Prescription drugs such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety medications allow individuals to feel stable and live with happiness and independence.
As such, healthcare providers use various medication management strategies to ensure patients are taking safe and effective medication doses. Patients can also follow strategies at home to ensure they get the most benefit from their prescriptions.
Let’s discuss these strategies and where you can go in the Atlanta and Alpharetta area for expert mental health care and medication management.
What Is Medication Management?
Medication management in mental health care is the system by which healthcare providers and patients work together to ensure that patients are taking their medications as prescribed and that they are getting the most benefit from their prescriptions.
Medication management is common with drugs that are taken daily, like antidepressants or other psychiatric medications. Your healthcare provider works with you for months and even years to monitor the effectiveness of the medication, any side effects, and whether you may benefit more from a slightly different drug formulation.
Medication Management Strategies Used by Healthcare Providers
There are several different types of medication management strategies that healthcare providers use to make the medication process as simple as possible for patients. The most common types of medication management strategies are as follows:
Drug Interaction Checking
One of the most important parts of medication management is checking drug interactions. In this strategy, the healthcare provider asks a patient to provide a list of all medications they are currently taking, both prescription and over-the-counter. The healthcare provider then checks to see if the medications a patient is taking will interact badly with one another or if a new medication the provider is considering for the patient will interact adversely with any medications the patient currently takes. If there is a risk for bad interactions, the healthcare provider may work with a pharmacist to develop a plan to mitigate them. Drug interactions can be dangerous, so this is a crucial step in medication management.
Patient Education
It’s important for the healthcare provider to understand as much as possible about a patient’s medications and their possible side effects. In this aspect of medication management, the healthcare provider educates patients on how to take their medications properly, what side effects to look out for, and how long they should expect to wait before feeling the effects of the medication. This strategy helps patients feel confident and in control when taking their prescriptions and enables them to benefit from them the most.
Medication Management Strategies for Patients
There are several tips that patients can follow to make sure they are getting the most benefit from their prescriptions. Here are some of the most important tips:
- Take your medications as prescribed
- Make sure you have a clear understanding of how to take your medications and what side effects to look out for
- Follow up with your healthcare provider if you experience any side effects
- Report any changes in your mood or behavior to your healthcare provider
- Take your medications regularly and on time
- Store your medications in a safe place where others cannot access them
- Do not share your medications with others
- Talk to your pharmacist if you have any questions about your medications
Medication Management in Atlanta and Alpharetta
If you are looking for medication management as a part of your mental health care, look no further than Atlanta Specialized Care. Our advanced practice psychiatric nurse, Katie Butler, prescribes psychiatric medication for our patients and works closely with each of our licensed professional counselors to ensure that each patient gets the right kind and amount of medication. We offer medication management services to patients who are taking psychiatric medications. We help our patients feel confident and in control when taking their prescriptions and enable them to get the most benefit from medication.
To make an appointment with us, call us today at (770) 815-6853 or use our appointment request form. We look forward to helping you!
