Our Philosophy on Psychopharmacology

**Our Psychopharmacology services are Currently Largely limited to psychotherapy patients of the practice.**

Sometimes, medication is a crucial component in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Since different treatments work for different conditions, effective care begins with a comprehensive evaluation, education about treatment options, and a shared decision-making process to determine an optimal path to follow.

Our psychiatrist has expertise in the coordination, monitoring, and adjustment of treatments that include the use of medications. He brings a wealth of experience, a commitment to the individual needs of adolescent (16+) and adult patients, and brings a collaborative approach to helping parents determine when and how medications should be a part of a minor’s treatment.

Our office does not allow visits from pharmaceutical salespeople because we rely on scientific information, not marketing, to decide what treatment is best for you. This policy also means that we don’t provide drug samples. “Free” drug samples cost you money. Samples are only available for the most expensive, most-promoted drugs, and are a tactic to get you to use drugs that may not be the best therapy for you.

Additionally, at this point, our office is not offering gene testing for antidepressant and other psychiatric medication for treatment decision-making. It is our opinion, based on the available research, as well as our own beta testing, that although the science of pharmacogenetic testing is appealing and holds promise, for a number of reasons, more work needs to be done before we will be comfortable relying on it to guide treatment decisions. From the American Medical Association’s task force on this question,  “Although some of the preliminary published data sound promising…there is insufficient evidence to support widespread use of combinatorial pharmacogenetic decision support tools at this point in time.” (4/25/18) Should we determine that a change in the state of the science warrants offering this service we will update this page with details.

Due to the high demand for services, our psychiatrists are currently available exclusively to the psychotherapy patients of Kentlands Psychotherapy for diagnostic evaluations, second opinions on the use of a particular medication or diagnostic clarification, drug taper and discontinuation protocols, and ongoing medication management in the treatment of adolescents and adults. Please speak with your Kentlands’ therapist about your needs and how a psychopharmacology consultation can help in your care and how to book an initial medical evaluation appointment.

Medication Management Fees

Tips for Keeping Your Medication Management Charges Down

• If you need your medication right away, make sure your pharmacy of choice has it in stock before contacting us, then when we let you know it’s been called in, please pick-up your meds as soon as possible to reduce the chance they run out and you have to request we call another pharmacy.
• Before contacting us for a refill, please check your prescription bottle to make sure you don’t have any more refills still remaining.
• During your appointments, make sure you have adequate prescriptions with refills that will last until your next appointment.

If you are not a client of Kentlands Psychotherapy, and you are looking for standalone medication management or psychopharmacology services, we recommend individual adults consider Old Georgetown Mental Health Associates located at 10215 Fernwood Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817. You can contact them at (301)- 897-0099. They are a large practice with several excellent psychiatrists.