@The Stig
Those are the two of the only bits of information I knew before I started looking into it more. I'm not too fussed about why it works - it works and that's good enough for me.

I am, however, quite interested in potential side effects, the regular blood tests etc.

One potential problem that I'm very interested in is the possibility of lithium poisoning when at high altitude. Read about that in Kay Redfield Jamison's "An unquiet mind". My understanding is that being at a high altitude simply increases the level of lithium in the blood (not sure why). Seeing as skiing is my favourite pastime I'm keen to understand that one a little better.

Judging by the wiki page it's going to be even harder to find decent information about Sodium Valproate which is the other medication I may end up taking long term.

I'm not seeing the doctor to discuss all this for another couple of weeks but I'd like to be as informed as possible when that time comes.
( Captain V, Thu 9 Oct 2008, 21:00, Reply)