Finding The Right Psychiatric Medication
How To Choose the Ideal Solution for You
Understanding Psychiatric Medications
It would be really great if there was a specific medication that caters to everyone's mental health issues. Unfortunately, there isn't. There is a wide range of different medications and they all don't work the same way. To make things even more complicated, each person's brain is unique so psychiatric medication tends to react differently.
Finding the ideal medication often involves trial and error, or combining different medications. Our psychiatric providers have an excellent understanding of why certain medications work differently, the factors that affect or enhance their effectiveness, and things to do to streamline the trial and error process.
Why Psychiatric Medications Work Differently
There are many factors contributing to why psychiatric drugs work differently in people. The most important one is your symptoms , past history (and trauma). The brain is molded by life experiences and this affect how medications work. At the end of the day, the diagnosis alone is not enough to truly understand what medications are needed. An in depth analysis of your symptoms is much more important.
While diagnosis is important, too often we see providers relying on just that to prescribe medication. At Wellsource Group, we take time to learn about our patients, their symptoms and what contributes to them. Only then do we make the determination of what the best medication is for them moving forward. We are proud of our approach and believe It's what sets up apart from other practitioners.
Other Factors Affecting The Way Medications Work
Allergies
Many people are allergic to plants, certain foods, and even animals. Medication allergy is a real thing too. A person who is allergic to a psychiatric medication can develop a fever, hives, rashes, or something as worse as anaphylaxis.
Genes
We inherit DNA from our parents and pass ours down to our kids. But the DNA is a biological construct that determines many things in our bodies and brains. From our eyes to our ears and the shape of our noses, DNA can also affect how medications work in our body, including their effectiveness and the side effects you'll get when you take certain medication.
Food
Taking medications with food causes your body to absorb them slowly. This reaction can be a good or bad thing. There are medications that should be taken with food and some that should be taken on an empty stomach. Also, some medications may require you to take a special diet and some medications even interact with some foods the same way they interact with each other.
Body Composition
Your body composition also affects how fast or slow a psychiatric medication will work in your body. Some drugs reside in fat cells and may stay there for longer periods if you have high body fat.
Consistent Medication Usage
Most mental health medications need to be taken every day. The reason is that it takes up to a few weeks to see significant results. If you suddenly stop or skip taking your medication for days, you can go through withdrawals. That is why it's essential to work with your provider on a proper medication management plan
Other Medications
Medications are chemical substances, and chemical substances tend to interact with each other. For instance, many people take lithium to help them stabilize their moods. Painkillers like ibuprofen have the ability to increase lithium levels in the body. Combining both medications can cause serious damage to the body.
Other Substances
Substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine can interact with psychiatric medications. Be careful with these substances when taking a new medication for your mental health. Some of these substances can adversely affect your health if combined with psychiatric medication.
Age
As we grow older, we become more sensitive to medications. Working with a qualified clinician will help you determine the best medication for your mental health. Our team at Wellsource Group evaluates symptoms and previous medication before prescribing or recommending a medication. Contact us today for a medication evaluation. We serve the Kingwood and Cypress, TX areas.
How Do I Find The Right Psychiatric Medication?
Going through trial and error to find the ideal mental health medication can be exhausting and frustrating. However, there are some steps you can take to make the process easier.
Keep a Medication Journal
You can make it as detailed as you want. Write down the medications you've taken in the past and recently and note down anything you remember about how they all made you feel. You can also keep track of your mood, side effects, and sleep patterns before and after you start taking the medication.
Ask for Recommendations
If there are family members or friends who have gone through the same mental health problems, ask them about the medications they used. While there's a good chance that your experiences with the medication may be different from theirs, it's still a good start.
Work With a Psychiatric Team You Can Trust
Make sure you get your diagnosis and medication from licensed psychiatric providers who specialize in mental health. Not every medical practitioner is well-versed in mental health. Seeing a licensed psychiatric provider will save you a lot of trouble. You'll get the right diagnosis, excellent therapy sessions, and quality medications.
Learn More About Our Services
Our psychiatric providers at Wellsource Group offer complete and personalized mental health solutions. We'll carry out a comprehensive analysis of your mental and physical health to create the ideal psychiatric solutions for you. Contact us today to learn more about our mental care services.