Why the therapist needs to know
Your therapist tracks changes in your presentation over time. Knowing whether changes are medication-related versus therapy-related helps calibration. Some symptoms (early jitters, temporary anxiety spike) can be misread as clinical worsening without medication context. Therapy techniques can be adjusted based on medication effects — some approaches work better when medication is providing a stable baseline.
What to tell them
Your specific medication (name is fine — you do not need pharmacology). Dose if you know it. When you started. How it has been going. Any recent changes or planned changes. Any side effects affecting therapy engagement (drowsiness during sessions, cognitive changes, sexual side effects). If you started an antidepressant during therapy, mention it at the next session — do not wait.
What the conversation might cover
How the medication is affecting your presentation. Whether therapy work is being retained between sessions. Whether specific side effects (blunting, cognitive fog) are affecting therapy engagement. Coordination with the prescribing doctor — some therapists communicate directly with the prescriber (with your permission) for continuity. Any concerns you have about the medication that the therapist can help think through, though the prescriber remains the clinical decision-maker.
What to flag to your prescriber
- A therapist who dismisses medication concerns as outside their scope in a way that feels unhelpful.
- Any tension between therapist and prescriber messages — worth clarifying.
- Withholding information from your therapist because of stigma or embarrassment.
- Sexual side effects or intimate concerns you may find hard to raise.
Related reading: Antidepressants Alongside Therapy: What the Evidence Shows and When Medication Makes Therapy Work Better.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell my therapist about my antidepressant?
You are not legally required, but it is genuinely useful information for the therapy work. Therapists ask because it matters clinically.
Will my therapist judge me for being on medication?
Professional therapists work alongside medication regularly. Any therapist who judges you for being on evidence-supported treatment is not the right therapist.
Should my therapist talk to my prescriber?
With your consent, this can be useful — particularly for coordinated care. You control whether this happens.
Evidence and sources referenced
- NICE Guideline NG222 — Depression in adults: treatment and management (United Kingdom).
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) — Clinical Practice Guidelines for Mood Disorders.
- NPS MedicineWise — patient and prescriber resources on antidepressants (Australia).
- Royal College of Psychiatrists — patient information on antidepressants.
- TGA and FDA — product information for SSRI and SNRI classes.
- Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry.
Keep a calmer record of the first 90 days
If you want a calmer way to keep a short daily record across the first 90 days, Causiq is being built for exactly that. Join the waitlist at causiq.com.au.
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