Medication management in Sacramento
A proper psychiatric evaluation first, then ongoing care with a clinician who tracks whether it is working.
The basics
What medication management means here
A proper psychiatric evaluation first, then ongoing care with a clinician who tracks whether the medication is actually working. We score the same standardized measures at every visit, so changing a dose is a decision rather than a guess.
If you have not tried medication for depression yet, this is the least invasive place to begin, and roughly half of people improve on a first well-chosen antidepressant. What matters is that somebody evaluates properly at the start and then measures whether it is doing anything.
The alternative, which most people arriving here have already lived through, is a prescription refilled for years without anyone asking whether it helped. That is the part we do differently.
How care runs
The first visit, and every visit after
Sixty minutes to start, then twenty to thirty every four to eight weeks, in person or by video.
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1
A 60-minute psychiatric evaluation
Your history, what you have already tried, what happened each time, and what your symptoms look like now. We score standardized measures so there is a baseline number to compare against later.
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2
A plan you hear explained out loud
What we recommend, why, what to expect from it, and what the alternatives are. If a medication is not the right answer for you, we say so and tell you what is.
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3
Follow-ups that measure, not guess
Every four to eight weeks with the same clinician, scoring the same measures each time. Changing a dose becomes a decision based on a number that moved, or did not.
If it is not working
When a third medication is not the answer
Do not stop anything on your own. Any change is a decision your provider makes with you, at a pace that is safe.
Once two antidepressants at an adequate dose and duration have failed, the odds that a third one will work are meaningfully lower, and treatments that act through a different mechanism become the better bet. That situation has a name, treatment-resistant depression, and it is the specific criterion insurers use to approve other options.
Being in one practice matters here. If medication is not getting you there, TMS therapy and Spravato are down the same hallway rather than a referral to a stranger, and a provider can move you between them or combine them.
Medication management is covered like a standard psychiatry visit. We verify your benefits before anything is scheduled.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about medication
If your question is not here, call (916) 800-4363 and a person will answer.
Yes. Medication management starts with a proper 60-minute psychiatric evaluation, then ongoing care with the same clinician rather than a rotating roster. We score standardized measures at every visit, so changing a dose is a decision rather than a guess.
With medication management. It is the least invasive place to begin, and roughly half of people improve on a first well-chosen antidepressant. We evaluate properly, then actually measure whether it is working.
Every four to eight weeks, about 20 to 30 minutes each, in person or by video. The first evaluation takes about an hour.
Once two antidepressants at an adequate dose and duration have failed, the odds that a third will work are meaningfully lower, and treatments that act through a different mechanism become the better bet. That is exactly the situation TMS and Spravato are FDA-cleared for.
Do not stop anything on your own. TMS is typically done while you continue your current medication, and stopping abruptly can cause withdrawal effects. Any change is a decision your provider makes with you, at a pace that is safe.
Yes, and most patients do. We can manage the interventional treatment while your existing prescriber continues your medication, or take over both, whichever you prefer. We coordinate with them either way, with your permission.
Start with a real
evaluation
The consultation is free. Bring what you have already tried, and a provider will tell you honestly where to start and what to expect.