Guides
Some questions about psychiatric medication do not belong to any single drug. How long until it works. Whether a side effect is normal. How to come off a medication without a rough landing. Whether to add therapy. These guides answer the questions that cut across every medication.
They are organized around the moments where most questions come up: starting a medication, managing side effects, switching, stopping, and finding a prescriber. Each guide is written in plain language and medically reviewed, the same standard as the medication guides.
Also here is a printable appointment sheet, a simple way to organize what you want to raise at your next visit. If your question is about one specific medication, the medication guides cover it in depth. If it is broader than that, it is probably answered here.
Antidepressants and sexual side effects
How common sexual side effects are, why they happen, and what can be done about them.
Antidepressants and weight
What antidepressants tend to do to weight, which ones differ, and how to think about it.
Coming off an antidepressant safely
What discontinuation feels like, and how a careful taper makes stopping manageable.
Generic vs brand-name psychiatric medication
Whether generic psychiatric medications are as good as the brand, and what to know.
How to get psychiatric medication management
Who can prescribe psychiatric medication, the in-person and telepsychiatry options, and how to choose.
Medication, therapy, or both
What the evidence says about medication, therapy, and combining them.
Over-the-counter and natural sleep aids: what the evidence shows
An honest look at antihistamines, melatonin, valerian, chamomile, and magnesium for sleep.
Psychiatric medication and alcohol
How alcohol interacts with antidepressants and other psychiatric medications, and why caution makes sense.
Psychiatric medication in pregnancy and breastfeeding
How decisions about psychiatric medication in pregnancy and breastfeeding are approached.
Questions for my appointment
A printable sheet to organize what you want to cover with your prescriber.
Starting a psychiatric medication: what the first month is like
A realistic week-by-week picture of beginning an antidepressant, and what is normal.
Switching antidepressants
Why people switch antidepressants, how a switch is done, and what to expect.
Why isn't my medication working?
Common reasons an antidepressant doesn't seem to be helping, and what usually comes next.