The aim of this study was to compare treatment adherence and tolerability of different lithium formulations in 70 bipolar patients receiving lithium therapy for the first time. During the 1-year follow-up, information was collected regarding patient's clinical course, therapeutic adherence, side effects of the treatment and serum levels of lithium, creatinine and thyroid-stimulating hormone. At baseline, 30 patients (43%) were on prolonged-release lithium formulations and 40 (57%) on immediate-release formulations. At the final evaluation, 37 patients (53%) were considered lost to follow-up. Both prolonged- and immediate-release patients showed significant improvement in the Functioning Assessment Short Test and in the Clinical Global Impressions for Bipolar Disorder scores during the follow-up. At the first follow-up visit, the mean plasma lithium level of prolonged-release patients was higher than immediate-release patients (0.61 vs. 0.47, respectively; P = 0.063), as well as the therapeutic adherence (85 vs. 64%, respectively; P = 0.089). Fine tremor and gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent in immediate-release patients than in prolonged-release patients at each follow-up visit, with the sole exception of gastrointestinal symptoms at the last evaluation. Prolonged-release lithium therapy could provide potential advantages over immediate-release formulations. Future naturalistic studies and clinical trials with a longer follow-up duration are needed.

中文翻译：

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双相患者样本中速释和缓释锂制剂的治疗依从性和耐受性：一项前瞻性自然主义研究。

本研究的目的是在 70 名首次接受锂治疗的双相患者中比较不同锂制剂的治疗依从性和耐受性。在 1 年的随访期间，收集了有关患者临床病程、治疗依从性、治疗副作用以及血清锂、肌酐和促甲状腺激素水平的信息。在基线时，30 名患者 (43%) 使用缓释锂制剂，40 名患者 (57%) 使用速释制剂。在最终评估中，37 名患者 (53%) 被认为失访。在随访期间，缓释和速释患者的功能评估短期测试和双相情感障碍的临床总体印象评分均显示出显着改善。在第一次随访时，缓释患者的平均血浆锂水平高于速释患者（分别为 0.61 对 0.47；P = 0.063），以及治疗依从性（分别为 85 对 64%；P = 0.089）。在每次随访时，速释患者的细震颤和胃肠道症状比缓释患者更频繁，唯一的例外是最后一次评估时的胃肠道症状。与速释制剂相比，缓释锂疗法可能具有潜在优势。未来的自然研究和临床试验需要更长的随访时间。在每次随访时，速释患者的细震颤和胃肠道症状比缓释患者更频繁，唯一的例外是最后一次评估时的胃肠道症状。与速释制剂相比，缓释锂疗法可能具有潜在优势。未来的自然研究和临床试验需要更长的随访时间。在每次随访时，速释患者的细震颤和胃肠道症状比缓释患者更频繁，唯一的例外是最后一次评估时的胃肠道症状。与速释制剂相比，缓释锂疗法可能具有潜在优势。未来的自然研究和临床试验需要更长的随访时间。