Things it can help to know about taking psychiatric medications for the first time.
Trying medicine can feel like crossing a huge threshold. It can feel scary to become A Person Who Takes Psychiatric Medication. The stigma against mental illness in our society is real, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. Pills are just pills. Ibuprofen, Prozac, lithium, Benadryl, no one is more virtuous than another. You’re still you. Maybe a you with a better quality of life, who is better able to put goodness back into the world.
You don’t necessarily have to take meds forever.
But if you do, that’s okay. If your heart was misfiring, and you felt better taking medicine for it, you probably wouldn’t think of yourself as weak. Your nervous system controls everything in your body. When it misfires, that is a serious thing, and worth treating. For as long as you need.
We start with low doses to minimize side effects. Most side effects go away after a couple weeks. The most common ones are mild queasiness, headache, fatigue. You’ll be able to contact us if you’re not sure if it’s too much.
Speaking of side effects, many people have heard about the sexual side effects of some antidepressants. This bullet point is here so you know we won’t clutch our pearls if you experience this and find it bothersome. We’re not trying to make you more depressed.
