Gaba Telepsychiatry

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. Online psychiatrists prescribe medicines for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD, anxiety, depression, PTSD and many other psychiatric illnesses; just they would in an office visit.

Some Conditions We Treat

Agoraphobia

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia

Insomnia And Other Sleep Disorders

Menopause and PCOS Related Mood Disorders

Menstrual Disorders

Mood Disorder due to Medical Conditions

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Panic Disorder

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Schizophrenia

Sexual Dysfunction

Social Phobia

Thyroid and Diabetes Related Mood Disorders

Your Treatment Plan Evaluation

Causes of Psychiatric Symptoms

Causes of Treatment Failure

Your Treatment Plan

Your Treatment Plan may consist of the following features:

Screening for causes of symptoms
Education and information
Treating medical/nutritional endocrine causes of symptoms e.g. sleep apnea
Lifestyle changes e.g. exercise, diet, sleep hygiene
Choosing the correct therapy modality if desired/recommended
Selecting the correct medication regimen if required
Careful monitoring and titration

Will I need to take psychiatric medication?

Many people who visit a psychiatrist are concerned about being prescribed psychiatric medications. Not everyone who visits a psychiatrist will be prescribed medication. Indications for medication include:

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.

If you are suffering from poor work performance and impairment in social relationships– you may be advised to take the medication in order to live your life to the fullest and achieve your personal and professional goals. Your psychiatrist should discuss with you the risks versus benefits of various treatment options.

I took medications before & it didn’t work.

Reasons for poor response to medication include:

Inadequate trial of medication (not finding the correct medication)
Inadequate 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 psychiatric medication?

No one can force you to take psychiatric medication if you do not want to unless you are in the hospital and often not even then.

At GABA Telepsychiatry, the psychiatrist will 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 physical fitness, and 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, the psychiatrist will aim to work with you to find the correct medication and minimize side effects.

Did you know that the most common causes of poor response to psychiatric medication are poor compliance, inadequate dosing, and inadequate trial of medication.