Should we drug the drinking water? Adding lithium to the taps 'could lower suicide rates'

[The Straight Story]

Should we drug the drinking water? Adding lithium to the taps 'could lower suicide rates'

Lithium has been heralded by some experts as the next potential flouride, after scientists found suicide rates were lower in areas where the drinking water had higher concentrations of the element.

Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna compared the suicide rates in

The study, published in the British Journal of Pyschiatry, analysed a sample of 6,460 lithium measurements and then compared suicide rates across 99 districts.

In the 10 most lithium-depleted regions in Austria, the suicide rate was 16 per 100,000, but in the 10 most lithium-rich regions the suicide rate was just 11 per 100,000.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1390732/Adding-Lithium-drinking-water-lower-suicide-rates.html

[Shandris]

1. Uhhhh...

Lithium? I don't think so. Have you ever known anyone on long-term lithium?

This is reading like a bad Stephen King short story (specifically, one out of Nightmares and Dreamscapes, although for the life of me I can't remember it's name now). Ironically enough, it was based on the premise of lowering suicide rates...

[DefenseLawyer]

2. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh?

[pitohui]

3. aren't people fat and neuter enough from the SSRI metabolites in the water?

lithium is a pretty specific treatment for bipolar disorder (i thought, hey, i'm no doctor, i could be wrong)

i'm going to suggest that it would be better for folks w. bipolar disorder to stop threatening to kill themselves (and others) and get into treatment and leave the drinking water for the general population alone



we have a huge unexplained obesity epidemic as it is, and i don't think it's entirely unrelated to the rising quantities of SSRI metabolites in the drinking water since the prozac revolution...

[itsrobert]

5. People are fat because they eat too much and don't exercise

enough.

[JonLP24]

14. I think it depends

I'm trying to gain weight myself and all this eating and not exercising is not helping. Also when I was in the Army, some guy trying to get his weight down woke up early and went running about an hour before PT as well as watching what he ate and still had trouble. Me, I just did the PT and didn't care about what I ate and still never had a problem with being overweight.

[madokie]

16. I only started putting on weight with age and I still only weigh 165 lbs, not bad for a 63 yo

6 footer and I always eat like a horse, all I can get my grubby fingers around :-)

[Skidmore]

4. There's probably enough already pissed into the water along with other

medications.

[Lance_Boyle]

6. Those would be metabolites of lithium, which may pose their own problems.

Patients on lithium require at least monthly blood tests to make sure the dosage is within safe and effective limits. Putting it in the drinking water could really fuck with patients who already take lithium, and could have dose-related effects on lithium-naive people. And then there's the issue of breweries that use municipal water supply in their operations. Alcohol is typically contraindicated for patients on lithium.

[Ichingcarpenter]

7. 7-UP use to contain lithium

I got a couple of empty bottles back in the days

It had a saying on the label

'you feel good about it and it feels good about you

product, originally named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda", was launched two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929.<2> It contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug, until 1950.

I think I would rather see it bottled again and not in your tap water
my dog is mellow enough.

[bananas]

9. Coca-Cola used to contain cocaine

maybe they should put cocaine into the water.
Freud used to prescribe it to his patients and friends.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2400/did-sigmund-freud-use-cocaine-on-his-patients

[Warren DeMontague]

13. Oh my god. It's hard enough to get some people to shut up NOW.

If there was blow in the tap water? Fuuuuuuuuuck. :rofl:

[TrogL]

8. I have bad side effects from lithium

Given the small portion of the population that is bipolar why are they treating everybody?

[arikara]

10. So for possibly one person to benefit

the number needed to treat would be 20,000. These doctors or whoever comes up with these ideas are quacks plain and simple.

[former9thward]

11. Sure if we want a 100% docile population.

Side effects of lithium: Lithium can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert. http://www.drugs.com/lithium.html

[Mariana]

12. Ira Levin wrote a novel called [i]This Perfect Day[/i]

in which everyone gets mandatory "treatments" that include tranquilizers and antidepressants. The population is 100% docile and they don't mind at all that they have no control whatsoever over their own lives. But they're peaceful and happy and there are very few suicides. :)

[PurityOfEssence]

15. Everything must be perfect

There must be no wrinkles or hiccups at all; it's sort of like the logic that has people use the "unrec" and "ignore" functions.

General Ripper doesn't get unhappy; he gets mad.

[Mojo_electro]

17. So would adding MDMA I betcha.....

Just sayin' is all.