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You may have side effects...that generally does go away.

Dr. Tonya Masino (Psychiatrist) describes PTSD treatment.

Transcript

After the initial visit, if we decide that medication is

something worth trying, there's a number of things

that I would recommend with respect to taking medication.

One thing is that it's important to take medication every day,

and so it becomes very helpful to

set up a way to remind yourself to take your medication.

That can be difficult for some people.

Another thing is that you may have side effects,

particularly early on.

In the first week or two, it's common to experience some mild

side effects from medication,

maybe a little bit of a headache,

maybe a little bit of upset stomach, some sleep changes.

That generally does go away after the first week or two,

so I would say try to push through that if you can.

However, if you're experiencing side effects that are

significant, it's OK to stop the medication

if you haven't been taking it very long.

If you've been on a medication for weeks or more,

you don't want to stop it without talking to your doctor.

However, if you're starting a new medication,

I tell people if it's not setting well with you,

it's OK to stop it, and then call your doctor

and talk about what another alternative might be.

I think it's very important for people to be able to

have the power and control, when it comes to medication,

of being able to stop it if they're having difficulties.

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