Locations
Office
Mc Lean, VA
About
Bio
In my practice, I want you to have A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH PSYCHIATRY! This means that I pay special attention to your understanding of your situation and your expectations so that we can come up with a plan that makes sense to you. I appreciate your feedback- if we are going off course we want to correct any mistakes quickly. I help people dealing with mood disorders, ADD, anxiety and depression as well as stressful life situations with a combination of talking, cognitive behavioral therapy and medication when indicated. Children appreciate our workbooks for anxiety and depression.
Since I am also a child psychiatrist I help many parents with child rearing issues. I completed courses to be a master psychopharmocologist and constantly review CBT and PTSD webinars.
My patients tell me that my appropriate sense of humor about our human condition has been a big help to them throughout the 30+ years I have been in practice. Also since every patient has a unique response to medication, microscopic dosing is the order of the day. I thank you for trusting me with your care.
If you wish to do a virtual consult with me, I would like to request that you please download and complete the four intake forms from the additional links section on this page. You may complete these forms on your computer with the appropriate PDF viewer & editor, or you may print them to fill out and scan. You will be able to attach these forms during your consult (or upon requesting a consult).
Thank you and be well!
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Psychiatry
Child Psychiatry
Licenses
United States: Virginia
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
49 Answers
2 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
You should be tested: Although anxiety and depression can also cause academic underachievement, the most likely cause is add and/or dyslexia. If you're even raising the qu... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Yes: other antipsychotics such as seroquel [ quetiapine] can alleviate these side effects and also lessen OCD
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Hang on: the best solution would be too hang on as these reactions may subside in a week
another choice would be to lower... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Express your concern: tell your friend you'd be happy to accompanay them to their first counciling appointment
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
It can go either way: Everyone is an individual and so writes their own medical textbook.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Medication side effe: I can't tell from the description you provide what the time sequence is, but the first thing to do is always rule out a medication side effect. If i... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Yes: you can move it around the clock to fit your lifestyle and minimize side effects we think of doses per day as anywhere with a 23 hour period
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Yes: absolutely! but you need to finish your antibiotic course
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Yes: this could be the illness itself or side effects from his medicines. Bring this up with his prescriber, consider neuropsyche testing to document a ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 17-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
No: not to our knowledge but it is wise to have your yearly physical and bloodwork
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Generally not: however it may be necessary from time to time to tweak the dose upward
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Metabolic changes: all of the antipsychotics have the potential to alter gluclse metabolis, create weight gain and increase blood pressure. patients on these meds nee... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Quickly: a single dose should wear off in a few hours and then you brain will be back to the way it was before
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Not to worry: cocaine isnt absorbed from the outer skin layer. Any symptoms you're experiencing is anxiety about the episode
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Yes: you have athlete's heart. however if you start to become symptomatic you should have it checked out
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Your preference: Hi,
medically it doesn't matter but different people can have different reactions. prozac (fluoxetine) can aggravate insomnia f... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Patience: it can take up to 4 weeks to see a response as we're waiting for new protein synthesis in brain neurons
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 59-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Unlikey: we dont usually think of amitriptyline as having a withdrawl- and that is the rate you would reduce it.
