The 24-hour serum lithium level as a prognosticator of dosage requirements.

A technique is described that enables a physician to determine a patient's lithium dosage requirement on the basis of a single blood sample collected 24 hours after the administration of a 600 mg. priming dose of lithium. The authors discuss the basis of this technique and emphasize the importance of ascertaining that the patient has ingested the priming dose of lithium.

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