What type of dr. do you go to to discuss anxiety medication?
Laura asked:
I wasn’t sure if I had to go to a psychiatrist or just a regular medical doctor? Just having some anxiety issues that have started recently and want something hopefully just temporarily to help w/ the anxiety attacks.
I wasn’t sure if I had to go to a psychiatrist or just a regular medical doctor? Just having some anxiety issues that have started recently and want something hopefully just temporarily to help w/ the anxiety attacks.
Tags: Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Medication, Medical Doctor, Medication, Psychiatrist
February 27th, 2010 at 6:34 am
Go to your family doctor first, if you don’t have a family doctor I would go to a psychiatrist.
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:09 pm
You can go to either, most go to Psychiatrists because they specialize in the mind since that is what they went to college for.
You can also see a regular doctor though. Some Psychiatrists push medication which is not always the best answer. I would suggest a regular doctor and Psychologist.
There are many treatments for Anxiety besides medication. Medication can cause un pleasant and serious side effects, it is also very expensive. Some other options include, seeing a nutritionist/dietitian, yoga, spiritual therapy, Talk therapy, vitamins, Group therapy, support groups, sometimes there is a medical reason for anxiety and anxiety is a result of it, you really have to find the source of the problem.
Good Luck with your treatment, God bless you!
March 6th, 2010 at 1:20 am
A psychiatrist is who you go to see for that sort of medication. However a year or two ago I was prescribed medication from a general medical doctor. I know you may not consider this so much but a therapist will work a lot better then any type of pill. In time pills will just eventually become useless when your body becomes immune to them so it’s best to talk to a professional about your anxiety. I have been seeing one for close to two years and it has helped tremendously. I’d highly recommend you ask your medical doctor for perhaps a referral.
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March 6th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Psychiatrist. Not Psychologist, but Psychiatrists. Psychiatrist is a medical doctor in addition to being a psychologist. They can prescribe something and do talk therapy with you. Antidepressants and sedative-like drugs, including everything between Luvox and Xanax and Prozac can be used for anxiety or depression. I’ve taken several different antidepressants/ mild sedatives before, it took a while before I found one that worked well. For me that was Zoloft, but keep in mind, different drugs work for different people.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
I don’t mean to criticize another answer but it is wrong to say that a “Psychiatrist is a medical doctor in addition to being a psychologist. They can prescribe something and do talk therapy with you.”
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D.), while a psychologist is a Ph.D. who went to graduate school specifically to study psychology. Many of them have specialities in child psychology, special education, etc.
Currently, the vast majority of psychiatrists have extensive training in psych meds. However, most of them have little or no training in practicing psychotherapy (talk therapy). I have seen psychiatrists and psytherapists for over ten years for major depression Psychiatrists function mostly just to prescribe medication. In some cases, if you are also seeing a therapist, the psychiatrist and the therapist will occasionally consult with each other to make sure you are receiving the best treatment.
If you know you specifically want anxiety meds, you should try to psychiatrist rather than a regular MD. The psychiatrist has much more experience in diagnosing and prescribing the best psych meds.
It might be a good idea to first check with a psychotherapist before seeing a psychiatrist. A licensed therapist can diagnose your problem and suggest treatment options. For example, psychotherapy might help you deal with anxiety. There are also alternative medicine approaches including yoga or other forms of exercise, plus proper foods and vitamins, and relaxation techniques.
The problem with seeing a psychiatrist first is that most of them have been trained to think that the answer is almost everything is pills. These meds have side effects while other, more natural remedies might be even more effective than pills. In complicated cases, research shows that therapy plus meds is better than meds alone or pills alone. Best wishes.