Anxious About Adding Medication to Your Treatment? Thoughts from a Seattle Therapist
Are you struggling mentally? Have you tried a variety of things but still not seeing the results you’d like? Are you in therapy? When I first meet with a new client, I want to know how they got to where they are. What have you tried? What’s worked? What hasn’t? Have you tried medication? Have you gone to therapy before? What was your experience? I ask lots of questions with an open mind.
Image from Pexels by Karolina Grabowsky 4/22/25
People have different views on medication, some people are strongly against it, and some people are strongly for it. I tend to have a neutral stance and see medication as another tool in the metaphorical toolbox that can possibly help my clients. I teach my clients to view things as helpful or unhelpful rather than all good or all bad. This gives approach gives context and nuanced understanding. It’s important to bring context and nuanced understanding to the discussion about adding a psychiatric medication into the mix.
How Medication Treatment Can Go Wrong
Many times, when I speak to people who have negative opinions about medication it’s because they’ve had poor experiences with them or have heard others share negative experiences about them. Here are some of the common things I see go wrong, leading to negative outcomes around medications.
Misdiagnosis:
Properly diagnosing mental health challenges can be difficult. I’ve had many clients who were mis-diagnosed and therefore mistreated. For example, a person might get diagnosed with generalized anxiety without addressing the underlying trauma leading to that anxiety. A person may get a diagnosis of major depressive disorder but have bipolar disorder. If you don’t think you’ve been properly diagnosed, try getting a second opinon!
Timing:
Timing can be an interesting factor in peoples’ relationship to medication. Research shows us that people have the best mental health outcomes when they get a combination of therapy and medication interventions. Depending on a person’s severity of symptoms and level of functioning it can be challenging to get the full benefits of therapy. On one hand, if someone gets on medication right away, they might not think they need therapy and drop out early. On the other hand, I know people who wish they had investigated medication options much sooner because it would have helped them get the most out of their therapeutic experience.
Quality of Care:
Taking prescribed or over the counted medication should always be supervised by a doctor or other qualitied healthcare provider. Medication (yes, including supplements) should not be a take it and forget it situation, especially with psychiatric medications. Sometimes I see clients get put on a medication and think that’s it, they’re good to go, with little or sub-optimal follow up. This can be for many reasons, but ultimately it can lead to poor outcomes.
Lack of Specialization:
Some people go to the internet to see what supplement they should take for certain mental health conditions. Others might go to their primary care doctor or mention it at their OB appointment. Talking to a provider about help isn’t bad. However, it’s important to see a podiatrist for a food problem, a neurologist for a neurology problem, and a Psychiatrist (MD) or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHMP). Then, finding a medication provider who works with the specific issues you deal with. For example, in the perinatal world, there is a whole branch of Reproductive Psychiatry. Primary Care Doctors (PCPs) have varying levels of education, comfort, and experience in prescribing psychiatric medication. I recommend folks see a psychiatrist of PMHMP, get their regime set and then transfer to their PCP for ongoing prescribing. Then if adjustments need to be made, go back to the Psychiatrist of PMHMP.
Wrong Medication:
How many cars did you test drive or consider before your current car? There are so many options. Just like different cars work for different people, with different needs and preferences, peoples’ individual biology can vary. It can be frustrating but know that it may take time and energy to find what works for you. Not knowing this can be a possibility can set someone up for disappointment and frustration.
Medical Misogyny:
The reality is to this day; most medications are formulated, researched, and tested on men. The specific impact medication has on women’s bodies can be overlooked or not even researched. This has specific negative impacts for medication interactions, side effects, and effectiveness during a variety of phases of life.
Image from Unsplash by gaspar uhas 4/22/25
Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen:
If a client is seeing multiple providers and those providers aren’t collaborating or have a clear picture of the client’s overall medical treatment, there can be challenges. Western society likes to metaphorically cut the head off the body and treat the mind and body as two separate entities. It’s important your entire healthcare team is aware of all of the treatment and medications you’re using and of any changes.
Stigma:
Unfortunately, mental healthcare is still stigmatized. Taking medication is stigmatized. It’s getting better but it’s still looked upon with a negative outlook. It can be helpful to examine how you might have internalized stigma towards your own mental health and deconstruct messages that no longer serve you.
How Medication Treatment Can Help
Increase Options:
Identifying what your medication options are can help you become a well-informed consumer regarding your own health. Ask questions, get curious, and discover what options are out there regarding treatment of your specific challenges. It’s okay to meet with a medication provider and get their opinion. It doesn’t mean you have to do what they say! Increasing your options to feel better can lead to increased hope.
Highlight Uniqueness of Experience:
Know that what worked for your friend, neighbor, or cousin doesn’t mean it will work for you. As humans, it’s normal to feel safer is something you’re familiar with. So naturally, if your aunt talks about how Zoloft worked great for her, that doesn’t mean just because you heard of it, it will work for you. All medication, especially psychiatric medication doesn’t work the same on everyone.
One of Many Helpful Tools:
Medication can be an answer, not the only answer. Medication is not your savior. And it can be life changing. I’ve seen medication be a game changer in so many lives personally and professionally. I’m a short person, so when I try to get up to the top shelf without a stool, I have to use a lot of energy to try to reach high. I like to think of medications as the metaphorical step stool that helps me reach that top shelf. I’m still doing it, I still have to reach high, but I’m getting a little bit of assistance that makes the process easier and more enjoyable.
Decrease Risk:
Discussions about risk come up for some people around nervousness in getting on medications. Often, this risk discussion is related to getting or staying on a medication, but the risk of not getting to try additional healing tools is often neglected. What happens if you don’t get medicated or try other healing approaches? What happens if you continue to try to muscle through your challenges?
What you do with your body and mind are 100% your choice. Medication can be a piece of the pie that leads you to the life you want, or not. Either way, it’s helpful to gather information and expert opinions about all of your healing options.
Incorporating Other Healing Approaches
Image from Pexels by RDNE 4/22/25
There are multiple healing modalities that can help you on your mental health journey. In our society, the body and mind and metaphorically cut off from one another and send to their associated ‘experts.’ Targeting the body, especially the central nervous system is a great way to target better mental health.
Healing approaches such as massage, bodywork, acupuncture, meditation, energy work, movement, and more have a place within your overall self-care and healing. I don’t like to ‘yuck’ someone’s ‘yum’ and if you’ve seen improvement with a healing modality, great! For myself, such physical, ‘bottom-up’ interventions starting in the body help me get more grounded and in touch with my embodied self.
Anxiety Therapy Seattle: Start Your Healing Journey
Therapy is a great place to start your healing journey. So is your talking to your doctor, friend, or neighbor. Asking for help is hard, and getting started is often the most challenging part. Once you’ve started that journey, it’s vital to understand your options. Speak to your care team to see what interventions can be added for optimal support, maybe medication is part of that, maybe not. You are unique, one of a kind, and therefore should be treated that way.
If you’re looking to start your healing journey, reach out and schedule a free consultation with me through the link below.
About the Author: Seattle Washington Therapist, Chelsea Kramer LMFT PMH-C
Chelsea Kramer is a Seattle Therapist who works with individual and families facing grief, anxiety, reproductive and medical mental health concerns.
Learn more about Chelsea’s specialties: grief, anxiety, infertility, pregnancy loss, chronic illness, menopause, medical trauma
Learn more about Chelsea
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