Treatment of Tardive Dyskinesia and Mania with RBC Lithium Determinations

The authors report the usefulness of RBC lithium determinations in managing the treatment of tardive dyskinesia. They present a case report in which manic manifestations and tardive dyskinesia symptoms paralleled the rise and fall of RBC lithium and plasma lithium levels were constant during the period of symptom improvement. They conclude that RBC lithium levels appeared to reflect toxicity, control of mania, and symptom suppression of tardive dyskinesia better than plasma lithium levels alone.