If medication is an evidence-based recommendation for your condition we will discuss this with you and your parent/carer. We strongly believe that you should have a choice and we will respect your preference to have either medication alone, medication and therapy or therapy alone. However, we will make a recommendation about which we feel would be best or whether we feel starting with therapy before moving to medication could be the most helpful. This can be used as a guide for your decision but we will respect whatever decision you come to.
There is no such thing as a completely safe and effective medication. Medication for mental health conditions can have side effects or may not be helpful for the symptoms being experienced. We will discuss and provide written information on side effects and the positive impact we would be looking for by providing medication. To help reduce the possibility of side effects we always start at a low dose before titrating up to a therapeutic level. This is particularly important for those with ASD as they tend to be more sensitive to mental health medications.
To prescribe medications we will always need to inform your NHS GP (and private GP if you have one). This helps to ensure there are no other medications prescribed which could interact or be contraindicated. It also means that if an emergency should occur the NHS will have an accurate list of your medications. If you are at boarding school where the medication will be given we will also need to inform the school.
The Amber Tree do not prescribe benzodiazepines such as diazepam as these can easily become addictive and unhelpful. We also do not prescribe sex hormone treatment or blockers for those who are transgender as these require a specialist assessment and treatment package that we are not able to provide.