When Is Medication Appropriate in Recovery

It’s not uncommon for people in early recovery to look at any kind of ongoing medication in recovery with a measure of suspicion. It’s also not uncommon to hear of well-intentioned people in anonymous support groups telling others that they should never be on any kind of medication at all. So what’s the truth? More specifically, what’s the best course for you? Roc & Doc talk more about that in this episode.

There are too many variables to count and speaking about this issue in a general way greatly limits the amount of specific and personal information we can offer you as an individual. But there are some universal truths that apply to assessing whether or not some properly prescribed medications would benefit you.

We suppose the first thing to note is that there are appropriate medications for people with unique issues in recovery should they make such a choice. We reject the notion that people in recovery should never be on any kind of medication whatsoever. We won’t impugn the motives of people who say such things, but we must challenge the assertion.

The first best thing a person can do if they need to make choices about medications is to be assessed an appropriately qualified professional.

Non-addictive medications, when used in conjunction with psychosocial treatment, can increase the likelihood of a successful recovery. Medications often play an important but ancillary role in treatment. The goal is to reduce the physical discomfort that distracts from doing the psychological work of recovery. At Kolmac, we use medications that have substantial evidence of effectiveness. You can see a list of effective medications here.