Therapy and Medication

@TheFoxandtheCrow

Hi there! My name is A.J, and I'm one of the 7 Cups Therapists- it's lovely to meet you on the forums, and I hope I can answer your questions and be of help!

I specialise in Medication Management as well as Anxiety Disorders and I conduct CBT as well as a variety of other treatment modalities, and I work alongside patients and doctors to make sure they get the best clinical outcome with their condition. Usually, this is with CBT, and a Medication such as an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) or an SNRI (Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor) which is a class of medications that are taken daily. This helps the pateint ENGAGE more fully in Therapy- because sometimes, the anxiety symptoms themselves are so debilitating, that it actually interferes with the patients ability to get the most from therapy and progress further.

Sometimes as well, a PRN (take as needed/emergency/occasional) anti anxiety medication may be prescribed- like a benzodiazepine, for example. This would be for particularly severe anxiety/panic states, in where the person is so incapacitated that they cannot function at all. This class of medications work on GABA, which slows down the excessively stimulated parts of the brain. A low dose may be prescribed and taken occasionally, (to prevent tolerance from building)

SSRIs or SNRIs can be taken every day, as tolerance is not an issue for these classes of medications.

Overall, the best clinical outcomes are with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Medication together. That's the "gold standard" first line of treatment that is usually provided for people who are moderately to markedly ill, in their clinical presentation.

If you have any further questions or comments etc, feel free to reply!