Medication management is ongoing care in which a licensed psychiatric provider prescribes your psychiatric medication, checks how it is working, watches for side effects, and adjusts the plan with you over time. At Family Psychiatry & Therapy, medication management is available by secure video across New Jersey and New York, or in person at our Paramus office.
Our psychiatric providers, a psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse practitioners, work alongside our therapists, so your medication and your therapy are part of one plan. New patients are often seen within about a week, and you’ll hear a friendly, live voice 24/7 when you call.
What medication management is
Starting a medication is one decision. Managing it well is many small decisions over months, and that is where most of the work happens.
Medication management covers the whole course of treatment, not just the first prescription. It usually includes:
- Reviewing your symptoms, history, and any medications you take now or have tried before
- Deciding with you whether medication makes sense, and if so, which option fits your situation
- Starting at a dose your provider considers appropriate and adjusting it based on how you respond
- Asking about side effects at every visit and changing course when something isn’t working
- Watching for interactions with your other prescriptions and supplements
- Coordinating with your therapist and, with your consent, with your primary care doctor when that helps your care
- Planning any change, taper, or stop together, rather than all at once
Your provider explains what to expect from a medication before you start it, including how long it may take to judge whether it is helping. Prescribing decisions rest with your clinician and are made with you, with your safety and your goals first.
Who medication management is for
Medication management can help if any of these sound familiar:
- You have had a psychiatric evaluation and medication is part of the recommended plan.
- You are already taking a psychiatric medication and need a new prescriber, because you moved, your previous provider left, or your primary care doctor would like a specialist to take over. We accept transfer patients case by case, based on an initial screening.
- Your current medication helped at first but no longer seems to, or the side effects are hard to live with.
- You have been on the same medication for years and no one has reviewed it in a long time.
- You are in therapy and you and your therapist think medication could help you get more out of it.
We see children, teens, adults, and older adults. For younger patients, parents or guardians take part in decisions about medication. See our pages on care for children, teens, and young adults and geriatric psychiatry for more on each age group.
How medication management works at Family Psychiatry & Therapy
Your first visit
Your first visit is a 45-minute appointment with one of our psychiatric providers. You’ll talk through what you are experiencing, your mental health and medical history, past treatment, and every medication and supplement you take. If you have records from a previous prescriber, email them ahead to admin@familypsychnj.com; they help us avoid repeating what has already been tried.
At the end of the visit, your provider will talk with you about whether medication is recommended, what the options are, and what the alternatives are. Sometimes the right answer is to start therapy first, or to adjust what you already take rather than add something new.
If you have not had an evaluation yet, start with a psychiatric evaluation. It answers the diagnostic questions that medication decisions depend on.
Follow-up visits
Follow-up visits are usually 30 minutes. They tend to be closer together when you are starting or changing a medication, and further apart once things are stable.
At each follow-up, your provider asks how you are feeling and functioning, reviews side effects, and decides with you whether to keep the plan, adjust a dose, or try something different. Prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy you choose, including mail-order pharmacies.
Between visits
You don’t have to wait for your next appointment to raise a problem. If you have a side effect that worries you or a question about your medication, call us. During office hours our staff gets your message to your care team. After hours, our answering service takes your call and passes the message to the practice.
If you need a refill, contact your pharmacy. The pharmacy sends the request to your provider.
If you ever have thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, call or text 988 or call 911. Don’t wait for a callback.
Conditions we manage with medication
Our providers manage medication for many conditions, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety and panic disorder
- ADHD (stimulant medication for patients under 18 only; see Our approach to safety)
- Bipolar disorder
- OCD
- PTSD and trauma
- Sleep problems
- Mood and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and after birth, in coordination with your obstetric care. See women’s health and postpartum care.
Not sure which of these fits? That is what the first visit is for.
Medication and therapy, together
For many people, medication works best as one part of a plan that includes therapy. Because our psychiatric providers and therapists work in the same practice, they can share what they are seeing, with your permission, and adjust care together. You don’t have to carry information back and forth between two offices.
You can also receive medication management from us while you continue with a therapist outside our practice.
Our approach to safety
Good medication management is careful medication management. In practice, that means:
- One change at a time when possible, so you and your provider can tell what is helping and what is causing a side effect.
- Honest conversations about side effects, including the ones people feel awkward raising, such as sleep, weight, and sexual side effects.
- A full medication list, including over-the-counter medicines and supplements, checked at every visit.
