Online Psychiatrist Prescriptions
Online psychiatrist prescriptions can be issued, providing the psychiatrist in licensed in your state of residence. Online psychiatrists prescribe medication by sending prescriptions directly to your pharmacy via electronic health records. Steps involved in online psychiatrist prescriptions include:
- Online psychiatrist appointment.
- Online psychiatrist consultation on a HIPPA complaint video platform.
- The psychiatrist will enter your notes in HIPPA complaint electronic health records.
- Online prescriptions for psychiatric medications will be sent directly to your pharmacy via electronic health records.
Is it legal for a psychiatrist to write online prescriptions?
It is legal for a psychiatrist to write a prescription after an online evaluation, providing :
- He or she is a licensed psychiatrist
- He or she is insured.
- He or she has a licensed to practice medicine in your state of residence.
Are online psychiatrist prescriptions safe?
Online psychiatrist prescriptions are safe providing the psychiatrist is prescribing ethically. The same rules apply to online prescriptions as to prescriptions issued in an office:
- The psychiatrist should take a thorough history and evaluation.
- The psychiatrist should make an accurate diagnosis.
- The psychiatrist should evaluate past treatments, which treatments were effective and reasons for past treatment failure.
- The patient should evaluate for causes of recurrence of symptoms and formulate a treatment plan.
- The psychiatrist should discuss the treatment plan with the patient and address potential risks versus benefits of each psychiatric medication, and formulate a treatment plan which the patient is comfortable with.
How does an online psychiatrist prescribe medication?
Online psychiatrists prescribe medication by sending prescriptions directly to your pharmacy electronically via electronic health records. You do not need to wait for a prescription to be mailed to you, nor do you need to take a prescription to your pharmacy. Generally, online psychiatrists prescribe medication as clinically indicated just as in an office visit.
How does an online psychiatrist prescribe medication?
Online psychiatrists prescribe medication by sending prescriptions directly to your pharmacy electronically via electronic health records. You do not need to wait for a prescription to be mailed to you, nor do you need to take a prescription to your pharmacy. Generally, online psychiatrists prescribe medication as clinically indicated just as in an office visit. Online psychiatrists prescribe medicines for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD, anxiety, depression, PTSD and many other psychiatric illnesses; just they would in an office visit.
Causes of Psychiatric Symptoms
Causes of Treatment Failure
Your Treatment plan
Your Treatment Plan may consist of the following features:
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Screening for causes of symptoms
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Education and information
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Treating medical/nutritional endocrine causes of symptoms e.g. sleep apnea
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Lifestyle changes e.g. exercise, diet, sleep hygiene
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Choosing the correct therapy modality if desired/recommended
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Selecting the correct medication regimen if required
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Careful monitoring and titration
Will I need to take medication?
If you are having persistent symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, depression, chronic fatigue, hyperphagia, anorexia, obsessions, compulsions, low sex drive, apathy, mood swings, severe premenstrual symptoms with polycystic ovarian syndrome, paranoid delusions, hallucinations, voices, low energy, seasonal affective symptoms, irritability or anger despite all efforts at natural treatment and is suffering from poor work performance and impairment in social relationships– you may need to take medication in order to live your life to the fullest and achieve your personal and professional goals.
I took medications before, and it didn’t work.
Reasons for poor response to medication include:
- Inadequate trial of medication (not finding the correct medication)
- Improper dosing
- Drug, drug interactions
- Poor compliance
- Nutritional Deficiencies
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Endocrine Problems: including PCOS, menopause, subclinical hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism
- Sleep problems including sleep apnea
- Developmental, Past Trauma, PTSD
- Unresolved external stressors
- Genetic
- Wrong diagnosis
- Wrong medication
I have had side effects to Psychiatric medications BEFORE.
Reasons for side effects to psychiatric medications can be:
- Idiopathic
- Slow enzyme metabolizer
- Drug/drug interactions
- Drug/food interactions
- High Dose
Ways to avoid side effects include:
- Discontinue the offending agent
- Screen for family history of drug interactions.
- Screen for possible drug/drug interaction
- Slow titration
- Screen for food /drug interactions
I only want Psychotherapy and Natural Remedies
Research has shown that supportive psychotherapy & cognitive behavioral therapy create similar changes in the frontal lobe on PET scan as SSRIs. Many patients with symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD and mild OCD improve with psychotherapy alone.
Natural treatments for depression, anxiety, OCD, include :
- sunlight
- exercise
- n-acetylcysteine
- nutritional supplementation
- screening for heavy metal toxicity
- treat subclinical hypo&hyperthyroidism
- progesterone
- psychotherapy
What if I don’t want to take medication?
No one can force you to take medication if you do not want to unless you are in the hospital and often not even there!
At GABA Telepsychiatry, we work with you to address all the possible causes of psychiatric symptoms including developmental, genetic, emotional, trauma, environmental, endocrine (due to hormones); medical including sleep apnea, diabetes, stroke, obesity, poor exercise and physical fitness and the medical causes of psychiatric symptoms.
However, there are some individuals who still demonstrate significant impairment, who continue to suffer and are still symptomatic despite psychotherapy and efforts towards natural remedies. In these cases, we aim to work with you to find the correct medication and minimize side effects.