Best Medication For Keeping Bpd Under Control

[hybrid]

I've always been skeptical about medications for controlling BPD since it's a personality disorder. Can anyone let me know what actually works for them and how effective are the medications? How long do you take to see the effects and how does it help control your BPD e.g. less impulsive, less raging, less feelings of emptiness etc?

Please help!! I'm nearly t breaking point

[skinny dog]

I've always been skeptical about medications for controlling BPD since it's a personality disorder. Can anyone let me know what actually works for them and how effective are the medications? How long do you take to see the effects and how does it help control your BPD e.g. less impulsive, less raging, less feelings of emptiness etc?

Please help!! I'm nearly t breaking point

Hi hybrid. I have been put on seroquel (quitiapine) for my bpd. I hav tried lots of different drugs and I hate taking them. I have persevered with these and if you can handle the side effects they are pretty good. I suffer really badly with anger and rages and since Ive been on these pills I have definitely calmed down. The worst thing for me though is i cant get up in the mornings. I am only on a very small dose but they knock me out. This is really hard as I am trying to hold down a full time job(not very successfully lol)!!! I am also on Citalopram for depression. Not every medication is right for everyone and you have to find the right one for you. I have been on these pills for about 2 months now and my feelings have definitely been kept under control.

Hope this helps a bit

Skinnydog

[mars_to_marla]

Hey,

Firstly, just to warn you THIS IS WRITTEN OUT OF MY OWN EXPERIENCE ONLY - I want to help so I'm going to be as detailed as I can about my own experiences (which are quite detailed) if it could help but I'm no expert so please speak to your doctor and do some research. Medication can be very useful in helping when you are feeling the way you describe but you need to know the facts.

I've had experience with a number of different drugs to control the symptoms of BPD. Mainly these have been SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors) which are a type of antidepressant, and currently I'm taking Fluoxetine (Prozac). This one seems to be quite helpful to me, but it varies with each individual. In the past I've been prescribed Seroxat, Sertraline, and Citalopram, which are all SSRI's. Another kind of antidepressants are called tricyclics, and I've also been given one of those; a drug called Chlomipramine. Through this particular 'episode' of my illness, Prozac has worked the best and I want to stick with it, but it as I said before, it's different for everyone. Funnily enough Prozac is supposed to be one of the older forms of SSRI and doctors were reluctant to prescribe it in the past for me, in favour of 'newer' drugs like Citalopram. It is interesting that in any case Prozac has worked the best for me. It may be the case that should you decide to take medication, that the first thing you are prescribed doesn't work or has side-affects that you don't like.

All of these drugs are pretty similar but not exactly the same. I believe they all work to control the amount of certain chemicals in the brain which are responsible for moods. Tricyclics are older than SSRIs and aren't so commonly prescribed anymore because of the dangers of ODing on them. SSRIs are supposedly less toxic in nature. Antidepressants are also decribed for the control of obsessional states: I was prescribed Chlomipramine for control of my OCD.

Another kind of drug that you may come across are tranquilisers, such as diazepam (Vallium). I was prescribed these as a short-term messure to calm me down when my anxiety and self-harming got really bad. They weren't a cure, but a short-term fix until the anti-depressants started working (NB anti-depressants usually take a couple of weeks to kick in). These can be addictive so be careful. I didn't like them much personally so I was prescribed an antipsychotic called Promazine which really helped me to calm down. They are non-addictive and I have some of these on standby in case I have major anxiety relapse.

If you feel that medication can help - I personally don't feel that it is a quick fix but does help to control the worst of your symptoms so that you can deal with the underlying problem from a more objective perspective by talking about it with, say a therapist or friend,whatever works for you - then discuss it with your doctor, who will be able to help.

Ok, so this has ended up being rather long but I hope this has helped you a bit. I found this article if you're interested which may explain things a bit better than I have done.

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfor...epressants.aspx

My advice is do some research - there is a wealth of information on the internet. If you are informed then it will help you to make decisions along with your doctor about which is the right form of treatment for you.

I do understand how you're feeling and know how terrifying it can be. I wish you well and hope things get better for you.

x Marla xxx

[Guest wife]

I have been on many medications and have found a combination to be best for me (although I am not on any meds any more), my psych and have found it best though not to try and control "BPD" with meds but to try and get some relief from my symptoms.

