Being Overmedicated?

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I have run into a few psychiatric prescribers (a doctor and a nurse practitioner) in my time who have loved to over medicate their patients. Both were related to a certain large psychiatric practice in my town. I believe they truly wanted to do good, but they didn't know how to help anyone other than throwing more drugs at them. It ended up with an entire group of people in an outpatient treatment program walking around like drugged zombies. I succumbed also to the pressure to take more and more medication, before finally ending up on a combination of medications which are almost exactly what I was on before. So what are the signs that you are being over medicated by a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner? First, there is a heavy push by them to take more medication – even if your symptoms are under control or close to under control. They may also look at medication as the ultimate solution and not encourage you to seek counseling or other treatments as well. Also, they may ignore you when you report side effects from the medications they have you on. I experienced that quite a few times and had to insist on getting off a couple medications due to the side effects. I am not anti-medication by any means. I'm simply trying to express that you need to be careful when working with medication providers. Research medications and don't be afraid to speak up if you feel something isn't right. If your doctor isn't listening to you – go elsewhere!