Beyond Healthcare provides exceptional outpatient mental health care to adolescents, teens, and families in Toledo, Ohio. We address individual needs to heal the mind, body, and spirit through our holistic approach to treatment. For some, medication is part of our comprehensive approach, including counseling and community. We understand that there is a stigma attached to mental health medication that often prevents people from receiving the benefits of medication. Our medication therapy management program is one way we work to reduce the stigma and ensure the safety of the use of medications.
When recommended for an adolescent, teen, or parent, we thoroughly explain the medication’s benefits and potential risks. We do not pressure families into using medicine but provide the information and support needed to make an informed decision. Contact our team at 833.698.0453 to learn more about medication therapy management.
What Is Medication Therapy Management (MTM)?
Medication therapy management (MTM) was developed following the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. MTM incorporates a broad range of services provided by a pharmacist or other qualified healthcare provider to optimize therapeutic outcomes for individual patients. Through MTM, qualified providers, such as Beyond Healthcare’s psychiatrists and nurse practitioners, ensure that the medication best fits your adolescent and their needs and achieve the best possible outcomes.
Four significant benefits of medication management therapy are:
- Conducting timely, comprehensive medication reviews to identify, solve, or prevent potential complications
- Providing education and training about the proper use of medications
- Communicating essential information to other primary care providers
- Monitoring and evaluating the response to medication, including safety and effectiveness
A Look at Medication Therapy Management Examples
At Beyond Healthcare, we take medication therapy management seriously. Our expert nurse practitioners and psychiatrists are highly skilled at understanding the nuances between medications, how different medications interact, and how even small changes to dosages or the timing of dosages can have significant impacts.
Examples of how medication therapy management works include:
- Performing or obtaining adolescent health assessments
- Formulating a medication treatment plan
- Integrating MTM with broader treatment services
Correctly taking medication is crucial to its effectiveness. We understand that adolescents and teens may be averse to taking medication and are at higher risk of missed doses and non-compliance. We support parents in their critical role of helping adolescents and teens adhere to medication regimens.
Tips for Helping Adolescents and Teens Maintain Medication Adherence
There are numerous reasons your adolescent or teen may object to taking medications. Typical objections include:
- The medication tastes bad or is difficult to swallow
- Side effects like feeling nauseous, jittery, or “weird”
- Thinking they do not need the medication or that it does not help
- The medicine is an unpleasant reminder that they are sick
- They feel shame or embarrassment about needing medication
Medication therapy management helps address all of these concerns. Often, the solutions are simple and can work through minor adjustments. Behavior modification techniques are beneficial to medication adherence. If you struggle to get your adolescent or teen to take their medication, consider these tips:
- Provide incentives or rewards for medication adherence
- Keep medicines in a safe place and in sight for a visual reminder
- Set alarms on phones or other devices
- Combine taking medication with another daily habit such as brushing teeth
- For multiple medicines, use a pillbox so that everything is easily accessible
- Plan ahead for changes in routine, such as vacations
- Make sure prescriptions do not run out, and you have enough for home and school
Not everyone needs medication to heal from mental health issues. For those who require it, medication therapy management can offer peace of mind that a adolescent or teen is on the proper medication and it is working safely and effectively. Education provided through MTM helps eliminate misinformation and reduce stigma.
Learn More About Medication Therapy Management at Beyond Healthcare
At Beyond Healthcare, medication is not viewed as a quick fix but is one component of our comprehensive approach to holistic mental health care for adolescents, teens, and families. We consider each person who comes to us for treatment as an individual with unique needs and personalize their treatment. Our flexible scheduling strives to meet adolescents and families where they are to promote healing and growth.
Contact Beyond Healthcare today at 833.698.0453 to learn more about medication therapy management and our outpatient mental health services.
