Psychiatric Medication Review and Second Opinion
You are already taking something and nobody has looked at the whole picture in a while. One appointment, your full regimen examined, and an opinion you can take anywhere.
A Full Evaluation, Aimed at the Regimen
Psychiatric medication accumulates. Something was added during a bad winter, a dose went up and never came down, a second medicine was started to handle the side effects of the first, and the prescriber who began it has long since changed.
What a Medication Review Involves
A review is a full evaluation aimed at the regimen rather than at a fresh diagnosis. What you are taking, what each thing was started for, whether that reason still holds, what interacts with what, and whether the whole set still matches what is actually happening now.
You leave with a clear account of your own treatment and, where there is a case for changing something, what we would change and why. Whether you act on it is yours to decide.
When a Second Opinion Is Worth the Appointment
None of these mean anything has gone wrong. They mean nobody has stood back from it recently.
Common Reasons
- On the same medication for years without a review
- Started by a primary care doctor rather than in psychiatry
- Taking several and unsure what each one does
- It worked once and does not seem to now
- Moved to Georgia and need care to continue
What You Get Out of It
An account of your own regimen in plain language, which a surprising number of people have never been given, and a view on whether it still fits.
If the plan is sound, that is the answer and we say so. A review that finds nothing wrong is a useful result rather than a wasted appointment.
You Are Not Obliged to Move Your Care
Plenty of people book a review, get an opinion, and stay exactly where they are. With your consent we will send our view to your current prescriber so the two of you can talk about it.
If you would rather we took over the prescribing, that is medication management and it follows on from this appointment without repeating it.
Meet Dr. Ashar N.
Medical Director. DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC. Board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and as a Family Nurse Practitioner, with a Doctor of Nursing Practice. Treats adults, teenagers and children from six: evaluation and medication management for depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, sleep and alcohol use disorder.
Care at Ridge Way is delivered by our clinical team, licensed in Georgia and working with physician oversight. Your history, medication response and treatment decisions are documented in one chart, so another member of the team can review what has already been tried.
How a Review Is Actually Done
A full appointment working through what you take and why, rather than a quick reconciliation of a list.
The Whole List
Everything you take, psychiatric or not, including supplements and anything over the counter.
Why Each One Started
What it was for, when, who started it, and what happened after. Old notes help, not required.
What Has Changed Since
Symptoms, side effects, new diagnoses, pregnancy plans, drinking and sleep. Usually the answer.
The Opinion
Whether it still fits, what to change and why, and what to leave alone. In writing if you ask.
What a Review Covers, and What It Does Not
The review is of psychiatric medication for the conditions this practice treats. Where the question falls outside that, saying so is more useful than an opinion we are not the right people to give.
A review is not a prescription for a controlled medicine on the day. Where a stimulant is appropriate it follows a full evaluation, on the same terms as for any new patient.
Care Available Here
- Antidepressants, mood stabilizers and antipsychotics
- ADHD medication, stimulant and non-stimulant
- Interactions across your whole medication list
- A written opinion to your current prescriber
Services We Refer Elsewhere
- Benzodiazepine prescribing or tapering
- Buprenorphine and treatment for opioid and other drug use disorders
- Court, disability or custody reports
- Therapy or counseling
Medication Review Questions
Do I have to leave my current prescriber?
No. A review is an opinion, not a transfer. Many people take it back to whoever prescribes for them and carry on there.
What should I bring?
Every medication you take, ideally the actual boxes or a pharmacy printout, plus anything you know about what was tried before. If you have old notes or a discharge summary, bring those too.
Is this cheaper than a full evaluation?
Not for a new patient. For someone new to Ridge Way, a review is a full evaluation and is billed at the evaluation rate. If you are already a Ridge Way patient, it is billed as a follow-up visit. Self-pay rates.
Will you change my medication at the appointment?
Only if you want us to and it is appropriate. If you came for an opinion, an opinion is what you leave with. If you are transferring your care, changes can start the same day.
Can a review be done by telehealth?
Yes, anywhere in Georgia, at the same self-pay rate. How telehealth works.
What if I am having thoughts of harming myself?
Ridge Way is not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For a mental health or suicide crisis, call or text 988, any time, or call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225. Crisis resources.
Book a Medication Review
Bring everything you take, with doses and how long. We look at what is working and what is not, and you leave with an opinion you can take anywhere. You do not need a referral unless your insurance plan requires one. Request an appointment and we will usually call you back within one business day.
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