Medication Management

Medication management ensures you take only the medicines you need at the optimal dose and don’t suffer any adverse effects. Experienced medication management experts Scott Lane, FNP-C, Sean Leonard, PMHNP-BC, and their team at NuGen Wellness Center in Boise, Idaho, offer regular reviews to patients taking psychiatric medications. To find out how you could optimize the effects of your treatment, call the office or book an appointment online today.

What is medication management?

Medication management is the ongoing monitoring of drugs you take for a mental health disorder.

The NuGen Wellness Center team may provide you with a prescription to ease the symptoms of problems like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attention-deficit disorder (ADD), and anxiety. These medications include the following:

• Antidepressants
• Antipsychotics
• Mood stabilizers
• Anti-anxiety agents
• Stimulants

Medicines, in combination with expert psychotherapy, help many people overcome their mental health problems. Medication is vital for incurable conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia to help you cope with life.

Why is medication management important?

Each type of medication has sub-types that work in slightly different ways. For example, there are three classes of antidepressants — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclics, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Within these are multiple variations that affect people in distinct ways.

In addition to the many types of medications, the way they affect people can differ. Everyone’s body reacts differently, so an antidepressant like fluoxetine might work very well for you but be ineffective for someone else. They, in turn, might respond well to a tricyclic, like amitriptyline, instead.

Medications can sometimes cause side effects too. While mild issues might be tolerable because the benefits outweigh them, severe side effects can be distressing and even dangerous.

The medication management experts at NuGen Wellness Center recognize all these issues and work with you to optimize your treatment.

What does medication management involve?

Medication management involves regular reviews with your provider at NuGen Wellness Center. They ask you how well the medicines you take control your symptoms and whether you have any side effects that are hard to manage.

During a medication management review, it’s important to tell your provider about any other medicines you take, such as blood pressure pills or anticoagulants (drugs that stop your blood from clotting). Include over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies if you take any.

All these substances could potentially interact with your mental health medications, changing their effects and possibly making them harmful. Telling your provider about everything you take ensures that they can assess your medicines accurately and make the best decisions.

After gathering all the information, your provider can decide if you need a different dose or an alternative mental health medication.

To learn how your health could benefit from medication management, call NuGen Wellness Center or book an appointment online today.