Medication is one tool among several in addiction and dual-diagnosis treatment. Used well, it stabilizes mood, reduces cravings, supports trauma processing, and makes the therapeutic work more accessible. Used poorly, it produces side effects, dependency, or relapse. RECO Intensive's psychiatric medication-management service is what separates careful medical care from drive-by prescribing.
What medication management looks like at RECO Intensive
Every client meets with our board-certified psychiatric provider within the first week of treatment. The session is a comprehensive psychiatric assessment — medication history, current symptoms, addiction history, family psychiatric history, prior trials and responses. The treatment-plan medication strategy is written, shared with the clinical team, and reviewed weekly in the multi-disciplinary case meeting.
What we manage
- Mood disorders — depression, bipolar disorder, persistent depressive disorder
- Anxiety disorders — generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, PTSD
- ADHD — including coordination with non-stimulant alternatives where appropriate
- Sleep — non-addictive medication strategies for the sleep disruption common in early recovery
- MAT (Medication-Assisted Treatment) — buprenorphine, naltrexone, Vivitrol, acamprosate, disulfiram
- Co-occurring medical conditions — coordinated with internal medical team and outside providers
- Psychiatric medication tapers — for clients reducing or transitioning medications
The clinical philosophy
Medication is appropriate when the evidence and clinical picture support it. It's not the first thing we try for everything, but it's also not avoided ideologically. We don't pressure clients onto medication; we don't pressure clients off medication. The decision is collaborative, evidence-informed, and revisited as the clinical picture evolves.
How medication management integrates with the rest of treatment
Your psychiatric provider attends the weekly multi-disciplinary case meeting — talking to your primary therapist, case manager, medical director, and family clinician. Medication decisions never happen in isolation from the therapy work. Changes are coordinated, communicated, and tracked across the team.
Coordination with outside prescribers (your previous psychiatrist, primary care provider, pain specialist) is standard with your consent — no one wants conflicting prescriptions, and discharge planning includes warm handoff to ongoing psychiatric care.
Who this serves
Every RECO client meets with our psychiatric provider at minimum for assessment. Many clients require ongoing medication management throughout treatment — those with significant co-occurring conditions, MAT clients, clients on complex medication regimens, clients transitioning between medications.
Why RECO's medication management is different
Many addiction programs use outside psychiatric consultation — a short appointment with a contracted psychiatrist who doesn't know the client. Ours is a board-certified provider on the active treatment team, integrated with weekly case review, available for ongoing coordination. The continuity and integration are what produce real clinical results rather than just prescriptions.