Treatment of psychological illnesses is one of the most complex processes that require close examination of the patient and careful selection of therapy methods. Unfortunately, not all conditions can be cured with a psychologist’s help, and often people have to resort to medication. However, the use of various psychotropic substances can be hazardous due to such substances’ effect on multiple body systems even under a doctor’s supervision. The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the effects of drugs such as lithium and Abilify on liver function.
The medicines described above have many different uses in the treatment of psychological illnesses. Lithium preparations are the first drugs in the mood stabilizer group, but they retain their importance in medicine to this day. Since ancient times, the compound’s qualities have been discovered by experimental methods since people have noticed the positive effect of mineral springs. Medicinal compositions based on this metal are used to treat various phases of bipolar disorder, primarily manic conditions and severe depression cases. Simultaneously, the drug is widely used to prevent and treat multiple variants of affective psychoses, including schizoaffective mental illness and schizophrenia.
Thus, this metal is one of the leading medical products due to its availability and effectiveness. However, this same element can be quite dangerous for humans if the dosage is incorrect. Although ordinary salt may serve as an antidote in an overdose, it is crucial to maintain the body’s water-salt balance when treating lithium. A sharp decrease in fluid levels and a decrease in sodium levels can lead to intoxication with this substance. Lithium overdose affects primarily two systems of the human body: the central nervous system and the kidneys since it is through the latter that the drug is excreted from the body.
Abilify, or aripiprazole, belongs to a slightly different group of medicines, namely antipsychotics. If lithium has a more significant effect on the general mood, helping to fight depression and manias, the action of aripiprazole is aimed directly at combating various kinds of psychoses. With the help of this drug, mental nervous activity is suppressed. It helps to fight against bipolar disorders, Turrett’s disorder, and schizophrenia. Efficacy in the fight against schizophrenia has been confirmed by numerous studies in which the drug was compared with similar medicines. Abilify’s effect is similar to other typical and atypical antipsychotics; however, in contrast, it causes much less weight gain and changes in cholesterol levels than, for example, clozapine (Ribeiro et al., 2018). Thus, compared with similar drugs, aripiprazole is much more effective and safer.
However, its use can only be carried out under doctors’ close supervision due to the high probability of the medication’s effect on other body systems. This drug’s side effects are pervasive and affect the musculoskeletal system, nervous, respiratory, and genitourinary systems, and impact metabolism. Finally, in contrast to lithium, which interacts mostly with the kidneys, aripiprazole is metabolized in a small volume in the liver.
Thus, both lithium and Abilify can be used to treat the same diseases, including schizophrenia and various kinds of manias. However, their effectiveness and degree of influence on the body are contrasting due to several factors. First, medicines belong to opposed groups, since lithium preparations are mood stabilizers, and aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic. Secondly, the compounds’ complexity varies significantly, and consequently, the investigated drugs have a different degree of influence on the human body. The process of assimilation of substances proceeds in different ways, and the time spent in the body and the methods of withdrawal from it are also different. The combination of these factors causes an additional effect of medications. Research has shown that lithium is often more effective in treating manic symptoms than aripiprazole (Shafti, 2018). Thanks to this metal’s preparations, the intensity, and frequency of mania manifestations are significantly reduced. However, many doctors use it with caution due to the metal’s toxicity and the high likelihood of overdose.
Although lithium preparations show themselves from a more practical side, their use sometimes restrains an overdose’s possible consequences. From this point of view, aripiprazole and lithium each have their own set of disadvantages and advantages. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a detailed analysis of all factors of action of each of the drugs. First, it is essential to pay attention to both substances’ nature, since, unlike the artificial Abilify, lithium is a natural element and component of the human body. This metal is present in blood plasma and is involved in the body’s water-salt balance. That is why an overdose of this drug becomes dangerous since the imbalance is primarily reflected in the renal system. Although the half-life of lithium is 24 hours, deaths are quite common. However, if all precautions are taken, this drug is more effective in treating the diseases described above. Simultaneously, it does not give side effects associated with both the liver and other groups of organs.
In turn, aripiprazole interacts with the liver directly, being metabolized in it. This feature is inherent in this drug and the entire group of psychotropic medications, including those associated with proteins and substances with extensive first-pass metabolism (Telles-Correia et al., 2017). Since most of these substances pass through the liver, the organ is most at risk. These findings are supported by statistics showing that liver damage from medication is the fourth most common (Telles-Correia et al., 2017). Aripiprazole has many positive qualities that distinguish it from other medicines. As mentioned above, compared to other psychotropic substances, both typical and atypical, Abilify is much more effective and safer. Besides, unlike lithium, an overdose of this drug does not pose a significant threat to human life. The possibility of a fatal outcome is also excluded, which is present in the case of taking lithium preparations.
However, since aripiprazole binds to proteins in the blood plasma, it affects many human body systems like most similar drugs. The presence of such drugs can significantly affect pre-existing liver diseases such as cirrhosis (Telles-Correia et al., 2017). Besides, aripiprazole causes changes in glucose and cholesterol levels, as well as alterations in weight (Ribeiro et al., 2018). Although such changes are expressed in a much smaller volume than in similar drugs, changes in these parameters are directly associated with the liver. Since this organ’s primary function is precisely the production of cholesterol and the metabolism of fat, the use of such a psychotropic substance can significantly affect the body’s functioning. For example, an increase in cholesterol levels can cause non-alcoholic liver disease or cirrhosis (Telles-Correia et al., 2017). The use of such drugs must be accompanied by monitoring of the patient’s condition.
Thus, each of the considered means used in treating schizophrenia, manias, and other psychological abnormalities has its advantages and disadvantages. Lithium is favored by its availability, simplicity of compounds, as well as the lack of a targeted effect on any body systems. Besides, according to numerous studies, in many cases, lithium is a much more effective alternative to other psychotropic drugs, including aripiprazole. However, its use is quite dangerous due to its strong side effects and high probability of overdose. Lithium is a part of the water-salt balance of a person, a natural component for the body, so its intake should be carried out with extreme caution under a doctor’s supervision. Incorrect adherence to dosages can lead to sad consequences, up to and including death. However, lithium does not have any harmful properties affecting the liver or other specific organs.
Aripiprazole, in turn, is somewhat inferior in effectiveness to the natural metal; however, it has a much less dangerous spectrum of side effects. In addition, among similar psychotropic drugs, Abilify is recognized as one of the most effective in many studies. The drug in this group can be used to treat a variety of disorders, from manias to schizophrenia. However, aripiprazole can directly affect liver function due to several factors. Firstly, this substance directly enters into metabolism with this organ due to its structure and connection with protein proteins. Secondly, the drug’s action can raise cholesterol and glucose levels in the body, increase the load on the liver, and create additional risk of developing liver disease. Thus, aripiprazole has a much stronger and more dangerous effect on liver function than lithium, which practically does not fully interact with this organ.
References
Ribeiro, E. L. A., de Mendonça Lima, T., Vieira, M. E. B., Storpirstis, S., & Aguiar, P. M. (2018). Efficacy and safety of aripiprazole for the treatment of schizophrenia: an overview of systematic reviews. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 74, 1215–1233. Web.
Shafti, S. S. (2018). Aripiprazole versus lithium in management of acute mania: A randomized clinical trial. East Asian Archives of Psychiatry, 28(3), 80.
Telles-Correia, D., Barbosa, A., Cortez-Pinto, H., Campos, C., Rocha, N. B., & Machado, S. (2017). Psychotropic drugs and liver disease: a critical review of pharmacokinetics and liver toxicity. World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 8(1), 26-39. Web.