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Mental HealthHow to Effectively Manage Side Effects and Adjustments of Psychiatric Medications

Most medical treatments are created to benefit patients, but some might have side effects. Controlling these side effects is needed to maintain a patient’s health. In this article, we’ll explore the methods to manage side effects and the adjustment of psychotropic drugs.

Side Effects of Psychotropic Drugs: An Overview

Before we head over to the main matter, let’s have an overview of the side effects of medications meant for mental health wellness. Side effects from psychiatric medications vary depending on your condition and medication. Some people may react negatively to drugs, while some don’t show any.

Side effects from psychiatric medication can be mild or severe, and they could vary. Here’s a general list of side effects that patients may encounter after medication:

  • Signs of unrest or extreme worry
  • Decreased awareness or alertness
  • Drowsiness
  • Blurry vision from time to time
  • Irregular heart rhythm or fast heartbeats, depending on the person
  • Confusion and light-headedness
  • Forgetfulness
  • Nausea or dizziness

Take note that you’d want to check with a psychiatrist in Boston, MA, about the procedure that will be used on you. You’d want to ensure you encounter the least severe side effects post-therapy.

Effectively Addressing the Side Effects of Psychotropic Medications

Here’s the first part of the matter we’ll cover, how to manage the side-effect of psychotropic drugs. For a patient to manage well after taking a specific therapy such as ketamine treatment, some activities are discouraged and encouraged during recovery.

With that said, here are a few ways to manage the side effects of psychotropic drugs as it kicks into the patient’s body system:

1. Avoid Driving

As much as possible, do not drive vehicles while recovering. When medication such as ketamine treatment kicks in, the patient could have reduced awareness. If not, they’ll either have blurry vision or light-headedness. All these three are a recipe for disaster if they would try to force themselves to drive a vehicle.

2. Get Lots and Lots of Rest

As stated in the previous item, the patient must lie down and relax while the medication does its job. The idea here is that they’ll use the time after biotherapy or medication sessions as rest. Lie on the bed, take a long nap, and let the antidepressants enhance your mental health.

  • Alternatively, the patient can lounge on a chair at home if they’re not in the mood to sleep. They must stay put and not move a muscle and just let the psychiatric drugs do their work on the patient’s mind.

3. Know When to Halt Medication

Some people might exhibit more adverse drug reactions once the psychiatric medication is in their bodies. Symptoms like irregular heartbeats, mania, and the like are very concerning and could be signs of medication stopping.

When to Adjust the Psychiatric Medications?

There are instances where medication such as ketamine treatment can worsen instead of alleviate the patient’s condition. Keep in mind that drugs and medicine have their limits and may not create good changes to the patient’s brain chemistry. When this happens, the patient’s family must secure an appointment with a psychiatrist to adjust the psychotropic medicine given.

Speaking of, here’s the list for you to know whether it is time to change the patient’s medicine so that they’ll recover better.

1. The Patient’s Mental Health Deteriorates

Some patients can develop a form of immunity against certain drugs and medications. As a result, they become not so receptive whenever they are administered anti-depressants or laxative drugs. This will result in the patient not experiencing any form of improvement in their mental health.

For example, a patient was given anti-depressant pills. For months, they didn’t experience any positive changes. Upon speaking with the psychiatrist, they were recommended to undergo ketamine treatment instead after seeing they don’t have any conditions that conflict with it.

2. The Medication Doesn’t Show Significant Effects

On a lesser scale, the patient may encounter minor effects from their medication. But, the effects that they are experiencing aren’t enough since the symptoms still interfere with their daily living. There are two ways to address this issue, and that’s either the following:

  • The patient can consult their psychiatrist about whether it is necessary to increase the dosage of the current medicine that the patient is taking.
  • Or, the patient can be referred to an alternative but effective method in treating their mental health problem. For example, a patient who underwent transcranial magnetic stimulation takes biotherapies after months of little to no changes.

3. The Medication Caused Emotional Numbness

Numbness due to psychiatric medication is one of the many misconceptions people have spread. Medicines meant for mental health do not aim to numb the patient to emotions but instead act as a balancing force to normalize their mental state.

However, there are some cases where the medication does make the individual apathetic or numb to emotions. If that happens, it’s advised that they stop taking their current prescription and change it out for something better.

4. The Patient Develops New Symptoms

Sometimes instead of mental health deterioration, the medicine the patient takes causes the development of a new symptom. Sometimes, the patient gets a second disorder over the existing one. A good example is an anxious patient who has been taking medications but ends up developing depression.

If this situation happens, you’d want to consult with a psychiatrist. Either they’ll change the medication given to the patient or add another medicine on top of the already prescribed drug.

Managing Side Effects and Adjusting Medications is Key to Recovery

While mental health prescriptions have many beneficial effects, not everyone is suited to them. Instead of helping the patient, they’d get worse or develop new symptoms. This is why managing the side effects of the prescribed mental health medicines is crucial to recovery.

If managing the symptoms isn’t enough, it’s just a sign that medication adjustments are needed for the patient’s betterment. Coordinate with your psychiatrist to ensure that the patient’s journey to recovery will be long but smooth.

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