[Rom7.15]

Has anyone had any success with mood stabilizers? I've tried them in the past but it seems like I have to take 3 other meds to counter the side effects. Plus the weight gain doesn't help either. I take Zoloft right now. It's ok I guess. Can people just receive therapy and be successful? Thoughts? Anyone seeing a psychiatrist?

[My Paper Heart]

I've had success with 2 of the 3 meds in the mood stabilizer family: Tegretol (carbamazepine) and Lamictal (lamotrigine). I was on carbamazepine for a year or two but because of side effects, I've had the best luck with lamotrigine. I've taken lamotrigine for more than 5 years now (and at least another 3 years before a med change caused by a lack of insurance). However, mood stabilizers alone are never enough for me, so they've always had to supplement it with anti-depressants, anti-convulsants (ones that double as anti-depressants), and anti-psychotics (also ones that double as anti-depressants). I'm an oddball in that I've been on pretty much every med (including Zoloft) and the side effects have been too much or it didn't work.

That being said, meds are just a bandaid for BPD symptoms. As per my understanding, meds for those with BPD are only supposed to make life survivable until therapy (CBT or the usual DBT) can help you control whatever issue you're struggling with. It's really the therapy that has the long-lasting beneficial effects.

[Rom7.15]

Originally Posted by My Paper Heart

I've had success with 2 of the 3 meds in the mood stabilizer family: Tegretol (carbamazepine) and Lamictal (lamotrigine). I was on carbamazepine for a year or two but because of side effects, I've had the best luck with lamotrigine. I've taken lamotrigine for more than 5 years now (and at least another 3 years before a med change caused by a lack of insurance). However, mood stabilizers alone are never enough for me, so they've always had to supplement it with anti-depressants, anti-convulsants (ones that double as anti-depressants), and anti-psychotics (also ones that double as anti-depressants). I'm an oddball in that I've been on pretty much every med (including Zoloft) and the side effects have been too much or it didn't work.

That being said, meds are just a bandaid for BPD symptoms. As per my understanding, meds for those with BPD are only supposed to make life survivable until therapy (CBT or the usual DBT) can help you control whatever issue you're struggling with. It's really the therapy that has the long-lasting beneficial effects.

That’s really helpful. I know symptoms are less Intense with age. So I
Hoping I’m past the stage of mood stabilizers. I’m trying to get into counseling now. I’ve had a lot of success in the past with that!

[Friendlyfire]

Wow, I stopped all my medication a while ago, cause it seems that ANY medication makes my hair fall SO MUCH. I have alopecia, so it's hard for me to lose even a little bit of hair.
I am bipolar, and have BPD traits, which makes it a very difficult task to find the proper meds. I've tried so many.... but I felt such an intense increase on my mood with lamotrigine, it made me feel energized, I felt like exercising... now I can't get out of my house. It's been 2 months and I've been out for like 7 times.
Maybe I'll try taking it again. Have a session tomorrow, will discuss that.

Thanks fort he info.

Originally Posted by My Paper Heart

I've had success with 2 of the 3 meds in the mood stabilizer family: Tegretol (carbamazepine) and Lamictal (lamotrigine). I was on carbamazepine for a year or two but because of side effects, I've had the best luck with lamotrigine. I've taken lamotrigine for more than 5 years now (and at least another 3 years before a med change caused by a lack of insurance). However, mood stabilizers alone are never enough for me, so they've always had to supplement it with anti-depressants, anti-convulsants (ones that double as anti-depressants), and anti-psychotics (also ones that double as anti-depressants). I'm an oddball in that I've been on pretty much every med (including Zoloft) and the side effects have been too much or it didn't work.

That being said, meds are just a bandaid for BPD symptoms. As per my understanding, meds for those with BPD are only supposed to make life survivable until therapy (CBT or the usual DBT) can help you control whatever issue you're struggling with. It's really the therapy that has the long-lasting beneficial effects.

[My Paper Heart]

I'm happy to help!

I don't think there's exactly a "stage" for needing mood stabilizers. I've been taking meds for 14.5 years now and I don't see an end in the foreseeable future. My progress through therapy has gone slowly so until I can get my moods under better control with the meds, I won't attempt it without the meds.

If you're looking to get back into counseling, I want to suggest looking for someone who specializes in BPD. I've had my share of counseling and I never progressed too far until I found my current psychologist, who specializes in BPD. I've gotten further in the last 4 months than I had in the previous 17 years of therapy. So, yeah, just a suggestion.

[Unrigged64072835]

I take meds for other MIs but they also help. I also had CBT and DBT.

I'm currently on Latuda for a mood stabilizer and anti-psychotic and while it has a couple of side effects for me, I have another med for that.

