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All About Medications

Do you feel like you need assistance managing your moods or behaviors?
Are you thinking about taking medication to help?

You have the right to receive assistance from your attorney, an advocate, mentor, or other professional to determine whether to take or not take medication, but remember the final decision is yours.

IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, taking medication is something that needs to be weighed on a case-by-case basis. Now it’s not only about you, it’s also about the health of your baby. Some medications can be harmful to your developing baby, and some are not.

If you are taking medication and think there is a possibility that you are pregnant, you need to immediately seek professional help from your treatment team members (e.g. doctors, caseworkers, foster parents, parents, therapist, and others).

Talk to your doctor to figure out if taking medication makes sense for you.

Here is some information you might want to get from your doctor:

  • How taking a specific medication may improve your life.
  • The potential side effects of  the medication.
  • How to use the medication safely.

If you decide to take medication, the psychiatrist monitoring your case will start you out on a very small dosage, and you may not feel the effects right away.

Your treatment team, including your therapist, should also aid you in learning coping tools.

Your medical doctor should monitor the physical effects of the medicine on your body, and the psychiatrist should also assist in monitoring your medication dosage. This is especially important when you start taking the medication.

In addition to medication, you may also want to try changes in your diet or exercise program and meditation-based stress reduction interventions.