Locations
Matthew B. Smith, M.D.
New York, NY
About
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
Licenses
United States: New York
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
437 Answers
121 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 62-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Maybe: These medicines all include direct effects on norepinephrine, so it is additive. I would suggest a medical opinion about whether you may initially nee... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Likely yes.: There are medicines which can sometimes work to counteract that side effect. But a better solution would be to change your medicines: it is likely tha... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 58-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Possibly: It isn't clear why your doctor chose to do this. 5 mg is typically too low a dose to help, so you may have lost some Lexapro benefit. Lyrica (pregabal... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Probably ok: Some people with panic disorder seem to have a particular sensitivity to caffeine, in that small amounts result in anxiety, if not panic itself. As l... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Supposedly: they are equivalent in sertraline, with respect to bioavailability. There is always the chance that for your body, that doesn't work; but there is al... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 61-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
NO: Unless you take an overdose -- in which case the memory loss would be temporary, but probably the least of your problems. Rarely, some SSRI's cause wo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Possibly: These feeling a common part of depression. But there are also other possible causes. YOu should get a full evaluation by a professional.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
No.: Although you will find some doctors, who insist that they can cause ADHD symptoms, the standard, majority view -- and my view -- is that they can't.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Unclear: Buspirone typically helps with anxiety. 15 mg is not a high dose. But it is possible to get the side effects taht you mention. I think that you and y... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
No.: If you have taken neither medicine for a year and a half, then your symptoms, whatever they are, may be quite distressing, but they cannot be attribut... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Probably not.: You can develop habitual use that is hard to change, as you can with any drug. But Ondansetron doesn't have the particulars that would make one worry... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Not likely, but: Most people require 10 to 20 mg. 2.5 mg could work for people lacking a 2D6 enzyme, or for people who are slow 2D6 metabolizers: that would raise the ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Discuss: with prescriber. It's not clear what you mean by major body tremor. This dose of amitriptyline doesn't typically cause something like that, but it ma... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
No.: Drugs are not necessary. You can endure your OCD symptoms and probably get through life. But if you want to fully treat your symptoms, then medicatio... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Sleepy: You are sleepy at 5 mg Seroquel (quetiapine). This is certainly possible. As you know, it is an antipsychotic which is sometimes used for other reas... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Extrapyramidol: I guess that this is what you're referring to, rather than "anticholinergic." But there is no single best way. There are a number of medicines that c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Yes: Alprazolam can cause those side effects. Somtimes the side effects can be reduced or eliminated by spacing or reducing the doses. You should not redu... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Unclear.: You may have a viral syndrome. What you describe is not a usual complication of ECT. But you should inform the ECT doctor and the anesthesiologist: ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Give info: Start by telling about what you're going through that you wish help for. You will probably asked clarifying questions, and further information about y... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Yes.: When prescribed properly, it is safe and well-tolerated. You are wise to understand that all the warnings may be important in that you should be infor... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
No: ATivan (lorazepam) can contribute to reducing a raped heart beat, when that hearbeat is due to anxiety. But unless it is taken at high doses or in com... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Complicated.: Anxiety and panic attacks are not good for the fetus. Escitalopram has been taken by many pregnant women without harm; but there is always concern tha... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Yes: There is a possibility that your blood pressure medicine will require adjustment, since there is a small chance of a blood pressure increase. But is i... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Emergency: "Severe abodominal pain": a basis for an emergency phone call, even though he refuses.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Good question: Your question is important. It needs to be addressed to the prescriber. That is not happening, and it suggests that there may be a problem in your r... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Maybe.: The main reason would be to insure that there is not a medical cause, such as a heart problem, that is an emergency. If it is clear that there is not ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Never: Olanzapine has no true withdrawal symptoms. If it did, you would be at a sufficiently low dose that you wouldn't experience them. But you may experie... