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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 3:57:56 GMT
Page One:
What meds can I take for BPD?
What meds are prescribed for BPD?
Does x medication treat BPD symptoms?
Can anti-depressants help with borderline symptoms?
Is it normal for symptoms to improve after beginning medication?
I’ve been taking meds, and I feel better. Should I stop taking them?
Can my medication for another disorder help treat my BPD?
Can I drink alcohol with medication for my BPD?
I don’t have health insurance. How can I pay for my meds?
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:03:51 GMT
What meds can I take for BPD?
beigefloor asked: Is there a particular medicine that works really well for helping ease the symptoms of bpd? I've tried many types of medication, usually stuff to help anxiety/depression and the feelings that come with that but I'd noticed my anger was getting a lot worse so i had stopped taking it, my parents finally got tired of me and kicked me out and i've been living with my boyfriend and his family for the past few months unmedicated.. and I don't know what I should start taking..
Answer: There is no one medication for treating BPD. If I did a poll right now asking followers which medications they take, you’d probably get a really long list! It really depends on your body and brain and how they react to certain medications. It also depends on your symptoms. Some people with BPD are on anti-psychotics while others are not. Some people take add-on treatments (like Abilify) and others don’t. Some people take medication for anxiety. I think most people take some kind of SSRI, but even then, there is a list of those from which you can choose.
That said, some people do better without medication. I’ve been on numerous medications, and they all made me feel worse. I am unmedicated now and am doing better than I was when I was medicated. Some people do better with medication, however. It says nothing about their “strength” or “ability to cope” or anything like that. Being dependent on medication doesn’t make someone weak. We all heal and cope in different ways.
If you’d like to keep trying different medications, it’s best to ask your doctor! Also explain symptoms you had while on other medications, what you liked about them, what you didn’t like about them. Or, you can try being unmedicated for a while and see how you do. Sometimes, medication can make things worse. BPD is tricky, so you never know what medication is going to be best. x
-Mea
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:07:05 GMT
What meds are prescribed for BPD?
Anonymous asked: Hello there. I was just wondering what type of medication is normally used for bpd (the type and some med names, if possible, please) I have an appointment soon, but I was just curious, before I go. Thanks in advance!
Answer: Hi! I think this is addressed in our FAQ but I’ll answer it again since I don’t think specific medications are mentioned in the FAQ response.
It’s actually not advised to treat BPD with medication. It doesn’t really work as an effective form of treatment. Usually people who have BPD that are on medication are on medication for comorbid disorders, or to address specific symptoms rather than their BPD as a whole.
For example, if you have BPD and an anxiety disorder like GAD, you’ll likely be on some form of anti-anxiety medication like benzodiazepines (Ativan/lorazepam, Klonopin/clonazepam, Xanax, Valium/diazepam, Serax/oxazepam, etc). Most of the people I know who have BPD have been on a benzodiazepine at some point.
If you have BPD and, say, one of the Bipolar disorders, you might be put on a mood stabilizer like epival/divalproex, topomax, lamotrigine, or lithium (etc). People who have comorbid Bipolar might also be put on anti-psychotics too, like ziprasidone/Zeldox, which is effective for treating Bipolar mania.
If you have BPD with psychotic features or another psychotic disorder, you might be put on an anti-psychotic, like risperidone, Abilify/aripiprazole, Zyprexa/olanzapine, loxapine, Seroquel/quetiapine, and lots of others.
If you have BPD and depression, there are so many anti-depressants you could be prescribed that it would be overwhelming to list even just the common ones. Basically most people get prescribed an SSRI as their first anti-depressant.
Pretty much all the medications I’ve mentioned here are ones that I’ve been prescribed, though I’ve been prescribed many, many more.
Basically, medication is either used to treat comorbid disorders you might have so that those disorders interfere less with your life so you can focus on treating the BPD with some form of therapy, or medication is used to treat specific symptoms that can show up with BPD like emptiness (related to depression), anxiety (related to fear, usually fear of abandonment), intense mood swings (where medication can be used to try and “level you out” though in my experience that rarely–as in never–works well), and psychosis or paranoia.
If you do end up being prescribed medication, don’t expect it to make all aspects of your BPD better. It may only work on one or two aspects, and could make other aspects worse because of side effects. Also don’t expect the first medication you try to be the right one for you. It often takes a lot of trial and error before people find a medication (and a dosage) that works for them. It can be a long process, and you may not ever find a medication that is satisfactorily beneficial.
TL:DR: there really isn’t a set of medications “normally” used to treat BPD because it’s not recommended to treat BPD with medication. However, you can treat specific symptoms or side effects with medication, and since it’s common for people with BPD to have other disorders as well, you can treat THOSE disorders with medication.
-Pandora
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:10:37 GMT
Does x medication treat BPD symptoms?
Anonymous asked: Do you have any idea if Quietiapine is good for bpd? I guess I felt like it levelled my anxiety a bit for the first few months but it's been a year or so and now idk I feel like I'm spiralling and idk what to say to my doc I'm no good at that stuff.
Answer: There is no One True Medication for BPD, and I can’t say whether or not any medication is good of bad for BPD. It may be good for you and bad for someone else. Finding a good medication is like going to the store and trying on jeans. They may fit you, but not the next person. You could even be the same size! But sometimes you just need a different cut or style than someone else. Likewise, you and I could be experiencing the exact same symptoms, and a medication may work for you but be hell on me. Brains have a lot of variety, and thus so do our brains’ needs.
