Psychiatric
Services, S.C.
Medication FAQ
How long does it take for medication to work? What if I have unexpected changes?
Most medications require an adjustment period. Do not make changes in your medication without talking to your provider. Call if you have questions about how to take your medication or have unexpected difficulties. If your condition changes and it has been more than a month since you met with your provider, be sure to schedule an appointment when you call with your concerns. Your provider will get back to you about next steps.
How often will I meet with my prescriber?
After prescribing medication, your progress will be monitored through regular follow-up appointments. Direct assessment of your response to medication is critical for effective treatment. Even when you feel stable, it is medically necessary for you to attend regular appointments. Please schedule follow-up appointments at the end of each appointment. Time between appointments varies. If you haven’t had an appointment in 4-6 months and need a prescription renewal, your provider may authorize only a limited supply so that you can schedule an appointment before running out of medication.
How do I renew my prescription?
Ideally, you will leave every appointment with a prescription for enough refills to last until the next scheduled appointment. (That’s why its a good idea to schedule your follow-up at the end of each appointment.) To facilitate easy renewals, bring your pill bottles or a list of medications to each appointment.
Please allow 3-5 business days to process routine prescription renewals. If you use a mail-order pharmacy, it may take 2 weeks or more to receive your refill after we process the request. Stimulants and other controlled substances take longer to process and require special handling. Skip to next question to learn more about stimulants.
If you need to renew a prescription before your next appointment, contact your pharmacy. They will send a refill request to your provider and may be able to provide an emergency supply of medication.
If you switch to a new pharmacy, ask them to transfer all remaining refills from your original pharmacy before requesting new prescriptions from your provider.
DO NOT use “Automatic Refill” services. They are convenient for the pharmacy but can be costly and a safety issue. An automatic refill may be for medication that was tried with poor results. It also may not reflect dose changes, stopping a medication, or starting a new medication. Inaccurate refills are not only a safety concern, you have to pay for medication you don’t use. A pharmacy will not refund the cost of a prescription once the bottle leaves the counter.
How do I renew my stimulant?
Stimulant prescriptions are regulated by federal and state law. They must be written or electronically prescribed and may not be telephoned or faxed. Wisconsin mandates the maximum number of doses to 90 days. However, most pharmacies and insurance companies limit it even further to 30 days. After an effective dose has been established, you will likely need to obtain a prescription between appointments. Please allow 3-5 business days (not including holidays or weekends) to process and send an electronic prescription to your preferred pharmacy. Please allow 10 business days to have a paper prescription ready for pick up at the office or mailed to you or a pharmacy.
You are responsible for the security of all controlled substances including stimulant medication. Requests for an early refill or replacement prescription on any controlled substances will be considered on a case by case basis. Approval for these requests includes review of state and federal regulations as well as the clinical judgment of the provider. Controlled substances will not be renewed after clinic hours.
What if I run out of medication?
Prescription refills are not emergencies and will be handled during clinic hours. Contact your pharmacy to obtain a short-term refill of your medication if you expect to run out of medication before a refill request can be processed at our clinic during regular business hours. Stimulants and controlled substances are not eligible for short-term refills.
I need lab tests. What do I do?
Blood Tests for medication levels:
A blood test will determine if your medication is toxic, in the therapeutic range, or can be safely increased. The best measures are obtained during a ‘trough’ that occurs 12 hours after taking medication. Do your best to schedule lab tests 11-13 hours after the usual time you take your medication. Most outpatient labs are open 7 AM to 5 PM. Hospitals and some urgent care labs are open 24 hours.
If you take medication only in the evening, plan on taking it at your usual time and schedule your lab appointment 12 hours later. (For example, if you typically take medication at 10 PM, schedule your lab apportionment for 10 AM.)
If you take medication in the morning, it is best to use hospitals or 24-hour urgent care facilities. Then you can plan on taking your medication at the usual time and schedule an appointment 12 hours later. (For example, if you typically take medication at 8 AM, schedule your lab appointment for 8 PM.) If your insurance requires using an outpatient clinic, schedule the latest available appointment, then use an alarm to wake up and take your medication 12 hours before the appointment. (For example, if your lab appointment is at 4 PM, wake up and take your medication at 4 AM. Go back to sleep if you want. But don’t take your morning medication again until the next day.)
If you take medication twice a day, try to schedule your lab appointment just before you would typically take your morning medication. Do the lab test and then take your medication. (For example, if you normally take medication at 10 PM and 10 AM, schedule a lab appointment for 9:30 AM. Bring your medication with you and take it as soon as you are done.) For some medications, your provider may want a blood test done in the afternoon or evening. Even if that disrupts your typical schedule, don’t take your medication until after your lab appointment.
Urinalysis, Glucose, Lipid Panel:
These tests are usually scheduled early in the morning after fasting from food and having minimal water for 8-12 hours. However, not all of these tests require that in order to be accurate. If fasting or reducing water consumption is difficult for you, please confirm with your provider how to assure the most accurate results.
EEG:
Results are most accurate if you do not sleep for 24 hours before the test. If that is too difficult, do your best to keep sleep to a maximum of 4 hours. Report your actual sleep time to the lab technician.
Thyroid (TSH, T3, T4):
Do not take morning Synthroid, L-Thyroxine, or Cytomel until after lab is drawn.
EKG:
Call the hospital or clinic to arrange appointment time.