We ensure the effectiveness of your medication over time with scheduled follow-up appointments. During these sessions, we assess the medication's impact and make adjustments if needed to keep your treatment on track.
Across the United States, approximately 1 in 6 adults takes some form of psychiatric medicine. Most doctors, including primary care physicians, are able to prescribe mental health medication, making it one of the most accessible forms of mental healthcare. However, when doctors who do not specialize in mental health are the prescribing physician, patients often feel like they are not fully informed about available options or potential side effects — leaving them wondering if they were prescribed the best medication for their needs.
With hundreds of available psychiatric medications on the market, it can become overwhelming to conduct your own research into medication options and tradeoffs between dosage, side effects, cost, and efficacy. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. The expert team of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners at Solana Psychiatry stay up-to-date on all the latest research to allow us to answer any questions you may have and help you determine the best treatment option for your unique situation.
Just as with physical health, there are many different mental health conditions and complex combinations of conditions. Medication management is one of the most common methods of mental health care treatment, but in order for it to be successful it’s important to find the most effective medication or combination of medications for you as an individual. Because each patient has a unique set of conditions and circumstances, they will respond differently to each treatment method.
In order to determine the best treatment plan for you, your psychiatrist will ask questions about your symptoms, lifestyle, physical health, and concerns. Your psychiatrist will listen carefully as you describe your past history and current situation, and then work with you to determine the treatment plan you feel is best.
When you first start a medication, your psychiatrist will likely ask to see you again in one month. Most psychiatric medications take at least 30 days to reach full potency in your system. During the time until you see your doctor, it is important to keep track of your mood as well as any significant changes in your appetite, sleep patterns, or overall health so when you meet with your doctor again you can determine if this is the best course of treatment for you or if adjustments need to be made.
After your doctor makes the needed adjustments to the medication dosage or treatment plan, you will be scheduled for a follow-up visit. Depending on the changes made, this may be anywhere from 30 to 90 days later. Once you and your psychiatrist are happy with the improvement you are seeing, future check-up visits will be spaced further apart.
While finding a medication regimen that works for you is a wonderful thing, it’s important to remember that many medications lose potency over time, making it particularly important to pay attention to how you are feeling as time goes on. If you notice that something isn’t right, schedule an appointment with your mental health provider as soon as possible to review your treatment plan and make adjustments.
Click the button below to download a free mood tracker to help you recognize mood changes while on medication
Learn more about how our psychiatric services can support your journey.