this may well pass by the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Go slow: gabapentin can add to seroquel (quetiapine) to create fatigue and sleepiness so increase the dose slowly
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
There is hope: Between counselling and perhaps medication there are so many ways to help this. Please feel free to ask your primary care for a screening physical a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
No: It can feel like you're dying if anxiety jumps up into a full blown panic attack. Then your heart is racing, you're breaking out into a sweat, and y... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Communication: have an open and honest discussion with your psychiatrist. they are trained to listen carefully for disruptions in the theraputic alliance and wan... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Going off meds: going off meds or taking street drugs. talk to your doctor if you're afraid you're having slip[page
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Raise slowly: you can raise remeron (mirtazapine) approximately 15 mg per week to a total doage of ~ 90mg. Take it as a single nighttime dose because it WILL ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Switch: paroxitine is notorious for creating sexual side effects. Newer serotonin medicines such as brintellex tend to have less sexual side eff... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 51-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Lamictal: people taking depakote tend to feel somewhat tired and fatigued. lamotrigene tends to be activating and energizing- at higher doses some people... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Not usually: Hi Tony
we usually think of response to these meds within about 4 weeks but late responses like yours are not unheard of- ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 65-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Half the dose: Hi Cindy prozac (fluoxetine) has such a long 1/2 life that we dont usually think of a discontinuation syndrome with it but a r... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Consider switching: Hi Josh, there are other serotonin medicines that might work for you and not change your vyvanse repsonse. consider also zoloft, celexa, ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Highly unlikely: unless you have someting else going on. But youy are truly suffering so please see your doctor ASAP. There is alot of help available
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 61-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Dependsonyourhistory: if this is your 4th episode you stay on it for life
for lesser episodes you stay on it for @ least a year then have your doctor wean you off over... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Is it adaptive ?: the discrimination is that you still have nl sleep, a normal rate of speech and that you do not appear "high" to others. Overscheduling yourself, dare... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
2 weeks: this may settle down within the next two weeks. The trick now is to eat lots of bulk-eg salads and drink the famous 8 glasses of water/day while waiti... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Careful monitoring: there can be a place for antidepressants with antipsychotics as long as you have your doctors permission and he monitors you cloely to make sure th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
It can get worse: Whether primarily psychological or biochemical, mental disorders tend to ripple out over time and affect more and more domains of our lives. With so ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Very common: headache is a frequent side effect. you might respond better to an extended release form or a different ADD medeicine
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Consider clonidine: If you want to stay on the Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) Clonidine @ night helps anxiety the next day and has its own indication for ADD. so you have ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Absolutely!: Hi Naveeen anxiety -stress and sadness frequently run hand in hand . Solutions can include turning to peers for practical problem so... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 51-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Societial pressure: we sometimes think of suicide as anger turned inwards and women may be raised to try to please others and may direct anger inwards
man ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
25 down 10 up: you can easily lower zoloft 25mg/week and the day after you get to zero you can start paxil (paroxetine) 10mg/day and raise that by 10mg/week
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Paxil (paroxetine) the same day: paxil (paroxetine) is a notorius offender in this regard but here we're using this side effect for theraputic purposes and its stronger than zoloft .... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Lunesta (eszopiclone): Lunesta (eszopiclone) or its generic is effective for sleep onset and sleep maintance
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Might be high: that's a hefty starting dose if you've never been on stimulants before, unless you told the doctor you had that level previously and that it was we... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Monitoring: these medicines are great for anxiety and depression but they can create sexual side effects [ reversible ] as well as glucose intolerance and wei... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Not likely: neither of those medicines are known to cause tardive dyskinesia. Please see your doctor to confirm that what you have is truly TD
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
CBT: Hi Pooja
Cognitive behavioral therapy is quite helpful for negative thoughts and depression. It allows us to challenge and replac... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Call your prescriber: these are uncommon but possible side effects, You need to see your prescriber ASAP
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
Right away: if its really just one shot you can do it immeditely. they add on but @ that level its not dangerous if you're already used to your seroquel (quetiapi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Steckleranswered
Psychiatry 52 years experience
No, try others: there are lots of SSRIS to try and its very possible that you could tolerate and respond to the others. I would avoid ce... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
1.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
2
Recommendations
83
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Steckler is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Steckler is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Thank you! I'm going to start drinking more water
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! That makes a lot of sense, thanks!
HealthTap member
This made me feel good. Thanks! then its a gimmick?
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, NY
Graduated 1971MD
Awards
Washington Psychiatric Society Psychiatrist of the Year 2004
Thought Leader, Second Place, Arlington Region - Spring
2016
Top Psychiatrist , Second Place, Virginia - Spring
2016
Affiliations
American academy child psychiatry
American Psychiatric Association Distinguished Life Fellow
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