Your patient is a 22-year-old female who has increased her daily dose of lithium without her physician's knowledge. she is complaining of generalized weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea. you notice that her speech is slurred. heart rate = 68 and irregular, respirations = 16, blood pressure = 104/70, sao

Lithium is a dangerous drug because the margin of safety is thin. That means the difference between toxic level and the therapeutic level is small. This is why lithium level should be monitored closely.

The patient is showing lithium toxicity sign so you need to give her the sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate will make lithium secreted in the urine, lowering the lithium level in the blood.