Which drug from the list is not an antidepressant?

Which drug from the list is not an antidepressant?

• A. Desvenlafaxine
• B. Amitriptyline
• C. Phenelzine
• D. Lithium

Answer: (D)

Depression treatment relies on drugs that raise brain monoamines to lift mood. Desvenlafaxine, amitriptyline, and phenelzine all do this through different mechanisms: desvenlafaxine inhibits reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine (SNRI), amitriptyline blocks reuptake of those transmitters and has additional receptor effects (TCA), and phenelzine inhibits monoamine oxidase, increasing levels of monoamines. Lithium, on the other hand, is a mood stabilizer primarily used to prevent manic and depressive episodes in bipolar disorder and to reduce suicide risk. It doesn’t act as a classic antidepressant by acutely boosting monoamines, so it is not categorized as an antidepressant.

Depression treatment relies on drugs that raise brain monoamines to lift mood. Desvenlafaxine, amitriptyline, and phenelzine all do this through different mechanisms: desvenlafaxine inhibits reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine (SNRI), amitriptyline blocks reuptake of those transmitters and has additional receptor effects (TCA), and phenelzine inhibits monoamine oxidase, increasing levels of monoamines. Lithium, on the other hand, is a mood stabilizer primarily used to prevent manic and depressive episodes in bipolar disorder and to reduce suicide risk. It doesn’t act as a classic antidepressant by acutely boosting monoamines, so it is not categorized as an antidepressant.