[mandemade]

I am borderline/rapid cycling bipolar. I take Seroquel <200mg> and Lamictal <25mg, in 1st week, sliding up to 200 mg within 6 weeks>. I take these for my bipolar symptoms, and am wondering what drugs are usually prescribed for borderline, if any. Controlling my bipolar is difficult but controlling the borderline is what I need most since it's the part of me that has very bad self image and paranoia and likes to cut the pain out. I am with a new psychiatrist and therapist and all they seem interested in is the bipolar......I am just a number there, for it's my county community services program. I have limited insurace and cannot afford private mental health care so I have to go to the county to recieve help. If anyone who is borderline could let me know what meds they are on and if they work it would be very appreciated.

Mande

"It's not the men in my life that counts, it's the life in my men." Mae West

[moonlight]

Hi I'm bipolar and a possible borderline--well atleast I have shown a lot of borderline symptoms in the past--but I'm officially bipolar I
ok I'm on Depakote 1000 and zoloft (whatever the yellow tablets are)
and seroquel as needed
it works ok--I'm kind of in a major depressive state right now
seroquel should be good for borderline--since it helps control distortions in thought----um but a lot of boarderline stuff is therapy and once you clean up some of the bipolar stuff some of it should become more clear
hope this is some what helpful
--moonlight

<font color=purple> Whatever you can do, or believe you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Goethe </font color=purple>

[mandemade]

Thanks for your response moonlight. The seroquel is a life saver for me, it makes me actually sleep instead of dreaming all night and has helped alot wilth my racing thoughts. I still have manic episodes, with racing thoughts and all, but they are fewer than before the seroquel and usually not as extreme. I just began the lamictal so hopefully it will help with the depression and anxiety. I cannot take antidepressants as they make me rapid cycle bad and put me into long full blown manic episodes. I was wondering if docs prescribe anticonvulsants for borderlines, I know they do for bipolars.....hmmmm

Mande

"It's not the men in my life that counts, it's the life in my men." Mae West

[Zenobia]

Mande,
I am borderline. I haven't read much on it lately because reading the same thing over and over again got boring but as of 8 months ago or so they were still investigating medications for borderline but up until then it appears that all they can do is medicate the symptoms as they appear ie. anti-depressants when you get depressed. I was given topamax-which is an anticonvulsant/mood stabilizer-but it didn't work out and my pdoc decided not to go that route by trying others. I was on remeron for four years and wellbutrin for 2. They worked well for me together but I still had the wild fluctuation of mood in conjunction with a triggering event every couple of days. It stinks. I am not depressed now and am sleeping again (Yippee!) so am off all meds. I have to wonder if they are concentrating on the bi-polar because it is something that can and must be regulated with medication where as the bpd is just a pain the the behind and difficult to deal with.
Carrie

<font color=green>But the implicit and usually unconscious bargain we make with ourselves is that, yes, we want to be healed, we want to be made whole, we're willing to go some distance, but we're not willing to question the fundamental assumptions upon which our way of life has been built, both personally and societally.--Bill Plotkin, Soulcraft

[PlanningtoLive]

Hi Mande, welcome. I am borderline and bipolar. I am on Depakote for the mood swings and Lexapro for the borderline.

I've tried almost all the SSRIs that are out there. Effexor, Prozac and now this are the best so far. Buspar, Celexa, Serazone, Paxil, Zoloft did nothing to help.

I understand about cutting the pain out also. Hope any of the above helped.

Take care.

Mary Alice

[Zenobia]

Mary Alice,
Just curious, what does the lexapro do? Does it help? I have heard of the name but not what it does as a med.
Carrie

<font color=green>But the implicit and usually unconscious bargain we make with ourselves is that, yes, we want to be healed, we want to be made whole, we're willing to go some distance, but we're not willing to question the fundamental assumptions upon which our way of life has been built, both personally and societally.--Bill Plotkin, Soulcraft

[(JD)]

lexapro is a special ssri.

tks for your help on the other zen.... I just wish I could copy and paste the pm's sent to me... there's NO connection. okay? But I'm okay with this...

<font color=blue> meditation is a true way to connect to the Source </font color=blue>

[PlanningtoLive]

Sky is right, it is an SSRI and works on anxiety. I don't think it has been out too long either.

When taken with my other meds it makes me more drowsy, so I changed it to before bedtime. Just once a day - 40 mg. is what I'm on.

{{{{{{{{{{Carrie}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[mandemade]

Lexapro made me rapid cycle like a total loon. I was hypomanic and rash and a raving *****. Ha. Didn't realize it was the Lexapro until I ran out, had just relocated, couldn't get more for weeks....and uh, I sloooooowed down some and then my new pdoc said no no to antidepressants, even Lexapro. Course, that's for me at least, not for all bipolars/borderlines......

