Can an NP prescribe Lithium in California?

Yes — California NPs may prescribe lithium, a non-controlled psychiatric medication, when prescribing is within their education, training, competence, and applicable California NP prescribing authority.

For NPs practicing under standardized procedures, drug furnishing or ordering must be consistent with educational preparation or clinical competence and covered by standardized procedures or protocols.¹ Qualifying NPs under California’s 103/104 pathways may prescribe pharmacological agents without standardized procedures when those statutory pathways apply.²

Because lithium is not a DEA-controlled substance, this medication-specific answer does not turn on controlled-substance requirements such as DEA registration or CURES review. NPs should still follow ordinary prescription-drug, psychiatric-practice, facility, payer, and pharmacy requirements; this FAQ does not address separate psychiatric-specialty, lab-monitoring, telehealth, payer, pharmacy, or facility policy requirements.