So, I can’t give you a straight answer. I can tell you it’s possible it could help with BPD, but that’s about it. Whether or not it helps your BPD is something you’re going to have to try and find out for yourself.
-Mea
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:15:54 GMT
Can anti-depressants help with borderline symptoms?
Anonymous asked: I think what the last anon was asking is if antidepressants can help with borderline symptoms, not just strictly the symptoms of depression.
Answer: Yes, they can, although I don’t want people to get the idea that anti-depressants always treat borderline symptoms. It really depends on the person. Anti-depressants made my borderline symptoms worse (and I’ve been on several), but they can be super helpful and even life-saving for other borderline patients. It doesn’t mean one group is fake and another is legitimate. People are just different and have different needs. But yeah, anti-depressants can totally help!
-Mea
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:18:02 GMT
Is it normal for symptoms to improve after beginning medication?
Anonymous asked: is it weird that my specifically bpd symptoms (not knowing Who I Am, splitting, mood swings, constantly needing attention/validation, etc) have been getting better recently as my new antidepressants kick in? not to the point where i feel fine, but i've been feeling less... unstable? lately and i dont know if this means ive been faking it all along
Answer: Definitely not weird. Remember, that’s what the antidepressants are for! It doesn’t at all mean you’re faking it. All it means is that medication is working for you. If you were to go off your medication, those symptoms would probably become unbearable again.
If I get the flu and take medication for the flu symptoms, I still have the flu, right? As long as I still have to take flu medication to make my symptoms bearable, I’m still sick. Mental health isn’t much different. Your being on medication that works doesn’t make your experience any less real. If anything, the fact that medication has helped is further proof of your disorder. (Of course, medication doesn’t work for everyone. It didn’t work for me. And the fact it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean there’s nothing wrong with me. It just means I need a different method of treatment.)
That said, I’m happy you found a medication that works for you! Hopefully, they continue to help.
-Mea
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:19:18 GMT
I’ve been taking meds, and I feel better. Should I stop taking them?
Anonymous asked: I have BPD & I have been feeling good for about 4-5 weeks. I am still getting in arguments with ppl but I've been feeling optimistic about things and haven't seriously considered suicide in a while... I believe it's mostly because my new medication I'm on zoloft and seroquel. It makes me feel very strange to not be constantly depressed. For a while I was really enjoying it and I feel so stupid complaining but I feel like I have forgotten who I am. Maybe I should stop meds for awhile??
Answer: That’s a sign of the meds working, and also a sign that you should continue to take them. Psychiatric medication does not fix the problem, and then you stop taking medication. You feel better because you’re on medication, not because you’re “cured.” If you really are feeling better since being on medication, keep taking them, unless otherwise specified by your doctor.
-Mea
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:24:57 GMT
Can my medication for another disorder help treat my BPD?
Anonymous asked: What happens if you have BPD but get diagnosed as bipolar then you take bipolar medication will you still have BPD and all the symptoms?
Answer: Medication doesn’t cure anything. It helps symptoms, but if you have depression and take medication for it, you still have depression. Medication just has the potential to help with symptoms, but it is not a cure. So yes, you will still have BPD. You’ll also still have bipolar.
Whether or not the medication you take for your bipolar will help with your BPD symptoms depends entirely on the specific medication you’re taking, the symptoms you experience with BPD, and it depends on your brain and your body, since we all react to medication differently. I can’t say if the medication will help you or not because it’s different for everyone.
-Mea
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:26:43 GMT
Can I drink alcohol with medication for my BPD? Anonymous asked: Sorry for asking this here but I'm not finding much online. Can you mix mood stabilisers or other BPD meds with alcohol?
Answer: I’m going to preface this with: I am not a doctor, and I cannot give you a professional opinion on this. Your best bet is to ask the doctor who prescribed you meds.
But in my experience and from what my previous doctors have told me, any mood stabilizer is going to make you more sensitive to alcohol to begin with, and different meds will make each individual react differently. Every medication I’ve taken has said not to drink alcohol with it, but this isn’t so much a “If you drink alcohol, you will die” as much as it is the fact that alcohol is a depressant and may really mess with the effects of the medication you’re taking. So depending on the medication and depending on your brain, just one drink can send you into a suicidal spiral, or it could do absolutely nothing. It’s just a matter of chemicals bouncing around too much and making your brain a huge mess. And, of course, alcohol in excess with any sort of medication is a no-no. It’s a game of Russian roulette, so I don’t recommend trying it, but you’ll probably hear lots of stories of people on meds who drink and don’t have bad experiences.
-Mea
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Post by robyn on Jan 25, 2016 4:28:45 GMT
I don’t have health insurance. How can I pay for my meds?For Followers who Don’t Have Health Insurance and Need Help!
Sorry, for those of you in America only. I have just hired a lawyer to help me get disability/SSI benefits for my health problems.. the lawyer told me that if I lose Medicaid and don’t get accepted, I can go to www.needymeds.org to find my prescriptions (and find doctors) at little or no cost, so I won’t go untreated. I wanted to share this website with all of you because a lot of you seem to not have health insurance. Give it a try.. they have every single medication I’ve looked for so far on their list for the Patient Assistance Program. www.needymeds.org-Alex
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