What is the difference between lithium aspartate and lithium orotate? Thanks in advance!

Hi Rick, the difference is in the way the carrier enhances the effect of the Lithium. Orotic acid and Aspartic acid. Although they are both mineral carriers that aid with assimilation, their end effect can be noticeable by people taking Lithium as a supplement. General rule of thumb is that Aspartic Acid is stimulating may possibly deliver the dosage of Lithium more immediately, which might have an excitatory (similar to msg) effect on the person taking the supplement. Orotic on the other hand is considered to have a calming effect, and may possibly slow down the delivery of the Lithium, thus resulting in a more steady and controlled release. I have recently switched from Lithium Aspartate to Lithium Orotate precisely for this reason and it definitely held true in my case. I have Asperger's Disorder, and thus rather anti-social. It's nearly impossible for me under normal circumstances to engage in normal conversation, make eye contact, show facial expressions. The Lithium has helped that greatly in conjunction with a simultaneous dosage of 2000 IU's of Vitamin D. One thing I did notice however, was that although the Lithium Aspartate did help me to be social, it would come on very fast and intense, making me a chatter box for 3 hours or so, and then after about 4 or 5 hours, the effect would drop off very sharply, to the point that I would be nearly back to the same state as before I had taken the Aspartate/Vit D combo. I also noticed that some of my sensitivities were heightened during the peak effect of the Lithium Aspartate. The heightened sensitivity to external stimuli such as light & sound is precisely the type of effect one would notice from a neuro-excitotoxin (ie msg, aspartic acid, cystein) such as High pitched sounds were more pronounced and bothered me. So I decided to switch to Lithium Orotate just to see if I would notice any difference, and sure enough, the difference was actually quite noticeable and it seems that for me, Lithium Orotate was the better choice. On the Orotate version, I didn't have that sudden and intense rush of social stimulation, rather the effect came on very controlled and very smoothly. Within 30 mins of taking the Orotate, I was able to socialize, make eye contact, show facial expression, but I didn't feel over stimulated at all like I did with the Aspartate. Additionally there was no sudden drop off with the Orotate version. The effect with the Orotate seems to last closer to 8 hours (in my estimation) and then drops off so slowly and gradually, that it's like a smooth landing. I've not experienced the heightened sensitivities on the Orotate either, which is a big plus for me. So yeah, it really depends on the person, their condition, their situation, and what will work best for them.

can you open the pill where it's clear shell and you can see inside or is it solid form?

Thank you for your question concerning the Solaray Lithium Aspartate. This product does have a Vegcap that can be opened and the contents put in a non-hot food for those that have issues swallowing. Please contact us if you have any other questions, or if there is something else that we can assist you with. Thank you for choosing Solaray, and have a nice day. Matt

How much elemental lithium and aspartic acid is in each capsule?

The other answers are badly wrong, and highlight the dangers of getting medical advice from Amazon comments. Molecular weight of Li = 7, and lithium aspartate = 140 ---> (7 Li)/(140 LiAspartate) = 5% ---> 5mg * 5% = 0.25 mg. Final answer: a 5mg capsule of Lithium aspartate contains 0.25 mg elemental lithium.Refs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithiumhttp://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/rn/70962-88-8

Weight	0.16 Pounds
Units	100 Count
Brand	SOLARAY
Format	Capsule

Lithium Aspartate (5mg) - 100 Capsules

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