Bipolar Disorder

Questions to Ask Your Care Team When Starting an Atypical Antipsychotic to Treat Bipolar 1 Disorder

Understanding your medication may help improve your treatment outcomes.

Written by Marisa Taylor Karas | Reviewed by Christina Aungst, PharmD

Updated on January 13, 2025

Featuring Joshua Berman, MDReviewed by Christina Aungst, PharmD | January 6, 2025

If you’ve been prescribed an atypical antipsychotic for treatment of bipolar 1 disorder, you may have questions for your care team.

It’s helpful to get all of your questions answered. That way, you’ll have a better understanding of what to expect with your treatment, so you can get the most out of it.

“An empowered, proactive patient is especially important in bipolar 1,” says Joshua Berman, MD, Psychiatrist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

What to ask about your atypical antipsychotic

Berman suggests that you ask the following questions of your care team when you start atypical antipsychotics:

How does the medication work?
Why are you suggesting this medication?
What are the side effects or complications I should be looking out for?
How and when is this medication taken?
How long will it take to see results?
What should I do if I miss a dose?
Are there any medication interactions to know about?
Is the medication covered by my insurance?

If you have more questions after your appointment, contact your care team. Your team may be able to answer your question right away without booking another appointment, or you can make another appointment if necessary.

“We expect that you’re going to have questions and we hope that you’ll ask them,” Berman says, “because if you don’t ask them, we can’t answer them.

References

UCDavis Health. (n.d.). Questions to ask if a health-care provider writes you a prescription.

Willner, K., et al. (2024). Atypical antipsychotic agents. StatPearls.

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For additional resources or to connect with mental health services in your area, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. For immediate assistance, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or text HOME to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

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Written by:

Marisa Taylor Karas

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.

Reviewed by:

Christina Aungst, PharmD

Christina Aungst, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She began writing for GoodRx Health in 2019, transitioning from freelance writer to editor in 2021.