{"id":1895,"date":"2019-06-07T21:44:44","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T21:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/?p=1895"},"modified":"2024-03-14T16:10:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T23:10:02","slug":"some-thoughts-on-medication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/?p=1895","title":{"rendered":"Some Thoughts on Medication"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The topic of medication comes up frequently in my work. There\u2019s still a lot of stigma around psychotropic medication.<\/p>\n

Some communities have every right to be suspicious of psychotropic medication. If an adult\u2019s experience with psychotropic medication in particular, or the medical field in general, is one that repeatedly disregarded their autonomy and well-being, of course they\u2019ll be hesitant to expose their child to that or try it again themselves! I believe it\u2019s on mental health professionals and prescribers to take seriously the harm done by our field(s), both in the past and even now. There\u2019s a world of difference between thoughtful, collaborative work between a doctor or mental health team and patient to identify an effective medication, and the type of disrespectful, abusive, coercive experience many people of color, disabled, and low-income folks have had. We can\u2019t hope to build the trust needed for the former until we acknowledge the latter.<\/p>\n

There are other objections to psychotropic medications that I feel can be addressed more simply. For instance:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sometimes I hear people say really dismissive things to themselves, along the lines that they should \u201cjust\u201d exercise, eat healthy, pray, etc. as if taking medication would be cheating somehow, and as if their depression or anxiety isn\u2019t exactly the thing keeping them from engaging in those activities! What I value most about medication is that it can be the boost a person needs to feel good enough to start doing those things. Healthy, life-improving, mood-boosting activities require us to believe we are worth the time, resources, and effort they take, which is a hard belief to maintain if depression is asking, \u201cWhy bother? It’s not going to help,\u201d or anxiety is saying, \u201cYou? Doing that? Don\u2019t be ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Psychotropic medication can be hugely beneficial for some people. Life-changing. Freeing. Wonderful. (There isn\u2019t a \u201cbut\u201d coming, just an \u201cand.\u201d) And at the same time, the process of trying psychotropic medications and adjusting doses can be scary, stressful, tedious, frustrating, and discouraging. Patients often have to go through a trial-and-error process to find a medication that helps. Two people might both be having similar anxiety symptoms, and yet respond differently to the same medication.<\/p>\n

Some tips:<\/p>\n

If you have a biological family member who has similar symptoms to you, and they\u2019ve found a specific medication helpful, it\u2019s worth sharing that information with your doctor\/prescriber. Given your genetic relationship, the medication could be a good fit for you as well.<\/p>\n

If your prescriber starts you on a medication that takes a few weeks to kick in, pay attention in the first week or two for negative side effects. If you notice a side effect, track its intensity over time: sometimes they go away or get less noticeable.<\/p>\n

Ask a trusted person (partner, close relative, good friend) to see if they notice any changes in your mood, attitude, or behavior. Sometimes those around us can see improvements before we can. Your loved ones may notice that you seem more attentive and engaged in conversation with them before you can really feel a significant reduction in your symptoms.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t already have a habit of journaling about or otherwise tracking your moods, it\u2019s a good idea to start one while trying new medications. This blog post<\/a> offers multiple suggestions, the simplest of which is a PDF<\/a> that lets you track a month’s worth of moods.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finally, if you\u2019re seeing a therapist, be sure to tell them about any new medications you\u2019re trying, and how they\u2019re affecting you. We therapists generally can\u2019t write prescriptions and don\u2019t recommend specific medications, but we can be helpful as you try medications, cope with side effects, and monitor your mental health symptoms. Moreover, it\u2019s generally recommended that medication be combined with psychotherapy in order to most effectively treat mental health conditions. The more your therapist knows about you (including the medication(s) you\u2019re taking), the better they can support and work with you to help you feel better.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1895"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2311,"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895\/revisions\/2311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shapirocounseling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}