Medication Management

What is medication management?

Medication management is an important aspect of psychiatric treatment and mental health care. Dr. Ibeh regularly reviews your medication to ensure that you take the most appropriate medicines at the optimum dose. You may also need to take medications for other health conditions, which may affect your psychiatric medication.

New medications and updates to existing drug information can mean that you would be better off changing your medications or altering the dosage. There may be drugs on your prescription that you no longer need, or the ones you are taking could be causing side effects. Many factors can change over time, so managing your medications to maximize their effectiveness and reduce potential undesirable side effects is vital.

Why do I need to take medications?

Medications are vital in treating many types of mental illness, most often in conjunction with psychotherapy or talking therapies.

Medications used in psychiatry include:

• SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
• SNRIs (selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors)
• Bupropion
• Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants
• MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors)
• Anti-anxiety medications (typically benzodiazepines)
• Stimulants (most often used for ADHD)
• Antipsychotics (neuroleptics) and atypical antipsychotics
• Mood stabilizers
• Anticonvulsant medications

Dr. Ibeh makes her recommendations for each patient’s treatment plan according to their individual needs and circumstances, to ensure they receive the most effective dose of medication. It is important to stay safe when using prescription drugs, as some medicines can be harmful if you don’t take the correct dose or have an allergy to the medication.

What unwanted effects can medication have?

All medications carry a degree of risk. In some cases, it’s a minor or rare side effect, while there can be more severe risks in others. Whenever Dr. Ibeh prescribes a particular medication, she carefully explains what the drug does and any associated risks and asks you to report any side effects you notice when taking the medication.

You may need to adjust the dose, or you may be better suited to a different medication. Everyone responds to drugs differently, and this is particularly true of psychiatric medications. For example, you may not notice any improvement in your depression when taking one kind of SSRI but find significant benefits from taking a different type of SSRI. However, for another patient, the reverse could be true.

To arrange a virtual medicine management consultation, call Salient Health and Wellness today, or book an appointment online.