Green Tea and lithium interactions?

[DreaMTripper]

Ive been scouring the net to find why and how they interact and all I could find was related to the caffeine content but I suspect this isnt the only interaction.
Is there another mechanism at play?
Thank you in advance.

 

[Auxin]

Theophylline (a caffeine analog in tea) interacts with lithium

...Studied the effect of steady-state therapeutic theophylline serum levels on lithium renal clearance in 10 healthy 20–37 yr old volunteers. Data support a significant increase in renal lithium clearance with a resultant lowering of serum lithium levels when theophylline is added to established lithium therapy...

Objective: To review current methods, well documented and investigational, being used to decrease lithium absorption or enhance lithium elimination.... Saline or forced diuresis is not effective in enhancing lithium elimination unless the patient is volume or sodium depleted.... Intravenous aminophylline (theophylline) is not consistently effective and its risks outweigh possible benefits....

So theophylline enhances lithium clearance, apparently in a variable or unreliable way, independent of its diuretic effect.

Google Scholar

 

[DreaMTripper]

Thank you Auxin!