Medication Management in Littleton, Colorado
Thoughtful, collaborative psychiatric prescribing, starting with a 90-minute evaluation and continuing with 45-minute follow-ups. Available in person in Littleton or by secure telehealth anywhere in Colorado.
Medication Management at a Glance
Littleton, CO 80128 · Telehealth across ColoradoUnderstanding the Service
What is medication management?
Psychiatric medication management is the ongoing, physician-led process of evaluating what helps, what causes side effects, and what should be adjusted or stopped. It begins with a 90-minute comprehensive diagnostic evaluation.
Dr. Wagner specializes in complex regimens and difficult-to-treat conditions: depression that hasn’t responded to previous medications, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, insomnia, and OCD. Every plan is collaborative and evidence-based, and medication is recommended only when clinically appropriate.
- Careful attention to side effects, drug interactions, and deprescribing what isn’t working
- 45-minute follow-ups with time to assess response and side effects
- Coordination with your therapist and other providers
- Practical support: work documentation, FMLA, and disability or accommodation paperwork
Sometimes the answer is fewer medications
If you arrive on a long list of prescriptions collected over years, part of our job may be simplifying it. Deprescribing means carefully tapering medicines that are no longer helping. It is done gradually and collaboratively.
Is This Right for You?
Who medication management is for
Being upfront about fit saves you time. Our approach may be a strong match if several of these describe you:
- You’re starting medication for the first time and want a careful, evidence-based diagnosis before any prescription
- You’ve tried several medications and feel stuck, over-medicated, or unsure what’s actually helping
- You have more than one diagnosis, difficult side effects, or interacting medications
- You want a prescriber who coordinates with your therapist and considers your full clinical picture
When medication isn’t the right fit
Sometimes a careful evaluation concludes that medication isn’t necessary or isn’t the best next step. We may instead recommend psychotherapy with a trusted therapist, lifestyle and sleep changes, or, for depression that hasn’t responded to medications, options like TMS therapy or Spravato®.
The Process
How medication management works at Fortifying Wellness
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1
Consultation & medical evaluation
Dr. Wagner takes the time to understand your full story: your symptoms, history, medical health, every treatment you’ve tried and how it went, and your goals. You leave with a clear working diagnosis and a plan you helped shape, and nothing starts without safety screening and informed consent. Sleep, medical conditions, and how each past medication actually felt are all part of that first conversation.
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A collaborative plan that may not include medication
Together you weigh the options: starting a medication, adjusting or simplifying what you’re on, or skipping medication in favor of a therapy referral or other approaches. Sometimes the honest conclusion is that medication isn’t necessary.
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Close follow-up while things settle
While starting or changing medication, 45-minute follow-ups every 2–4 weeks provide time to track benefits, identify side effects, and adjust the plan.
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Steady maintenance & practical support
Once you’re stable, visits stretch to every 1–3 months (at least every 3 months while on medication), in person or by telehealth. We also handle the practical side: work documentation, FMLA, and disability or accommodation paperwork.
The Research
The evidence behind careful prescribing
How medications are chosen and adjusted matters as much as which one is prescribed. Three studies that shape how we practice, each linked in full at PubMed:
STAR*D National Trial
The landmark sequenced-treatment trial: the odds of remission decline with each successive medication attempt, which is why thoughtful early choices and timely changes of course matter.
University of Oxford
Compared 21 antidepressants across 116,477 participants. All outperformed placebo, but they differ meaningfully in effectiveness and tolerability from drug to drug.
Measurement-Based Care Trial
Guiding medication decisions with validated rating scales led to faster and more frequent recovery than usual prescribing. It’s the approach we use at every visit.
These are simplified summaries of independent studies; follow the PubMed links for full methods and limitations. Study results describe research populations, not a promise of individual outcomes. We track your response with validated symptom scales.
Safety & Ongoing Care
Careful prescribing, start to finish
Good medication management is as much about vigilance as it is about choice of medication. At every visit we review side effects, check for interactions with your other medications and supplements, and track your symptoms so decisions rest on evidence rather than impressions.
When a medicine is no longer helping, we discuss careful, gradual deprescribing. Other options available in the practice include TMS, Spravato®, and IV ketamine, alongside referrals for psychotherapy.
Cost & Coverage
Insurance & cost
Most major insurance plans cover psychiatric evaluation and medication management visits. Our team verifies your benefits before your first appointment and explains any out-of-pocket costs upfront, so there are no surprises. Telehealth visits are covered the same way in-person visits are for most Colorado plans.
Medication Questions
Frequently asked questions
What happens at the first appointment?
Your first visit is a 90-minute comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. Dr. Wagner reviews your symptoms, history, previous medications and their effects, medical health, sleep, and goals. You leave with a working diagnosis and a plan you helped shape, which may or may not include medication.
Will I definitely be prescribed something?
No. A careful evaluation may point first to a therapy referral, a sleep intervention, or a change to what you’re already taking. Medication is one possible tool in a broader plan to improve symptoms and daily functioning.
How often are visits?
Follow-ups are 45 minutes. While starting or adjusting medication, we typically meet every 2 to 4 weeks. Once you’re stable, visits stretch to every 1 to 3 months, and we see every patient on medication at least every 3 months. Visits are available in person in Littleton or by secure telehealth anywhere in Colorado.
Do you coordinate with my therapist?
Yes, with your written permission. Your therapist may have observations that help us fine-tune your plan. If you don’t have a therapist and want one, we’ll refer you to trusted therapists and coordinate care with them.
Can you take over prescriptions from my current provider?
Yes. With your permission we request your records, review your current regimen in detail, and manage the transition safely. That may include continuing what works or thoughtfully adjusting or tapering other medicines. Dr. Wagner has particular experience with complex, multi-medication regimens.
What is your policy on controlled medications?
Controlled medications, such as stimulants and certain sleep or anxiety medicines, are prescribed only after a comprehensive evaluation, only when clinically appropriate, and always in compliance with DEA and Colorado requirements, including any in-person visit requirements that apply. Patients taking a controlled medication are seen regularly for monitoring, and we review Colorado’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program as required by state law.
Related conditions & treatments
Take the Next Step
Start with a thorough evaluation
A free consultation with our Littleton team. Your questions answered, your benefits verified, no obligation.
7345 S. Pierce St, Suite 205, Littleton, CO 80128 · Serving Littleton, Ken Caryl, Columbine, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Lone Tree, Englewood, Lakewood & the south Denver metro