Who it is for
People whose medication is not helping enough or causes side effects; people for whom prescriptions have accumulated over the years; people who have been on an antidepressant, a tranquilliser or a sleeping tablet for longer than anyone intended and would like to come off it safely; and people who simply wonder whether they still need what they take.
What the review covers
- Current and past medication: what was started, why, and what each change did.
- Benefits, side effects, interactions, and what you want from treatment.
- Relevant physical health and the checks each medicine needs.
- Your psychiatric history: earlier diagnoses, episodes and treatments, and how each turned out.
Dr Szigeti
I am as ready to reduce medication as to change it. A medicine that is no longer helping should not be taken for years out of habit or fear. Reduction is planned, gradual and paced to you, never abrupt, with your GP kept informed at every step.
Reducing or stopping medication
- Antidepressants. Stopping too fast causes withdrawal symptoms that are easily mistaken for relapse. We reduce in small steps over weeks or months, slowing down at the lowest doses, with a plan for what to do if symptoms return.
- Tranquillisers and sleeping tablets. Long-term use brings tolerance, memory problems and falls, and stopping abruptly is unsafe. A gradual, supported reduction over months, with sleep and anxiety addressed in their own right.
- Accumulated psychotropic prescriptions. When several psychotropic medicines — medicines for mental health — have been added over the years, we work out which are still earning their place and remove the others one at a time, so that the effect of each change is clear.
- Staying on. Sometimes the honest answer is that a medicine is doing its job and should continue. You will hear that too, with the reasons.
What you receive
- A clear explanation of what each medication is doing for you, and a shared plan for any change — optimisation or reduction — with a written reduction schedule where one is agreed.
- A written summary and, with your consent, a letter to your GP.
- Thirty-minute follow-ups while a change is made, closer together at the steps that need them.
All treatment options are discussed with you before anything is prescribed, reduced or started, including their risks and benefits. Never stop or change a psychiatric medicine on your own.
Already diagnosed elsewhere?
If you have a diagnosis from another clinic or from the public service — depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD or another condition — and need a psychiatrist to continue your prescribing and monitoring, this is the appointment to book. Bring your diagnostic report and your medication history: Dr Szigeti reviews the diagnosis and your current treatment and takes over from there, with thirty-minute follow-ups and your GP kept informed.
Fees
| Appointment | Fee |
|---|---|
| Medication review and reduction, one hour | €500 |
| Follow-up appointment, thirty minutes | €180 |
Laya Healthcare, Vhi, Irish Life and other insurers may cover part of the cost. Fees and insurance