There are at least a dozen lithium salts. Most of them have nothing to do with supplements or medicine. If you're trying to figure out which form of lithium to take, only two or three are relevant, and the rest are industrial chemicals.
The confusion exists because "lithium" gets used to describe everything from a psychiatric medication to a battery component to a health supplement. These are all lithium, technically. They are not all the same product.
Why Different Forms of Lithium Exist at All
Pure elemental lithium is too reactive to put in a capsule. It needs to be bound to another molecule to form a stable compound called a lithium salt. The molecule it bonds with determines everything practical about how the compound behaves: whether it dissolves easily, how fast it's absorbed, how much elemental lithium it delivers per milligram, and what it can be used for.
The active part is always the same. Once any lithium salt is absorbed, it dissociates and releases lithium ions (Li⁺). The body doesn't care whether those ions came from carbonate, orotate, or citrate. The carrier molecule is the delivery vehicle, not the active ingredient.
Different lithium salts exist for the same reason different caffeine sources exist. Caffeine in coffee, tea, and a pill are all caffeine. The delivery form changes the dose, the speed, the experience, and who uses it. Same principle.
The Forms That Actually Matter
Of the many lithium salts that exist, only a handful are used in medicine or supplementation. The rest belong in a chemistry lab or a battery factory.
Supplements
Lithium orotate
Lithium bound to orotic acid. The most common supplemental form. Available over the counter. Delivers trace amounts of elemental lithium (typically 0.2 to 5 mg per dose, depending on the product). Has published animal data showing CNS penetration and decades of use with no reported serious adverse events. This is the form used in Mentaid.
Lithium aspartate
Lithium bound to aspartic acid. Also sold as a supplement, but less common. The key difference: lithium aspartate lacks the published brain distribution data that lithium orotate has. It may work the same way, but it hasn't been measured the same way. (Full comparison here.)
Prescription medications
Lithium carbonate
The most widely prescribed form of lithium. Used to treat bipolar disorder at doses of 600 to 1,800 mg per day, delivering roughly 200 mg of elemental lithium. Requires regular blood monitoring, kidney function tests, and thyroid panels. Supported by decades of RCT evidence for mood stabilization. Not a supplement. (How prescription lithium compares to lithium orotate.)
Lithium citrate
A liquid form of prescription lithium, used when patients can't swallow tablets. Same purpose, same dose range, same monitoring requirements as lithium carbonate. Less commonly prescribed but pharmacologically equivalent.
Industrial and research use
Lithium chloride, lithium sulfate, lithium hydroxide, and others
Used in battery manufacturing, ceramics, molecular biology, and industrial chemistry. Not used in medicine or supplementation. You will not find these in a health food store, and you should not take them.
Mentaid Is Formulated With Lithium Orotate
After reviewing the pharmacokinetic literature for every available lithium salt, we chose lithium orotate: the only supplemental form with published CNS distribution data. Conservative dose. Four physicians. One daily formula.
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Which Form Should You Take?
If you're looking for a lithium supplement for brain health, lithium orotate is the standard choice. It has the most documented safety record among supplemental forms, the only published CNS penetration data, and decades of use without reported serious adverse events.
If you're taking prescription lithium for bipolar disorder, that is a different product serving a different purpose at a different dose. Lithium orotate is not a substitute for prescription lithium and should not be used as one.
If you're seeing lithium chloride, lithium sulfate, or lithium hydroxide mentioned anywhere in a supplement context, walk away. Those are not supplement ingredients.
The bottom line
Many lithium salts exist, but only two are used in supplements (orotate and aspartate) and only two are used in prescription medicine (carbonate and citrate). The rest are industrial chemicals. The active component in all of them is the lithium ion. The carrier determines the dose, the delivery, and the use case.
For a deeper look at lithium orotate specifically, read our complete guide to lithium orotate. For help understanding dosage labels, see our lithium orotate dosage guide.
References
1. Geddes JR, et al. Long-term lithium therapy for bipolar disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Psychiatry. 2004;161(2):217-222.
2. Quiroz JA, et al. Molecular effects of lithium. Mol Interventions. 2004;9(7):609-620.
3. Mauer S, Vergne DE, Ghaemi SN. Standard and trace-dose lithium: a systematic review of safety and efficacy. J Clin Psychiatry. 2014;75(5):e452.
4. Drugs.com. Lithium orotate: uses, benefits & dosage. Natural Products Database.
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