CJD.
PMID: 17086148