Medication for Anxiety and OCD

Medication or pharmaceuticals absolutely deserve a 'seat at the table' when considering treatment options for anxiety or OCD. They can play both short term or long term roles, but they should be approached with an informed perspective and decision. All too often, medications are chosen as the sole treatment because the provider is not trained in other options or because it is the standard of care that their employer or Board is expecting. In addition, many effective treatments require significant time working with and educating the patient - something insurance and profit driven systems don't allow for.

How to choose the best medication:

When choosing medications, it is critical that both the provider and patient understand why they are selecting a particular medication. A little explained fact is that many medications used for psychiatric or mental health conditions are poorly understood and are often used empirically rather than with a great level of understanding for their mechanism. I sympathize that providers want to fill the void of 'having something to prescribe' and meet a patients expectations, but I encourage patients to work with a team that can help them understand why treatments are being advised and feel confident that they are based in evidence and data.

Medications versus Supplements?

It is not about having to select medications versus supplements, rather having an informed and data based conversation with your provider about what treatment approach works best for you and your case. While they often support our body differently, many of our supplements are synthetic and produced in a lab, much like pharmaceuticals. If pharmaceutical companies could patent these nutrients and supplement compounds they absolutely would and would market them as wonder drugs. Meaning it has more to do with how these tools work and selecting ones that support your body and goals, rather than what category they fall into. Modern medicine has lots of tools, you deserve to work with a provider that has more than one.

If medications or supplements need or want to be avoided, there is a large amount of data emphasizing the efficacy of diet, lifestyle, and environmental approaches. Finding the combination that is best for the patient is critical.