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Medication Management services offered in McLean, VA
Medication management provides life-changing treatment, improving the symptoms caused by mental health disorders. As long as you take psychiatric drugs, you can depend on expert medication management from Laura Granato, PhD, LPC, and the clinical team at Verathy. They offer comprehensive care, from evaluations and prescriptions to follow-up visits to ensure your mental health improves. Use the online booking feature or call the office in McLean, Virginia, today to request a telehealth appointment for medication management.
What is medication management?
Medication management is an essential mental health service that includes getting a prescription for psychopharmaceuticals and having regular follow-up appointments to monitor your health and progress.
Finding the medication that works for each person may take time because your unique metabolism determines your body’s response to psychiatric drugs.
Because of their individual metabolic differences, people with the same diagnosis and symptoms won’t all improve with the same medication.
If your symptoms don’t improve after taking a medication long enough to give it time to work, your Verathy clinician may need to change the dose or prescribe a different drug.
Who needs medication management?
Most psychiatric symptoms improve with medication, but whether or not you need a prescription depends on your diagnosis and how symptoms affect your life.
You may need medication temporarily until your current severe symptoms improve. Some mental health conditions need long-term medication to prevent future symptoms like psychosis and mood swings.
Medication management may be needed for any mental health condition, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Mania and bipolar disorder
- Substance use disorder (addiction management)
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Several psychiatric medications, including ADHD treatments, antidepressants, and antipsychotics, are FDA-approved for children aged six and older.
What happens during medication management appointments?
Your first medication management appointment takes more time than follow-up care because your therapist performs a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. After learning about your symptoms and diagnosing their cause, they determine if you would benefit from medication.
They explain the type of medication that fits your (or your child’s) mental health needs and describe its possible side effects, ensuring you have all the information needed to make an informed decision.
If you decide to take medication, they send a prescription to your local pharmacy, and you pick it up at your convenience.
Your therapist schedules follow-up medication appointments at regular intervals. For as long as you or your child take psychiatric medication, they routinely check for problems or side effects and to see if your symptoms have improved.
Depending on your progress and overall health, they may refill the prescription, change the dose or medicine, or decide to wean you off the drug.
Medication management may be the next step toward improving your mental health. Call Verathy or request a consultation online today. Their telehealth services are available to patients living throughout Virginia, Maryland, and DC.