How to Get Anxiety Medication Online in New York

Step 1: look for a physician licensed in New York

New York's State Education Department says any use of the title "physician" or practice of medicine within New York State requires licensure, apart from specific exemptions in the state's Education Law. Its Office of the Professions handles license applications, and the Board of Regents has responsibility for licensure across the professions.

So if you plan to see someone by video from your home in New York, ask directly whether they hold a New York license. A psychiatrist licensed only in a neighboring state is not the same thing, and a good practice will answer this question plainly.

Step 2: verify the license with NYSED

The Office of the Professions' physician page links to an online search for professional verification and enforcement actions. Its enforcement page explains that an individual's status, and any applicable enforcement actions, can be looked up in the Online Verification Search, with disciplinary information listed under an Enforcement Actions tab in the results.

New York splits one part of this that surprises people. The State Education Department says it investigates misconduct in most professions, but physician misconduct is investigated and prosecuted by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) at the Department of Health.

OPMC publishes its own listing of physicians who have been disciplined, or who are subject to a non-disciplinary Board Order, or who have been served with misconduct charges. The Department also points to the New York State Physician Profile for information on doctors of medicine and doctors of osteopathy, which the physicians provide themselves. For a full picture, it makes sense to check both places.

Step 3: plan to be in New York for each visit

With our practice, you must be physically located in New York or Pennsylvania during each visit with the psychiatrist. Being a New York resident is not the test: where you are at visit time is what we ask about. If you will be traveling, tell us beforehand.

Give yourself a private spot with a steady connection. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) suggests looking for a provider who uses a secure platform that protects your privacy and verifies your identity.

Step 4: what happens at the visit

NIMH says that, depending on your insurance and the provider, virtual care may include an assessment, a diagnosis, a treatment plan and a prescription. That is a list of possibilities, not a sequence you can count on. A visit might end with a medicine, a different plan, or a request for more information.

Our guide to your first online psychiatry visit for anxiety has a list of what to bring. Our overview of medications for anxiety can help you prepare questions. Whether a particular medicine is an option for you is a decision for you and your prescriber.

Step 5: New York's prescription monitoring registry

New York runs a Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) Registry, which the Department of Health also calls I-STOP. It says that since August 27, 2013, most prescribers have been required to consult the registry when writing prescriptions for Schedule II, III and IV controlled substances, and that it gives practitioners secure access to view dispensed controlled substance histories for their patients.

This matters for some anxiety medicines, such as benzodiazepines. It is one more reason to be open about what you take. Our guide on whether benzodiazepines can be prescribed online covers the federal side.

Therapy in New York: an important limit

We want to be clear about this. Our therapists see clients in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Arizona, Colorado and Florida, not New York. A New York reader can get psychiatry here but not therapy here.

Many people see both a prescriber and a therapist, so if you would like therapy too, you may need to find a therapist in New York separately. With your permission, it can help for your providers to know about each other.

How to reach us in New York

A licensed psychiatrist on our team, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) with more than three decades of practice, treats anxiety by secure video for people physically located in New York. He is open to new patients and referrals. Ask us about fees, coverage and ages seen. Ask us whether our psychiatrist can help: contact us about medication care, or read about online psychiatry in New York and online anxiety treatment.

If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911. Locascio Wellness does not provide emergency services.