Psychiatric medications are a traditional and effective way to treat mental health issues and reduce the impact of symptoms of mental illness. However, it’s important to understand the best practices in terms of use when it comes to these medications. Medication management is managing your medication schedule, what you’re taking, and being mindful of the potential side effects and risks of your medications. While your physician and the psychiatric team will likely provide you with help for medication management and will be there to support and guide you on your psychiatric medication journey, there are some things you can do to help with medication management as well. This way, you have the best possible experience with your medications and know what to look out for if you ever may need to switch your medications. Some things you can do to manage your psychiatric medications can include:
Before you are prescribed psychiatric medications, your psychiatrist will go over what you can expect with taking your medications. This information is important, so it’s best that you listen or even take notes when going through this with your doctor. Your doctor will talk to you about potential side effects, your medication schedule (when you will be taking medications throughout the day/week), how much medication you’ll take with each dose when to contact your doctor, and more. Furthermore, when you go to pick up your medications at your pharmacy, your pharmacist may also provide you with information about your medications including whether or not you have to eat before taking them, potential side effects, and if you have any refills available. Take this time to ask your pharmacist any questions you may have about your medications so you have all the information you need going forward.
It’s not uncommon for people who take prescription medications to notice changes in their medications. This can include changes in the shape, size, and color of your pill bottles. Or, even changes in the pills themselves (color, sizes, and even names). Sometimes, your pharmacist may give you a generic option for your prescription if it can save you money. This may mean changing from a brand name to a generic form of your pill. It’s important to ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should expect these changes if they happen. This way, you can be sure that it’s not a mistake that happened when filling your prescription and it’s something to be expected in the future when you refill your medications.
In emergency situations, like if you are admitted to the ER, medical specialists will need to know the medications you are on in order to treat you safely. So, it’s important to have this information on hand with you at all times. It’s a good idea to write down the medications you’re taking and the doses you’re on so that this information can be utilized in case of an emergency. Many people carry this information on them whether in their wallet or purse so that it can be easily taken out and utilized if an emergency ever arises.
Skipping medications when you’re on a regimen can lead to unwanted side effects and symptoms. So, it’s important to make sure you always have enough in your supply so that this doesn’t happen. To ensure that you have enough medication to take on a daily basis, make sure that you ask your pharmacy for refills in advance. This allows them to acquire and fill your prescriptions before you run out. Furthermore, you also need to make sure that you have enough refills. If you run out of refills, your pharmacist will not be able to fill your prescriptions on short notice. To get more refills, you can ask your doctor to send them over to your pharmacy. Or, if you have some time before you need your next refill, your pharmacist can send a request to your doctor for more refills.
Being organized with your medications can help you keep a better-scheduled routine with taking them, especially if you’re on more than one medication. This means setting a specific time every day for your medications so that you don’t miss a dose. And, using organizational cases, like a pill case, so that you know whether or not you took your medications and that you know that you got your dosage right. When you’re more organized with your medications, you’re less likely to skip doses or forget to take your medications – which makes for better results.
Delray Center for Healing offers medication management services for patients in our care. This means not having to worry about your medication schedule and having the best resources for any questions you have! Find out more about our medication management service on our website.
Dr. Rodriguez founded the Delray Center in 2003 and built it on a foundation of core clinical, professional, and ethical principles that are adhered to still to this day. Dr. Rodriguez founded the Delray Center in 2003 and built it on a foundation of core clinical, professional, and ethical principles that are adhered to still to this day.