Therapist

If you have been seeing a therapist, and that therapist prescribed you medication for the issues you’re dealing with, you could be sitting and waiting for it to take effect. Is it working? How can you tell if it is or not? The following are some steps to take if you think your new medication isn’t helping the situation.

Contact Your Therapist

The first thing you should do if you feel your medication isn’t working is contact your therapist. You should never take yourself off of any medication without consulting the professional first. There may be something you don’t know or realize, or perhaps it is working and you just can’t see it from your point of view. Describe your feelings and the situation overall to your therapist and wait to see what he or she tells you to do.

Keep Taking the Medication

Unless there are serious side effects that are life-threatening or completely unbearable, continue taking the medication you were prescribed. Some medications take a while to start working. Some may present undesirable side effects before they start producing a positive outcome.

For example, a prescribed medication may cause you to gain weight, which could increase your feelings of hopelessness because now you don’t look as good as you would like. With time, you can figure out a workout routine to lose that weight, and after the medication has been in your system for the right amount of time, it could begin to decrease those negative feelings. That is why you should keep taking it regardless of the fact that you don’t feel better immediately.

Be Patient

It’s easier said than done in some cases, but be patient when you are trying ou2t a new medication. Stay the course and give it your full effort. If your therapist agrees the medication isn’t working, you may be asked to try one or two more until you find something that works as it should be working. Patience can be hard in some situations regarding mental illness, but it’s important you do your best to push through it.

Contacting the Professionals

If you need the help of a therapist, contact a professional today to schedule an appointment. You may be prescribed medication, given homework assignments and a range of other steps that will make your therapy the most effective. If you feel your medication isn’t working, keep taking it and contact your therapist in Palatine, IL as soon as you’re able to discuss your options.

Thanks to Lotus Wellness Center for their insight into therapy and what to do when your medication isn’t working.