- Lab work or a medical check when a medication calls for it. Your provider orders any labs you need.
- No stopping without a plan. Some medications should not be stopped suddenly. If you want to stop, talk to us first and we’ll plan it together.
Controlled medications. Stimulant medications for ADHD are controlled substances. We prescribe stimulants for ADHD only to patients under 18. We do not prescribe stimulants to adults. Adults with ADHD can still be evaluated and treated here, and treatment may include non-stimulant medication or therapy, depending on what your provider recommends. Other controlled medications, such as benzodiazepines for anxiety, are considered case by case. Whether one is right for you is your prescriber’s decision after an evaluation, and it isn’t guaranteed.
Online medication management across New Jersey and New York
Most of our medication management happens by secure, HIPAA-compliant video. A video visit covers the same ground as an office visit: symptoms, side effects, how you are functioning, and the plan. You join from a private space of your choosing, from a computer or a phone, with no commute and no waiting room.
What matters for a telehealth visit is where you are during the appointment. Our providers can see you when you are in New Jersey or New York. If you would rather be seen in person, or your provider recommends it, appointments are available in Paramus. Learn more about how telehealth appointments work.
Insurance and cost
Medication management visits are billed to insurance the same way whether they happen by video or in person. We are in network with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, and Medicare, including Medicare Advantage, and we work with several other carriers. We also see patients covered by New Jersey and New York Personal Injury Protection (no-fault auto) and Workers’ Compensation. If we are out of network for your plan, many policies include out-of-network mental health benefits, and we can help with the paperwork.
Our intake team can check your benefits and explain expected costs before your first appointment. Details are on our billing FAQ.
Getting started
- Call (201) 977-2889 or book online. You’ll hear a friendly, live voice 24/7.
- Tell us whether you are new to medication or transferring care. Transfers are accepted case by case, based on an initial screening. If you already take a psychiatric medication, have the name, dose, and your pharmacy handy, and email any records from your previous prescriber to admin@familypsychnj.com. Don’t stop or change your medication while you wait for your first visit unless a clinician tells you to.
- Meet your provider. New patients are often seen within about a week. See what to expect at your first visit, or meet our care team.
Frequently asked questions
What is psychiatric medication management?
It is ongoing care in which a licensed psychiatric provider prescribes your mental health medication, monitors how well it works and any side effects, and adjusts the plan with you over time. It includes the first prescription and every follow-up after it.
Who will manage my medication?
One of our psychiatric providers: a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner, all licensed to prescribe. You can ask for a psychiatrist or a nurse practitioner when you book. They work with our therapists so your care is coordinated.
How often are medication management visits?
More often when you are starting or changing a medication, and less often once you are stable. Follow-up visits are usually 30 minutes. Your provider will set the schedule with you.
Can my medication be managed online?
Yes, for most psychiatric medications. Visits happen by secure video while you are in New Jersey or New York, and prescriptions are sent electronically to your pharmacy, including mail-order pharmacies. Controlled medications follow additional rules; see the question about stimulants below.
I already take a psychiatric medication. Can you take over my prescriptions?
We accept transfer patients case by case, based on an initial screening. If you’re a fit, bring your medication list and any records from your previous prescriber. Your new provider will review your history at your first visit and decide with you whether to continue, adjust, or change your medication, so continuing any specific medication isn’t guaranteed. Keep taking your medication as prescribed until then unless a clinician tells you otherwise.
Do you prescribe stimulants for adult ADHD?
No. We prescribe stimulant medication for ADHD only to patients under 18. Adults with ADHD can still be evaluated and treated here, which may include non-stimulant medication and therapy, depending on what your provider recommends. Other controlled medications, such as benzodiazepines, are considered case by case after an evaluation, and your prescriber makes that decision with you.
Does insurance cover medication management?
In most cases, yes. We are in network with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, and Medicare, including Medicare Advantage, and we work with several other carriers. We also see patients covered by NJ and NY Personal Injury Protection and Workers’ Compensation. Our intake team can verify your benefits before your first visit.
How soon can I be seen?
New patients are often seen within about a week. Availability varies by provider and insurance. You’ll hear a friendly, live voice 24/7 when you call.
Schedule a medication management visit
Whether you are starting medication for the first time or looking for a new prescriber, our team can help. Call (201) 977-2889, contact us online, or book a visit. We see patients by secure video across New Jersey and New York and in person in Paramus.
This page is for general information and is not medical advice. Don’t start, stop, or change a medication without talking to your prescriber. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911.