What is lithium prescribed for ?

Why Lithium: There are a number of reasons for prescribing lithium, some of which are off-label. Lithium is commonly prescribed to treat symptoms of bipolar disorder. Other reasons include assisting with anger management by decreasing explosive episodes. Another is to augment or boost the antidepressant effects from antidepressants.

Bipolar: Lithium is one of many mood stabilizers used to treat bipolar do. Other possibilities include depakote, lamictal, tegretol, trileptal, seroquel, abilify, (aripiprazole) etc.

An element: Lithium is a very simple compound, it is an element, #3 on the periodic table. It is was really the first psychiatric drug that we had. It is typically prescribed now for bipolar disorder, where patients have depressive and manic (elevated mood) episodes. However, lithium also is a good antidepressant in itself and is often added for major depression, and it has been proven to reduce suicide.

MOOD STABILIZER: Lithium is a mood stabilizer, and it is prescribed for bipolar disorder. It makes the sad phases of bipolar disorder less sad, and it makes the manic phases of bipolar disorder less manic.