[giddykitty]

I'm on Abilify right now (for bipolar II/possibly bpd) and I'm starting to doubt it's effectiveness. But I just dropped out of therapy (wasn't helping) so I'm kinda not sure what to do. It's possible it's working somewhat, just not enough. All I can say is it isn't doing much of anything for the depression aspects.
I'm not sure I really answered your question though.

[My Paper Heart]

As annoying as it sounds, it's completely true: Meds work differently for different people. I'm guessing it's because we all have different levels of various symptoms, but it still sucks to hear. Basically, what works for one person won't be tolerable for others. And 'tolerable' itself is up to each person. For example, I can't stand meds that make me dizzy, whereas many others may just be able to ignore it. But my dizziness has led to me falling backwards while I was leaning forward to brush my teeth. (They're starting to ask whether it's actual dizziness or vertigo, so I'm sure that's complicating things.) I also refuse to try Depakote, which I've heard is a common med prescribed for BPD and definitely for Bipolar. According to multiple research studies, Depakote + my Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome = worse moods that go up and down much quicker and are hard to control. So just don't forget that there is no one med that's going to be the answer for everyone.

That being said, I was on Abilify but they changed it when the highest dose of it wasn't working. But again, I've heard Abilify is a commonly prescribed med for Bipolar so who knows.

giddykitty, please believe me when I say that just because therapy wasn't working for you with your previous therapist doesn't mean it won't work for you with someone else's approach. Like I said before, I spent 17 years in therapy with different therapists -- most of whom I really liked and spent years with -- but the "problem of the week" method they used didn't work for me because it only got me through the one situation, it didn't help me deal with other things as they arose. I've told my last 3 therapists that I didn't want to work on the "crisis of the week" but that's what we ended up doing anyway. Finally, I looked up someone who specializes in BPD and it's been a wonder! We often deal with the "crisis of the week" but it's limited to the first half hour or so then we work on how lessons learned/what I can do to deal with it can be used in other situations. I've gotten so much further with this psychologist than the others in a fraction of the time. So my suggestion is to keep trying therapy until you find someone whose way of doing things works for you. It may take a while but it'll be worth it!

[kiwi215]

I take Lamictal. Sometimes I feel like it helps, but other times I feel like it doesn't even touch my extreme emotions. But of course no med is going to be perfect and some situations elicit emotions that are just not going to be able to be controlled by meds alone. I do think maybe the Lamictal has helped me from getting so easily irritated from more minor things though. It's also really cheap (at least where I get it, at about $3 for one month's supply at 150 mg a day... and that's without insurance) if you take the generic, which is lamotrigine. And I personally haven't had any side effects. So from personal experience, I would recommend giving it a try if it's an option for you.

[giddykitty]

Originally Posted by My Paper Heart

As annoying as it sounds, it's completely true: Meds work differently for different people. I'm guessing it's because we all have different levels of various symptoms, but it still sucks to hear. Basically, what works for one person won't be tolerable for others. And 'tolerable' itself is up to each person. For example, I can't stand meds that make me dizzy, whereas many others may just be able to ignore it. But my dizziness has led to me falling backwards while I was leaning forward to brush my teeth. (They're starting to ask whether it's actual dizziness or vertigo, so I'm sure that's complicating things.) I also refuse to try Depakote, which I've heard is a common med prescribed for BPD and definitely for Bipolar. According to multiple research studies, Depakote + my Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome = worse moods that go up and down much quicker and are hard to control. So just don't forget that there is no one med that's going to be the answer for everyone.

That being said, I was on Abilify but they changed it when the highest dose of it wasn't working. But again, I've heard Abilify is a commonly prescribed med for Bipolar so who knows.

giddykitty, please believe me when I say that just because therapy wasn't working for you with your previous therapist doesn't mean it won't work for you with someone else's approach. Like I said before, I spent 17 years in therapy with different therapists -- most of whom I really liked and spent years with -- but the "problem of the week" method they used didn't work for me because it only got me through the one situation, it didn't help me deal with other things as they arose. I've told my last 3 therapists that I didn't want to work on the "crisis of the week" but that's what we ended up doing anyway. Finally, I looked up someone who specializes in BPD and it's been a wonder! We often deal with the "crisis of the week" but it's limited to the first half hour or so then we work on how lessons learned/what I can do to deal with it can be used in other situations. I've gotten so much further with this psychologist than the others in a fraction of the time. So my suggestion is to keep trying therapy until you find someone whose way of doing things works for you. It may take a while but it'll be worth it!

I'm only now seeing this. yeah, I hope I can find a new therapist that addresses more specific things with the bpd. However, I haven't officially been diagnosed yet, so I may not have any issue and just went through an incredibly trying time and presented as such. I don't know. But I'm waiting for the confirmation of some things, because I'm a little busy of late and mostly because we are trying to save money. I mostly have just felt lousy, but I haven't done anything too impulsive or in the ways of harm. It's mostly just how I cant get over a previous relationship. Very obsessed. :/ Again, sorry for getting slightly off topic.