[loudpipes]

Is it true that medication does not help a person suffering with this disorder?

I have been told that medication does not help but it can help with the mood swings and the depression side of things.

No. It's true that there is no medication specifically for DBT itself, as it is a personality disorder and not a thought or mood disorder, but there are medications which treat underlying symptoms like depression, anxiety, and mood swings which can help a great deal. Do a Google search. You'll find a wealth of information on this very subject.

^ agreed.

I take a low dose antidepressant however to help cope with emotions, it is pretty helpful for me.

I take medication too more to control my anxiety and moods.

[shortandcute]

I agree. I do take take meds for my depression tho and it does help.

[greentires4me]

I take medication but it doesn't always work for BPD its just there as a temporary solution to a bigger problem.

Originally Posted by greentires4me

I take medication but it doesn't always work for BPD its just there as a temporary solution to a bigger problem.

I agree. I was diagnosed with depression at age 14, long before BPD, and wasn't medicated for it until I was in my 20's. It is now considered medication-resistant because I've tried so many different meds and combinations of meds and it never really goes away. Right now I'm taking an antidepressant with two other meds to help augment the effects of that antidepressant and I still have problems with very severe depression intermittently. My doctor told me that the only other option is ECT, and I'm not willing to go that route at all.

[k123]

Seroquel is helping me..I can handle criticism better and I'm employed full time (which is huge for me)

[mednurse80]

I am taking a combo of meds to help with the symptoms. BPD is meant to respond to talk therapy and behavioral modification. I have also heard that the meds can help control moods, anxiety, depression, etc.. The meds alone are not going to help with the disorder. Misskeena, I, too, have become resistant to alot of meds and that is why I am now on a combo...each one to help the other one do it's job. I take 5 different meds a day.

Originally Posted by mednurse80

I am taking a combo of meds to help with the symptoms. BPD is meant to respond to talk therapy and behavioral modification. I have also heard that the meds can help control moods, anxiety, depression, etc.. The meds alone are not going to help with the disorder. Misskeena, I, too, have become resistant to alot of meds and that is why I am now on a combo...each one to help the other one do it's job. I take 5 different meds a day.

Wow, really? I wonder if any others would help me. My pdoc seems so resistant to try adding more or trying different meds. She really thinks that ECT is the only other thing that will help my depression.

I'm on Wellbutrin and then on Topamax and Geodon to "help" the Wellbutrin. We added Topamax first and that worked well for a while, and then that stopped working so we very recently added Geodon and upped the Topamax which seemed to work. But I didn't like the side effects of all of that so I decreased the Topamax and Geodon on my own, thinking that I'd be fine. I was so NOT fine, and now I've kind of effed everything up (yeah, I think just because I work in healthcare that I know what I'm doing. In reality, I should know better). Now I'm waiting things out, dealing with kind of bad depression, for my levels to get back to normal. I keep telling myself it's just brain chemistry and that it'll pass but that only gets you so far when you're bawling your eyes out and feel like crap.

So don't mess with your meds, people.