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Danger: That is a potentially lethal amount, especially if combined with something else, like alcohol. It has a half-life of only a few hours, so he may not b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Yes, NO: It is often helpful for neuropathic pain, from neuropathy. But it is of no help for tremor, and may actually cause or worsen tremor (but it may not, ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Can happen.: You need to reconsult with your psychiatrist. Your psychiatrist needs to rethink current Luvox dose; current Depakote level; and whether another medi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Abilify (aripiprazole): You need to be in touch with the prescribing doctor. It isn't clear if you are referring to an ocular side effect or a psychological visual matter, or... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Yes: This can be a side effect of fluoxetine. It may be easily managed by taking it at night; or, you may wish to consider changing to a different medicine... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Probably all: There are no decongestants that interact adversely with citalopram such that they shouldn't be combined,
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Probably: From what you say, mirtazapine is too "strong," that is, it makes you too sleepy, or makes you sleep for too long. Other antidepressants that are used... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Complex: The same amount of methylphenidate is present in each, so the answer is 25 mg. But there are complexities. First, absorption and therefore bioavailabi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 58-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Probably no: IN general, a dose is not too high if it is needed for a full effect, and it is not causing side effects. More specifically, 15 mg escitalopram and 4... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Any of them: or the combination could be causing this -- as well as the condition that you might be taking them for. Luvox, (fluvoxamine) Rispderal, and Klonopin c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 58-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Maybe.: It is not commonly used for anxiety, but there is some general experience that it can be used to reduce anxiety. Work with your doctor to give it a tr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Unclear: Most medications tend to deteriorate over time simply because they are to some degree chemically unstable. The longer the time, the more they have det... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 63-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
No: Rather than leaving, which might be experienced by them as an abandonment or otherwise not responsible, why not seek treatment, which might be experie... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Probably not good.: A fully informed answer can't be given, if only because "weed" is not standardized in the way that Wellbutrin (bupropion) and Zoloft are. But the conc... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 17-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Your vulnerability: You are vulnerable to developing attraction, but based on your fantasy -- not considering how you need to get to know someone, more than just words o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Convulsions: What you call convulsions are probably not technically convulsions, but it is unclear what they might be. (It is unusual for you to have a good result... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Assessment: He needs an assessment by a professional whom you trust. And with that assessment he can ask about treatment options.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Possibly: "Feeling" is a broad term. It includes emotions, as well as sensations. Sensations usually points to what comes from the senses. But the terms are oft... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Check: with a professional. ADHD begins in childhood and continues variably. Whatever it is, it may be highly treatable.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
What?: How could you know that you were having PVc's? Do you mean palpitations? If so, then there it would not be clear that there were PVC's, since other rh... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Probably Not: At exceptionally high doses, when it would be causing many other problems, it might do so. You can get a hint by a Depakote blood level. Otherwise, th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Evaluation: You are describing trypical symptoms of depression, which is a fairly miserable state, but which usually can be helped significantly. It is unclear w... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
449 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Matthew Smithanswered
Psychiatry 42 years experience
Many options.: It seems that mirtazapine is insufficently treating your depression and anxiety. It is not uncommon for one medicine to not fully treat. Your option... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k 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
323
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Smith is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Smith is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! My Question was did my Dr take me off Lexapro too fast.I was on it for 4 years and he took me off it within 2 weeks.He then started me on Lyrica 200mg.I am aggressive an...Read More
HealthTap member
Thank you for your answer... I just would like to know if this xerostomia caused by stress could last for more than 3 months? My anxiety started about 4 months ago when I thought I got HIV from a kis...Read More
HealthTap member
They are definitely PVCs. I'm one of those persons (unfortunately) that can feel them. I've proven this with 100% on accuracy on EKGs in the past. I have called them out as they occur.
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
New York University
Graduated 1981MD
Residency
New York University Medical Center
Completed 1985
Awards
Founding Rx Editor, First Place, National - Winter
2015
Top Psychiatrist, First Place, New York - Spring
2015
Top Psychiatrist, First Place, New York - Winter
2015
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