A controlled‐release lithium carbonate tablet was compared to an immediate‐release lithium carbonate capsule in normal volunteers. These crossover studies at steady state showed that the tablet produced a smoother serum curve than the capsule with no loss of total bioavailability. Quantitatively, the capsule produced about 1.4 times more fluctuation in serum lithium values than the tablet.

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To the Editor.— My interest in the article by Rachelefsky et al (Pediatrics 1986;78:1133-1138) stems in part from the heightened media coverage it received. I must admit as a professional biostatistician that I have some difficulties with regard to its conclusions. The authors report a P value equal to .004 for the intergroup comparison of change scores for the teacher's behavioral assessment. However, the statistically significant change (P = .04), a reduction for placebo and an increase for theophylline, in the posttreatment score when compared to the pretreatment score is completely ignored.

No abstract