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By EMILY JOSHU STERNE, US SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER
Published: 05:36 GMT, 11 March 2026 | Updated: 18:51 GMT, 11 March 2026
Last year, Lady Gaga opened up about her mental health journey, admitting she had suffered a psychotic break and filmed her hit movie A Star is Born while on a controversial medication.
Now, a mental health expert has revealed everything to know about the drug, which has long been under scrutiny because of its high risk of misuse and high risk of toxicity, and revealed a potentially safer, cheaper alternative.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in November, the 39-year-old music icon revealed that she filmed her 2017 film 'on lithium,' a mood stabilizing drug typically used for treating bipolar disorder.
Affecting between seven and 10 million Americans, bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings that alternate between extreme highs - mania - and lows - depression.
Gaga has not confirmed a bipolar diagnosis, but she noted that on her Joanne world tour in February 2018, she suffered a psychotic break and checked into the hospital for inpatient psychiatric care.
'I needed to take a break. I couldn’t do anything … I completely crashed,' she said. 'It was really scary. There was a time where I didn’t think I could get better.… I feel really lucky to be alive.'
Gaga has previously said she has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression .
Lithium carbonate is a centuries-old mood stabilizer derived from the mineral lithium. It was discovered in 1817 and used as early as 1871 for mania. It was approved by the FDA in 1970 to treat manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder.
Lady Gaga is pictured last month performing at the Super Bowl. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, the music icon said she has taken lithium in the past and has struggled with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
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Though it's considered a gold standard therapy, it can come with a host of side effects such as shaky hands, frequent urination, nausea and excess thirst.
Additionally, though lithium carbonate is not addictive or habit-forming, it is possible to overdose accidentally or intentionally.
Lithium orotate, meanwhile, is a dietary supplement form of lithium that emerging research suggests may have mood, cognitive function and stress benefits without a prescription.
'Lithium is one of the most truly amazing minerals,' Dr James Greenblatt, a dual board-certified psychiatrist and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine, told the Daily Mail.
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Greenblatt, who has been studying the effects of low-dose lithium for 30 years, says he prescribes prescription lithium carbonate to patients with bipolar disorder based on their needs but recommends lithium orotate for more generalized mood swings, impulsivity and irritability that do not fall within bipolar.
One of the main differences between the two drugs is the dose, he said. Doses of prescription lithium vary for each patient, but it usually ranges from 600mg to 1,800mg once per day.
Supplements, meanwhile, are usually around 1mg to 5mg once daily.
Lower doses are less likely to cause side effects, says Greenblatt, who is also the author of Finally Hopeful: The Personalized, Whole-Body Plan to Find and Fix the Root Causes of Your Depression .
'I think most psychiatrists would agree that lithium is one of the best medications that we have in psychiatry,' he said. 'But it has potential side effects. So high-dose, long-term lithium has side effects that we need to worry about.'
With lithium orotate, however, 'we see very few side effects,' he added.
Rare but potentially serious side effects of lithium carbonate include weight gain, thyroid dysfunction, kidney damage and cognitive impairment. Hair thinning, dizziness, confusion, severe nausea and tremors have also been reported.
