The right medication can make all the difference.

If prescribed, your psychiatric provider will send your prescription to a local pharmacy for your convenience.

Anxiety and depression are complicated. In order to make sure you’re on the right treatment and making progress, we’ll ask you to do periodic check-ins to tell us how you’re doing. You and your provider will use this information to track your progress over time and make any necessary adjustments, ensuring you get the best outcome.

Studies have shown that antidepressants are effective at relieving symptoms of depression—70% of Brightside members respond positively to their first prescribed medication, with 75% experiencing remission.

While antidepressants have proven to be effective, there are always ways to enhance their effect:

1. Our unique approach of using 100+ data points (such as symptom clusters & personal characteristics) and AI technology helps our providers deliver even better outcomes by pinpointing the right medication/dosage combo faster.
2. Consistently measuring progress allows you and your psychiatric provider to make informed decisions and any necessary adjustments to your treatment, if necessary. We offer Proactive Progress Tracking so you can visually see the improvement you’re making with Brightside.
3. Adding additional treatments, such as therapy, as part of a comprehensive care plan commonly leads to better outcomes as well. If you’re interested in adding therapy to your plan, learn more here.

Antidepressants can have rare but serious side effects. It’s important to understand these risks before taking antidepressants and to contact your psychiatric provider immediately if you experience any of these serious side effects.

The FDA has issued a black box warning for SSRIs and similar medications. These medications may increase suicidal thoughts or behavior, particularly in people age 24 or younger. Watch out for worsening of mood, behavior, or suicidal thoughts, especially during the first few months of treatment. Seek help right away if you experience any of these changes. If you are ever in crisis, dial 911 or visit your nearest emergency department. You can also dial 988 to connect with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Serotonin Syndrome is a rare but life threatening condition where there is too much serotonin active in the brain. Symptoms include fast heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, fever, and confusion. Do not take MAOIs, TCAs, St. John’s Wort, amphetamines, sumatriptan, or linezolid with SSRIs. See a doctor right away if you experience any of these symptoms while taking your medication.

The risk of gastrointestinal bleeding may be increased when SSRIs are combined with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Common NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), and celecoxib (Celebrex).

Depressive symptoms can occasionally be the first manifestation of the up and down cycle between depression and mania in bipolar disorder. If you experience symptoms of mania, such as feeling so good or so hyper that people think you are not acting your normal self, that you don’t need to sleep very much, or that thoughts race through your head and you can’t slow your mind down, you should talk to your doctor immediately.

SSRIs may be associated with increased risk of birth defects. If you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or breastfeeding, consult your doctor about weighing the risks and benefits of taking antidepressants.

Some antidepressants may impair your ability to perform tasks requiring judgment or motor and cognitive skills. Exercise caution and refrain from dangerous activities, especially when starting your medication.

Hyponatremia (low levels of sodium in the blood) may occur as a result of treatment. Symptoms include mental changes, headache, nausea and vomiting, muscle spasms, and seizures. See a doctor right away if you experience any of these symptoms while taking your medication.

Taking SSRIs can cause mild pupillary dilation, which in susceptible individuals, can lead to an episode of angle closure glaucoma. Patients may wish to be examined to determine whether they are susceptible to angle closure, and have a prophylactic procedure (e.g., iridectomy), if they are susceptible.

Receiving psychiatric care from Brightside is a simple process:

1. Complete a quick questionnaire: Answer a few questions about yourself, then we’ll connect you to a dedicated provider.
2. Get the right treatment for you: If medication is prescribed, your provider will help pinpoint which one is the most effective for you, then send it to your pharmacy of choice (mail order pharmacies included).
3. Track how you feel: Weekly check-ins will help you keep track of your symptoms and any side effects, giving your provider data to make adjustments if necessary.
4. View your progress: Watch your scores and overall well-being improve along the way with our Proactive Progress Tracking tool.