What Medication for BPD??

Does anyone take medication specifically for BPD symptoms? If yes what medication class is best?

I take antidepressant (wellbutrin)

I'm also on an antipsychotic (abilify) to help with my impulsive behaviors/suicidal thoughts & attempts. BUT - I'm having side effects from abilify.

SO My Pdoc wants me to try Viibryd which is a brand new antidepressant. He wants me to STOP both wellbutrin & abilify and replace them with Viibryd. I'm scared.

So ~ What meds do you guys take to control your BPD symptoms? And has anyone heard of Viibryd?

hi, from little info i have gleamed from web, bdp is not nessecarly treated by medicine but talking threapys, then again lot of people in here seem to be on medicine. my personal views is that drugs are over subscribed by docs.

Yea I understand what your saying. But I think most ppl with BPD prob have some other symptom their dr is treating with meds. In my case I believe my depression is caused by my BPD. And I know 100% my suicide attempts & thoughts are caused by it.
That's my main reason for meds. Because I dont want to feel suicidal or ever go through an attempt again. Or worse... complete it. :-/ Medication helps with the impulsive behavior.

Hey there,

I used to take both Wellbutrin and Abilify and I hated them. I have BPD and ADD and I've taken Lamictal for a mood stabilizer and it has been awesome for me! I also took Topamax, but it made me dumb, I couldn't think clearly at all. For the ADD they put me on Adderall which makes me feel wired and semi-anxious, so they put me on Viibryd as well. The Viibryd is a very recent addition and it's an SSRI as well, but it also affects your 5-HT receptors which help aid anxiety. I don't know why your Dr. would take you off of the mood stabilizers and just put you on an anti-depressant, but I'm not your doctor... weird.

I don't take meds. I am in therapy.

I was on Prozac for quite a few years, then quit because I realized I was emotionally numb but with the same unrsolved issues. When I was on meds, I was not in good therapy. Now I am fortunate to be in good therapy.

I'm glad that we all do what is helpful to us!

My dr doesnt want to take me off abilify. I want to stop due to weight gain.

Do you have any side effects from Viibryd so far? My Pdoc is saying Viibryd isn't supposed to have weight gain. Lets hope so!!

He also mentioned topamax but I dont ever read anything good abt it. I can't take lamictal or trilyptal because they made me get acne. I swear I get every side effect and I'm a freak abt my skin & weight & hair. Def got MAJOR self image issues due to my BPD. So no drug is worth compromising my appearance in any way. :-/

So I think my Pdoc is running out of drug options with me.

I take Lithium for my repulsive mood. I think it dumbs me down though.

Actually a lot of psych meds do dumb you down. My Pdoc admitted that to me after I stopped taking all meds. She said it blocks part of your brain from creating new neuro receptors and inhibits your learning abilities. And to think that it was when I was on meds that I decided to go to college. I KNEW I could have got better grades but couldn't figure out what the problem was. Now I know. MEDS.

I have never heard of that new medication. I too had problems with Abilify (it increased my sugar levels) and wellbutrin (made me manic). I am so leery of new medications because they don't have a history of how well they work. Sometimes it's big pharma pushing their samples onto the doctor and too many are apt to prescribe them. I am on Prozac, Lamictal, Xanax & Atenolol, and I fought to get back on these meds. I was sick of trying all the new ones and the side affects, etc. Stand up for yourself and tell your doctor how you feel - sometimes we have to take charge ourselves. Good luck

My treatment team took me off all meds when I got my diagnosis changed to BPD. For one, meds weren't working on me, because BPD isn't a brain chemical disease. I've been on dozens of different meds, and none worked for me...and we finally found out why...BPD.

I've had several nearly successful suicide attempts, but they weren't from depression. They're from stupid impulsivity. So I don't think that can be medicated o.O

I am on 4 different meds. Ive been on them so long I guess I dont really think about it too much.

effexor (been on forever, switched from cymbalta because its similar and generric form now)
Lamictal (stabilizes my mood?)
Vyanese (helps me perform at work where as i'd normally just cry at my desk)
Lunesta to sleep as needed (which is every night lately)

Please don't judge. People always tell me i'm on too much but there was a time that I stopped, not cold turkey, but it didnt turn out well.

I had to go off the Lamictal & go the generic route. It's not the same and there's been a lot of feedback about it. It has taken 4 months since I've been back on it and it has taken about that long to adjust and stabilize. I'm staying with the real thing.

I Hear that a lot too Ballooninthewind. some people don't understand or have strong views on taking meds. I myself am grateful every day for modern science. My family thinks the drugs are making me bipolar etc. If they could only walk in our shoes!

