low heart beat

  i was on lithium for 5 years started blacking out went to the hospital the doctor said i was not getting enough of oxygen to my brain put in pace maker mental problems went away however i had a memory problem for a year longer was took off of lithium my question is could lithium couse a low heart beat

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

Dear Bobbie, lithium certainly can cause bradycardia to develop that would require a pacemaker, but I couldn't find any incidence figures to quote to you.  I suspect, however, that you may have an intrinsic conduction disorder in the electrical system of your heart and that lithium may or may not be related to this. The slow heart rate should have resolved after the lithium was discontinued if it was related just to the lithium.
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.  Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.   The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.