Who can prescribe anxiety medication? 5 important facts about medication management and virtual psychiatry

If you’re having trouble managing your anxiety on your own, consider talking to a provider. It might not be easy to open up to someone about how you’re feeling, but a health care professional can assess your condition and suggest potential treatment options that may help you manage your symptoms. At Psychiatry Treatment Centers, we help patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and other mental health conditions. 

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the things you should know about medication management, virtual psychiatry and more.

1. Only certain providers can prescribe medication.

Before seeking care, start by learning who can prescribe anxiety medication. Generally, prescriptive authority depends on a health care professional’s level of education or specialty. In some cases, state law specifies whether your preferred provider has full or partial prescriptive authority, they need additional training, or physician oversight is required. Below is a recap of who can prescribe medications in our practice, as well as some examples of the providers who cannot.

Providers who can prescribe medication:

• Physician assistants (PAs)
• Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs)
• Psychiatrists (MDs/DOs)

Providers who cannot prescribe medication:

• Marriage and family therapists
• Clinical social workers
• Licensed professional counselors

If the provider you usually see can’t prescribe an anti-anxiety medication, you can ask them to refer you to an appropriate health care professional.  

2. Several medications are used to treat anxiety.

Currently, there isn’t a medicine to cure an anxiety disorder. However, several medications are available to treat the symptoms of anxiety, helping people find the relief they need to function daily. These medications commonly include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — SSRIs are antidepressants that modulate the serotonin activity in the brain, which are first-line treatments for improving anxiety symptoms.

• Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) — Another medication that may aid in mood regulation, SNRIs are antidepressants that modify both the serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain.

• Azapirones (buspirone) — Buspirone (Buspar) may be used as a monotherapy or in conjunction with an SSRI or SNRI for GAD.

• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) — TCAs work similarly to SNRIs, but they aren’t as widely prescribed because of their potential side effects.

• Benzodiazepines — Benzos (e.g., diazepam [Valium], alprazolam [Xanax]) help decrease nervous system activity, but they’re usually prescribed as short-term agents due to their addictive potential.

• Beta-blockers — Beta-blockers may be prescribed to help reduce some of the physical symptoms of anxiety (e.g., rapid heartbeat, trembling).

• Antihistamines (hydroxyzine) — Sometimes used as an alternative to benzos, hydroxyzine may help with symptoms related to anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia.

3. Some anxiety medications may work better than others.

One medication that works well for someone else may not be the ideal one for you. Your provider will discuss the anxiety medications available, how they’re designed to help, as well as any potential side effects. Some of the things that could affect how well your body responds to a particular medication include:

• The severity of your symptoms
• Co-occurring mental health conditions
• Other medications you’re taking
• Social, emotional and lifestyle factors
• Your physical health
• Drug and alcohol use

It’s also worth noting that it may take a little trial and error before you’ve found the ideal medication and dosage to help you manage your symptoms.

4. You can get a prescription via telehealth.

Did you know that you might not need to see your provider in person to get a prescription for anxiety? Many mental health providers offer telehealth services, which help increase their patients’ access to care. They can perform mental health screenings, prescribe medications and help with medication management during virtual therapy sessions with their patients. 

In some cases, your provider may still need to see you in person. Ask about their virtual psychiatry policies to see if this option could help you throughout your mental health journey.

5. Medication may be recommended alongside other treatments.

Medication management and psychotherapy are the two primary treatments for anxiety disorders. Medications help you manage your symptoms, so you can focus on making various lifestyle changes and applying different coping strategies. After your diagnosis, you and your mental health provider can work together to figure out if you could benefit from one method or a combination of both. 

If therapy and medication alone have proven unsuccessful, your provider may suggest other options, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the specific areas of your brain related to your condition. This is an FDA-approved option for treatment-resistant depression, as well as treatment-resistant depression with anxious features (anxious depression). It’s also used to treat treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is an anxiety-related condition. 

Ask PTC Med about in-person and virtual anxiety treatment

Anxiety disorders can make it difficult to manage your emotions and navigate everyday situations, but help is available. If your symptoms are getting in the way of your daily life, we encourage you to reach out to PTC Med. Based in California and Georgia, we offer convenient telehealth options. You’ll be paired with a member of our experienced care team who will assess your mental health condition and create a personalized treatment plan to address your symptoms.

Are you ready to take control of your anxiety disorder? Reach out to our team by phone today for more information or to schedule an appointment. You can also book your initial appointment online now.