We are often asked if we prescribe medication, or what we think of medication in general. We do not prescribe, and therefore also have limits to our knowledge and training on the chemical side of things. Your family doctor and/ or psychiatrist will prescribe and manage psychotropic medications.
From the clinical perspective, however, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Firstly, it is a standard recommendation in the field that if a person is taking psychotropic medication, they should also consult with a therapist for possible intervention or support.
Sometimes people need to stay on medication for a long time to manage their symptoms, especially if dealing with more genetically linked and biochemically based disorders, such as bipolar or schizophrenia.
Other times, people work to taper off of medication, usually with various types of anxiety or situationally flared depression. We are happy to collaborate with the prescribing doctor to monitor progress. You should know that anti-depressant medications are always tapered off gradually.
We certainly recommend a medication consult with a doctor if you are in such a state that you cannot function or access therapy. At times like that, medication may be needed to be able to start to work on things and engage in your life again.
Also, we recognize that with pure ADHD some people find medication helpful in terms of getting through the school or workday. However, we are aware that stimulant medicines are often misused, if you are struggling with impulsive behaviour or addictions we can help with that too, or refer out if needed.
So, to summarize, we do not prescribe and we have limits to how detailed our knowledge is about medication, but we do understand the bigger picture and work with your goals, whether it is to taper off medication or to help with medication management in the long run.
I hope this helps,