Honestly, I don't like the Viibryd, but I'm taking it in combination with Adderall and I really don't like the side effects! Increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, the muscles in my jaw tense up a little. On the plus, my appetite dropped and I'm happy... but I'm stopping the Viibryd due to the interaction. Definitely doesn't cause weight gain though.

I took Topamax too and it leveled me out really well, but made me dumb as a door-nail. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Holy CRAP. I freakin' knew it. :O. I was feeling this was the case, damn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh that really sucks. no way i can afford the real deal now that i have no insurance. oh fork.

I just starting taking effexor xr and it has only been 2 nights and I feel dumbed down... Like my brain is sticking and I have to stop and think about what I was going to do or say. Almost like when you walk into a room and forget why you went in there to begin with. I am also on a med called trazadone for sleep . I have heard from several ppl and other Pdocs that the only thing that help BPD is DBT..

I don't judge anyone who takes medication. In fact, I really envy people who are able to take medication and find that it actually HELPS their BPD symptoms. I took Zoloft and then Cylexa with added abilify when I wasn in a SEVERE depression that lead to two 3 hospitalizations (very close together). I don't know if the medication worked but I think that the therapy I recieved AFTER hospitalization was the key. In a sense, the medication supplemented the intensive psychological support that I received during the time of my significant psychological breakdown. After being hospitalized, I tried Topamax for six months. Like many have said, it dumbed me down and made me feel as though I was a zombie. I asked to try it because all the SSRI's and the anti psychotics made the appetite center of my brain go WILD! I have always struggled with eating problems--alternating with bulimia and binge eating disorder. I didn't want the eating trigger that SSRI's pulled or the same thing with anti psychotics. Topomax definitely decreased my eating urge but it pulled the stupid trigger. I decided to stop the Topamax. Has this stopped the impulsivity in regard to food and other ill advised self soothing methods? No. But it has gotten better. I'm looking at how I can do things differently and I'm in a group that addresses eating issues.
I wish I hadmore answers. I've made a lot of progress over the past three years with no medication. I'm still struggling with BPD traits, but I've made a lot of progress, but it's two steps forward and three back. Lucky for me that I have a very understanding and accommadating therapist!

Jaybird,
Were you taking medication during your therapy? May I ask, do you think it helped or hindered your therapy?

Don't give up - call the company that manufactures the drug and more often than not they will help you with the costs. Your doctor may have samples as well. I think it's horrible when they say generic is the same as the original med because it's just not true!

Great question, Echoes. I think I was so depressed when I was taking the medication that I didn't have any other choice if I wanted to stay alive. During that time, the only therapy being done was supportive therapy. I was a mess and the focus in therapy was to help keep me alive. But once I stablized, I really didn't need the anti-depressants anymore and the topamax, which I took to try and deal with the mood swings, made it difficult for me to work effectively at my job. I would also say that it didn't help me think very clearly in therapy either.

I know that now that I'm off medication and working cooperatively with my therapist, I'm doing some really deep work. I'm not sure if that would be possible if I was taking meds. BUT I've also moved past the depression and I'm much more stable in my life. So I don't know if the work in therapy is deeper because of the no med issue or I've just reached a different level in my recovery and I'm simply more ready to do the deeper work.

Thank you so much, Jaybird!

I want to do the deeper work of therapy, but it seems my anxiety and depression symptoms get in the way. However, they aren't 24/7 so I think they are effective distractions but I wonder if I could manage them better (with or without meds), then would my therapy be more effective.

I know for myself, Echoes, that I had to wait until my deep depression cleared and then I had to work to settle into the therapeutic relationship. I'm one of those people who wants the intimate connection but as soon as I started to feel my therapist move closer, I took off in the opposite direction. It took a good two years for that to happen. The deeper work only started to unfold after I learned to tolerate the closeness of the relationship. Getting into the deep work wasn't really about medication for me. I do have a lot of anxiety and I do self-medicate inappropriately--with food I either binge or restrict. But I'm working on that too. I sure hope you find the right balance for you.

I've been taking Celexa as Anti depressants for a few years and Seroquel to help control my mood swings and impulsivity. I would recommend these medications

I was just put on lamictil. So far so good. I have not had the beginning side effects yet like I did with SSRI's. My mood has been very even.....

Lamictal has been a lifesaver for me. Not the generic, but the Brand. When I had to go off of it due to a worrisome rash, it was the worst setback for me ever. When I was given the okay to start up again, it took 4 months to get back on an even keel. This was a real eye-opener, sometimes you don't know what's working until it's taken away.