Learning to Cope With Stress Can Improve How Your Psychiatric Medications Work

Chronic stress not only affects your mental health and how your body functions. When you are constantly on edge and feeling stressed all the time, it impacts almost every aspect of your life and can even impact how your medications work. Learning how to manage stress can help you to feel better AND can help your medications to work more effectively. It is a win-win. You can learn to cope more effectively with your stress AND improve the way your body responds to medications.

Chronic Stress: Are There Consequences?

Stress is a natural, unavoidable part of life. When we feel threatened our body will release cortisol and other stress hormones. While some stress can be natural, chronic stress is not. This type of stress affects the way your brain functions, creates inflammation and can even impact chemicals in your brain, such as serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters are often targeted by psychiatric medications. If they are negatively impacted by stress it can make it harder for your medications to do their jobs.

Chronic stress can also worsen symptoms of mental illness such as anxiety and depression. It can increase the likelihood that your symptoms will increase or you will experience a relapse. When we are feeling stressed at all times it is difficult to stay motivated and do the things we know we need to do to feel better. Staying consistent with medications often falls by the wayside. Medications can’t work if you don’t take them.

Stress and Your Liver

Stress can affect how your liver breaks down medications. Chronic stress can impact enzymes in your liver, especially those involved in drug metabolism (e.g., CYP450 enzymes). When this happens your liver may break down medications more quickly or even at a slower rate. Either way, it can impact the efficacy of your medication.

When our stress level is high it can feel difficult to do much of anything. We can feel paralyzed and stuck, unable to do the things we know we need to do to feel our best. Taking medications consistently can be one of the things we simply feel unable to do.

Learning to Respond Differently

Learning how to better manage your stress can help you to feel better mentally and physically. You can begin coping more effectively with stress by:

1. Improving your sleep
2. Exercising
3. Engaging in evidenced based therapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
4. Using breathing and relaxation techniques
5. Making sure you are eating “healthy” as in getting enough vitamins and nutrients
6. Staying hydrated
7. Doing things you enjoy

Making healthier lifestyle choices can do wonders when it comes to stress management, but it can be difficult to make these changes on your own. Therapy can help.

Therapy and Medication Management: The Collaborative Approach You Deserve

You cannot rely on medication alone. When your treatment plan involves other approaches and interventions such as stress management, healthy lifestyle changes and therapy you can begin to see real results. Everyone is unique, your symptoms are unique and you deserve to find providers who address your needs from a collaborative approach.

Carolina Counseling Services in Southern Pines, NC contracts with skilled licensed psychiatric professionals and therapists. You don’t have to choose between therapy and psychiatric medications with CCS. You can find providers to meet all your needs. Providers are in network with most major insurances including Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) and many more. Call now to schedule your first appointment!