5 Benefits of Medication Management

Studies tell us that approximately one-fifth of Americans take at least five prescribed medications. This can be incredibly dangerous for your health for a lot of reasons, which is why it’s so important to be actively involved in the medications you take. 

At Greenwich Avenue Psychiatry in Greenwich, Connecticut, our team of psychiatrists and therapists believes that every person and their health needs are unique, so your medication plan should reflect that. Because of that, we’re passionate about and offer medication management.

This month’s blog examines five ways medication management can benefit you.

1. Learn what medications your body will respond to best

At Greenwich Avenue Psychiatry, we utilize a method known as pharmacogenomics (or pharmacogenetics) to identify how your body will respond to a certain medication used to treat your specific mental health condition. This technique accounts for your unique genetic makeup plus your environment and lifestyle to determine which medication will be best. 

This can be especially beneficial since many people have to try more than one drug to treat their mental health condition effectively, and it can take up to six weeks to know if the drug is working. Many times, the patient proves treatment-resistant to standard therapies, requiring medications used “off label.”

2. Minimize the chance of severe side effects

Pharmacogenomics can also help to determine if you’d have an adverse reaction to a certain medication. While all medications are most likely going to cause side effects, some are much more serious than others. For example, you might be allergic to a certain medication, or it could attack some of your organs such as your kidneys. 

Going through genetic testing can reduce the risk of these dangerous side effects. 

3. Prevent potentially dangerous drug interactions

It’s of the utmost importance that you sit down with our medication management team if you take multiple medications for multiple health issues, whether they’re for your mental or physical health. Different drugs can interact with each other and cause one to lose its effectiveness. Some drugs can even have potentially severe interactions that can threaten your health.  

4. Create a personalized medication routine

The variety of medications that you take is going to be unique to you. So, you must know when to take your medications and at what dosage. We can assist in helping you create a schedule for your medications, so you know which ones you need to take with food, which ones you need to avoid drinking alcohol with, and which ones you may need to take multiple times in a day. 

This ensures you never miss a dose and that your medication is working efficiently and not causing unnecessary side effects.

5. Discontinue medications that are no longer necessary

If you’ve seen multiple providers for different conditions, you may still be taking a medication that’s no longer necessary. We can discuss each of your medications and determine if any of them aren’t working for you anymore or if you need to replace them with something else. 

For expert medication management, look no further than our team at Greenwich Avenue Psychiatry. Schedule an appointment by calling our office or booking online today.