b'Your treatment plan will be unique to you. If your doctor recommends medication,what type of medication will depend on a variety of factors, from your age to yourMS symptoms. For example, if you have MS fatigue, your doctor will avoid sedatingmedications. On the other hand, if you have insomnia in addition to your mentalhealth concern, a medication that has a sedative eect may help you with both problems. If you are prescribed a medication, make sure to ask questions about what to expect: What time of day should I take this medication? How am I likely to feel after I take it? What side eects should I be concerned about and how should I manage them ifthey occur? How long will the medication take to become eective? How will I know if the medication is eective? What changes should I expect?ConditionTreatmentDepression A combination of antidepressants and counseling.Anxiety Antianxiety and/or antidepressant medication, or counselingPseudobulbar AectOne medication is approved for PBAPersonality ChangesBehavioral therapyBipolar Disorder Medication may include mood-stabilizers, antidepressants,or antipsychotics Some medications have dual uses. Dont be surprised if your doctor diagnosesyou with anxiety but prescribes a drug that is considered an antidepressant, ordiagnoses you with bipolar disorder but prescribes an antipsychotic. This does notmean the doctor has changed your diagnosis. The medication can treat bothconditions. Finding the right psychiatric medication can involve some trial and error. Thesemedications alter your neurochemistry, the balance of which is unique to you. Yourdoctor will typically start you at a low dose of medication and increase the dose ifyou tolerate the drug well and it is beginning to help. If you have intolerable sideeects or dont see a benet, the doctor will switch you to a new medication.Some mental health providers are now using a form of genetic testing that canprovide insight into which drugs are likely to work well for you. If your doctorprovides this service, that can take some of the guesswork out of nding the rightmedication. However, be sure your insurance will cover the test before you take it.Insurance companies often do cover genetic testing, but this is a new application ofthe technology and it may not be addressed in your policy documents. Your doctormay have to ask for preauthorization. If your doctor recommends mental health counseling, that will also be tailoredto your personal needs. There are many dierent types of counseling available, eachwith their own methods and uses. Here are just a few in common use.15'