Tips For Finding The Right Mental Health Medication
Posted on: 11 January 2016
When you are in the throes of depression, anxiety, or any other mental disorder, you might feel intensely uncomfortable and distressed. You might make the big decision to go to a psychiatrist and start taking medication, but you know that there is no single medication that is guaranteed to work for you and you might have to try several in order to get the best one. To make matters worse, most the medications take a few weeks to kick in. Here are some tips for finding the right mental health medication and staying strong through the process.
1. Keep a Diary of How You Feel
Start a diary or a journal of how you feel. Commit to writing how you feel three times a day: when you first wake up, once in the middle of the day, and when you are just about to go to bed. This will allow you to keep track of any effects that the medication might be having on you, whether the effects be good or bad. It will also allow you to keep track of any side effects that you might be experiencing. Armed with this information that you've been gathering each day for the month to six weeks that it takes the medication to kick in, you will be able to make an informed decision regarding whether or not the medication is working and whether or not the positive effects of the medication are worth the negative side effects, if you have any.
2. Keep Up With Other Treatment
If you are in any sort of therapy treatment or are doing anything else to help get better along with the medication, keep going to that treatment. Medication is very effective when combined with a form of talk therapy and it is worth continuing with these treatment measures while you wait for the medication to kick in so that you can ensure that you remain at your current level of functioning.
3. Take the Medication at the Same Time Everyday
Many medications need to be taken at the same time everyday and if you do not follow these instructions, you will rob yourself of some of the medications' most helpful properties. Try setting an alarm on your phone or putting your pills right next to your bed in case you feel as though you are unable to get out of bed. This will help you remember to take your medication and make sure that you are taking it as effectively as possible.
For more information, talk to a company that specializes in mental health medication.
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