To Medicate, or Not to Medicate

Psychiatric medications (and pharmaceutical agents in general) have come under fire recently. Prescribers have been given labels such as “pill pushers” and many patients have had poor experiences with mental health medication, either due to side effects, or ineffectiveness in general.

At Whole Health Integrative Medicine, we believe in a balance. The right medication for the right person can be life changing. Some respond to psychiatric medications better than others. For some, certain side effects can outweigh the benefit of the medication itself. 

Prescribing psychiatric medicine is an art, and often requires a good bit of patience, trial and error and a gentle hand. I have seen many patients who come in with a list of all kinds of medications, many of them simply prescribed to cover up the side effects of the earlier meds. Many patients also come with a medication list that is entirely redundant, and can be pared down significantly. This, unfortunately can be a result of a “build up” of different prescribers who do not communicate and deliver fragmented care. 

This problem is one of the main reasons I seek to operate my practice with a bit of a different model. Being board certified in primary care and psychiatry, the very first step I often take with patients is a “medication reconciliation” where I look for overlap, potential drug interactions, medications that could be contributing to current symptoms etc. I prefer to use the least possible amount of medications, in the lowest effective doses. 

Psychiatric medications are not something to fear. Many patients worry that medication will be “pushed” on them by prescribers. When many insurance companies only reimburse 10-15 minutes of a psychiatrist’s time, unfortunately, both the patient and provider can be left feeling rushed, and patients often feel unheard. 

Patient autonomy and involvement in medication decision making is paramount here at WHIM. While pharmaceutical drugs are often an essential puzzle piece of balanced mental and physical health, my aim with any patient is to optimize as much as possible through modalities such as therapy, lifestyle changes, neuroregulatory techniques and other non-prescription options before adding medication. 

I feel strongly that modern healthcare should not have to be such a dichotomy of “Traditional vs. Holistic”, and instead, I aim to deliver the most updated evidence based care that blends the two disciplines for the absolute best patient outcomes possible. 

Anna O’Neal, CEO