I used to be utterly psychotic and so I was on anti-psychotics for about 5 years, I was on Olanzapine (not for long though it sedated me so much that I slept 21 hours a day), I was then on depot injections (I am awfull at remembering to take meds) the first one was pipothiazine (but it gave me an awfull tremor) and latterly resperdal consta (This suited me really well and I also had resperdal tablets to take as required if I got any breakthrough symptoms)

I also had depression of varying degrees and have been on and off anti-depressants since I was 16 years old (9 years), I am fairly sure that all the ones I have been on (and there have been many) have been SSRIs although I have never noticed much difference while I have been on them but often feel quite bad for a bit when I come off them (in terms of my depression I mean). The only one I can really remember now is the one I came off about 3 months ago - citalopram, when I first started on that I had a really bad tremor but it went away after about 2 weeks

I also have had rapidly changing moods (still do really - go from hypo-manic to suicidally depressed in a matter of minutes) and so I was tried on a mood stablizer for a while, unfortunately the only one that didn't have the significant risk of interfering with my other meds was lithium and it is particularily dangerous in OD (even taking twice your normal dose would probably need to be checked out at a hospital) and I took a "small" OD and so they thought the risk was too great so I was taken off it, shame coz out of all the meds I have ever been on I thought that one helped the most

so this post has been long and drawn out but I hope it has helped you (or anyone else for that matter) think about some of the medications that may help you

oh yes, I forgot to mention, I have been on short term courses of sedatives (diazepam and other things in that family) and sleeping tablets but they are addictive so if you don't HAVE to go on them I would avoid them if you can

[Barebones]

im on anti pychotic med called amisulpride and it helps me with my rages and anger and self harm and uncontrolling thoughts. its helped me alot and calmed me down heaps. im also on a anti depressant which helps me with my binging and depression. well supposed to this new one doesnt seem to help me that much but ill give it time as im on the highest dose of it you can be on.

hope that helps, there is heap of meds out there. i find that they can work if on correct ones.

[wednesday]

Anti depressants are supposed to help with impulsivity as well as treating depression. I'm on a MAOI and lamotrigene.

[rebeccaborderline]

For 10 years Ive been on combos of anti-depressants, mood stabilisers like lithium, and anti-psychotics. The most immediate relief was always from the anti-pychotics, I get on best with an old one, Chlorpromazine (Largactil) in big doses when in crisis. Lithium withdrawn because like Wife I OD'd. Reacted v badly to SSRIs, impulsivity and S/H increased dramatically, apparently this not uncommon if you have a cPTSD component, not allowed them now. Was on Depixol depots for severe S/H, stopped the S/H but suppressed me so badly, and got tardive dyskenesia so have refused to take it ever again. Anti-depressants didnt help, but now I think because I was reactively depressed ie because I couldnt tolerate or control the moodswings I would get v depressed. Since Jan been on Risperidone only, an anti-psychotic, and for me its frankly marvellous, by far the best meds Ive tried. I dont feel down for more than a few days so am not going down the anti-depressant route at the mo.

rebeccaborderline

[NotaGirl]

Been on fluoxetine (Prozac) for over a year and its been ace - i didnt realise how much of a difference it made till I ran out for 15 days!

It doesnt really stop the symptoms as much as it makes me able to control them, and be in charge - so Ihave to work not to let thoughts run away, but I ama ctually capable of that.

And I dont get the detachment and dissociation I get without them.

NaG

[divinegrl]

I've been taking Zoloft for years. It helps with my anxiety, depression and impulsiveness. I have never taken any other drug because this seems to work fine for me. (I still get BPD symptoms, but the #1 thing zoloft helps me with is Anxiety.)

[Rook98]

Finally we've arrived at a combo of meds which seem to work with depression so now it's time to find the med & therapy to deal with the BPD. The only problem with all this is- with borderline personality disorder who wouldn't be depressed??

One step at a time I guess.

[pain-dance]

I used to be on all kinds of mood-stabilisers, antipsychotics and antidepressants, with various side-effects. The one drug that has really worked wonders for me is Propanalol (120mg per day). Although a beta-blocker, it has a calming effect and, unlike the benzodiazapenes, is not addictive: however, your doctor may be cautious as it can affect your pulse rate and blood pressure.

Good, Luck- COLIN.