Why would a psychiatrist prescribe lithium with Prozac if a person is not diagnosed bipolar?

Answer

Bipolar disorder is the new "A.D.D." This means that a lot of psychiatrists are randomly prescribing medication to help this disorder even if the patient has little to no signs of the disorder. What's done most often, is the doctor will give you some meds, ask for any effects they may have had on you, then judge whether they are suitable for you or not. Don't be surprised if they don't help though, their are a lot of cases where the meds haven't done a single thing for anyone.

Answer

While it's true that diagnosing clients with bipolar disorder appears to be in vogue at the moment, I disagree with the assertion that "a lot of psychiatrists are randomly prescribing medication..."

Psychiatrists try to determine in a short amount of time what sort of illness a person has, then prescribe medication known to be effective for other people with similar problems. But everyone is unique. What helps one person may do nothing for another, so managing mental illness is usually a matter of trial and error, attempting to find the right meds, or combination of meds, for each individual. Unfortunately, this is rarely a fast process.

Lithium is sometimes used to increase the effect of an antidepressant when antidepressants alone haven't lifted a person's depression enough. Lithium activates the presynaptic serotonergic system, which is a fancy way of saying it stimulates production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter thought to be reduced or less active in depressed people.

Adding lithium to Prozac is just one of many treatment possibilities for depression. Be sure to tell your doctor whether the combination is helping. And don't be afraid to ask questions.