Months of Stress and Nothing Is Helping: Is It Time to Consider Medication?
Q: The past several months have been non-stop stressful for me. I’m not sleeping. I’ve been a hermit lately, not seeing friends and replacing former hobbies like working out and seeing friends with doomscrolling. I’m stressed about what’s going on in the news, and nothing I’m doing, including therapy, is getting me out of this funk. I’m wondering if medication might be worth considering.
A: What you’re describing is one of the most common things we are hearing in our practice right now. And, it’s not just from people with longstanding mental health concerns, but from normally “happy-go-lucky” adults whose usual coping strategies have been outpaced by a sustained period of stress.
When stress lasts long enough, it can evolve from being just psychological to also physiological. Sleep can be disrupted, mood can drop and become frayed, and our nervous system can stay activated even after a specific stressor resolves. At this point, trying harder can start to work against our biology.
For extended situational stress, poor sleep, and low or anxious mood, medication can support the therapy you are already doing, often as a time-limited booster. The goal is to help you stabilize so other supports and self-care efforts can work.
- What it can do: improve sleep, reduce persistent anxiety, and lift mood enough to function.
- What it is not: a substitute for therapy, rest, relationships, or healthy routines.
- What to expect: a discussion of options, side effects, and a plan to reassess, including when and how to stop if things improve.
Two concerns come up most often. The first is, “I do not want to feel unlike myself.” A good prescriber takes this seriously, and finding the right fit is a collaborative process. The second is worries about stopping later. For most people, discontinuing is straightforward, and tapering support is available if needed.
The most important thing to know is that a consultation is not a commitment. It is a conversation. You can gather information and decide from there.
A few months of poor sleep and feeling down is long enough to take seriously. Trust that instinct if it seems time to discuss your options with an expert.
Dr. Elizabeth Carr is the founder and clinical director of Kentlands Psychotherapy in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Previously printed in The Lakelands Leader in June of 2026.
Two concerns come up most often. The first is, “I do not want to feel unlike myself.” A good prescriber takes this seriously, and finding the right fit is a collaborative process. The second is worries about stopping later. For most people, discontinuing is straightforward, and tapering support is available if needed.
The most important thing to know is that a consultation is not a commitment. It is a conversation. You can gather information and decide from there.
A few months of poor sleep and feeling down is long enough to take seriously. Trust that instinct if it seems time to discuss your options with an expert.
Dr. Elizabeth Carr is the founder and clinical director of Kentlands Psychotherapy in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Previously printed in The Lakelands Leader in June of 2026.
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