Steady care through constant change
Military life rarely sits still. Field exercises, training rotations, deployments, and PCS moves can interrupt treatment at the worst times. Medication management at our Hay Street office means a provider who knows your history and helps you plan medicine around those disruptions.
What we manage
We prescribe and monitor medicines for depression, anxiety and panic, PTSD symptoms, sleep problems and nightmares, ADHD, bipolar disorder, OCD, and PMDD. We see soldiers, veterans, spouses, and other adults and teens 15 and older.
Medicines and military duty
Some medicines can affect duty status, deployability, or specific roles like jump status, weapons handling, or aviation. Active-duty soldiers should talk with their unit's medical team about any prescription. Your provider will explain how each medicine works so you can have an informed conversation.
Nightmares and sleep
Trauma-related nightmares and insomnia are common in Fayetteville. Several medicines can help, and some, like prazosin, are used specifically for trauma nightmares. Your provider will look at sleep closely, since better sleep often improves mood, anger, and focus.
Each follow-up
Your provider checks mood, sleep, appetite, energy, focus, irritability, and side effects, and repeats short scales like the PHQ-9 and PCL-5 to track progress. If something is not working, the plan changes.
Blood work and blood pressure
Some medicines are safest with routine checks. Lithium has a narrow safe range, so blood levels get drawn on a schedule, plus kidney and thyroid tests. Valproate means periodic liver tests and blood counts. Certain antipsychotics can raise weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol, so those are tracked. ADHD stimulants mean a blood pressure cuff at follow-ups.
Controlled prescriptions in North Carolina
Stimulants for ADHD are Schedule II, which means no refills: every fill takes a new prescription, and your provider looks you up in North Carolina's Controlled Substances Reporting System first. Some sleep and anxiety medicines carry similar rules. If you are active duty, tell your unit's medical team about any controlled prescription.
Alcohol and energy drinks
Alcohol is common in military culture and can blunt antidepressants, worsen sleep and anger, and add danger with sedating medicines. Energy drinks can worsen anxiety and sleep and interact with stimulants. Your provider will talk about both openly and without judgment.
Deployments and field time
Before a long field exercise or deployment, plan with your provider and your unit's medical team. Running out of some medicines suddenly can cause withdrawal or relapse.
Summer heat
Fayetteville summers are hot and humid. Dehydration during PT or field training can raise lithium levels and worsen side effects of other medicines. Drink plenty of water and report shakiness, nausea, or confusion right away.
Moving with your medicine
When PCS orders come, plan early. Ask for enough supply to bridge the move, carry medicines in your car rather than the moving truck, and bring a printed list of medicines and doses to your new prescriber. If you stay in North Carolina, we can keep following you.
Spouses and teens
Military spouses juggling kids and deployments often forget their own doses. A weekly pill box and a phone alarm help. For teens 15 to 17, a parent or guardian is part of the plan.
Adjusting and stopping
If a medicine partly helps, your provider may adjust, switch, or add another. After several tries, GeneSight testing may help. To stop a medicine, your provider will plan a slow taper.
Retirees in the Sandhills
Many retired soldiers settle in Southern Pines, Pinehurst, and Raeford, and take medicines from several doctors for blood pressure, pain, and sleep. Your provider will review the whole list for interactions and for medicines that can cloud memory or raise fall risk, and coordinate with your other doctors if you agree.
When to call
Call before your next visit for new thoughts of self-harm, unusual energy with little sleep, a rash, fainting, or side effects that disrupt daily life. In a crisis, call or text 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, or call 911.
Getting started
New patients begin with a psychiatric evaluation. Transferring care from a military or VA provider? Bring your medicine list. Visit 109 Hay St. Become a patient without a referral.
Why Choose Sandhills Psychiatry and Mental Health?
- Board-certified psychiatric providers serving Fayetteville and the Sandhills region
- Research-backed treatment protocols
- Full documentation for all evaluations
- Coordinated care with your other providers across the region