Mande

"It's not the men in my life that counts, it's the life in my men." Mae West

[Zenobia]

I find that my mood swings are not dependent on depression. I can be in an over all good mood 95% of the time and still get triggered and be down in the depths of hell for a few hours then go back to my basically good mood. That is why I opted to get off the meds. I am working hard on finding ways to deal with that 5% of the time. I am having some success. I find myself only having fleeting suicidal thoughts now and am starting to be able to talk myself out of the hole. It hasn't been easy...and I have only been off the meds for a few weeks so we shall see.
Carrie

<font color=green>But the implicit and usually unconscious bargain we make with ourselves is that, yes, we want to be healed, we want to be made whole, we're willing to go some distance, but we're not willing to question the fundamental assumptions upon which our way of life has been built, both personally and societally.--Bill Plotkin, Soulcraft

[misunderstood]

This is exactly how I feel. All over the place.......One minute I am laughing have a great day, and the next, out of no-where-land....boom....I freak out over the most "nothing thing". And I can't seem to pull myself out. Any suggestions?

[Zenobia]

I look at it as an overstimulation problem. You know how if a small child becomes over stimulated she will throw a fit which gets her removed from the situation and given a nap which reduces the stimulation making her feel better. I know comparing it to a child is irratating but I find that it is easier for me to understand and respond to myself if I use my mommy instinct on myself the same way I used it on my kids. So the first thing I try to do is to decipher whether or not my reaction is a reasonable response to the situation or if it is my disorder kicking up. If it is reasonable then I carry on always checking in with myself to make sure that my mood isn't getting too elevated to continue coping affectively with the situation.

If it is my disorder kicking up then I try to remove myself from the situation and go someplace quiet and preferably darkened thus reducing the stimulation as much as possible. Often this helps substantially and usually only takes 10 to 15 minutes to calm down because I am consciously taking care of the problem, completely aware that it is my disorder and not life in general. At work I use the ladies room, sit in the stall with my hands over my face and concentrate on my breathing. At home I go into my bedroom and shut the door after telling everyone I need a time out.

The trick is too know what is happening. I am getting very good at it now but still get swept away with the emotions on a regular basis. And then there are the times when just reducing stimulation doesn't work and I have to find other things to suppliment it. I have not gotten far in that arena but am working on it. I have recently "discovered" that high concentration activities such as working on book orders, dealing with lists of numbers or playing video games effectively seperates me from the overwhelming stimulation by focusing it in one place. Kind of a hypnotic sort of deal I guess.
Carrie

PS I would recommend reading the Enneagram books written by Helen Palmer. It describes several personality types, their foibles and their affect on ones life. But the twist is that they are looked at not as a deficeincy but as a vehicle for growth. It is fascinating to read and empowering as well. When I read about my type (the observer) it gave me all sorts of understanding of how I operate emotionally and helped me to figure out ways to use those quirks to my advantage.

<font color=green>But the implicit and usually unconscious bargain we make with ourselves is that, yes, we want to be healed, we want to be made whole, we're willing to go some distance, but we're not willing to question the fundamental assumptions upon which our way of life has been built, both personally and societally.--Bill Plotkin, Soulcraft

[jbug]

I'm borderline also and just got out of the hospital yesterday. They changed my meds from Lexapro and Abilify to Prozac and Risperadal. I am calling Prozac the miracle drug because even though its only been a couple of weeks man have I seen a change. The only side effect is I'm not hungry hardly at all which for me is a good thing.

I was told a long time ago that I was bipolar-borderline and when I was in the hospital they took the bipolar away so now I'm just borderline. I did have some highs when I was in there (I tried to fly one day much to my amazement I couldn't :-) ). But they said my high's weren't high enough to be manic I was like well ok then.

I hope they are able to get your meds all straightened out.

Don't Blame me I just do what the Voices Tell me to do

[mandemade]

Welcome back to the world of the....uh, nutty? Hee hee, the hospital sometimes seems a lot more sane than out here.

I am glad you are on a med that is showing positive results! That is always so uplifting to know a sister is on the right road. For myself I cannot take SSRIs because I am a rapid cycling bipolar as well as being borderline and the antidepressants throw me into total mania.
I am happy with my Seroquel aka for me, SLEEP-o-pill...*wink* and I am giving the Lamictal a chance to get me out of the depths of hell and hopefully control my anger.....it has 8 weeks to prove itself to me! I have a revolving medicine cabinet like you wouldn't believe. I don't respond well to most meds so....I have a good supply of crap I don't need. You take care janniebug!

Mande

p/s all those exclamation points and I say I am depressed? ha! Just too much coffee this AM.......

"It's not the men in my life that counts, it's the life in my men." Mae West

[somebodyelse]

I'm Borderline, and my meds are: Xanax, Lexapro, Effexor XR and Ambien. I also have a drawer full of other meds that didn't work out, but I just can't bring myself to throw them away. (I also have repetitive severe depressive episodes, generalized anxiety disorder, dissociative disorder and agoraphobia.) It's hard to tell which of these are parts of BPD and which are independent of it. There has also been some speculation that I have psychotic episodes, but I haven't found out if that's conclusive or not.

[cleomaru]

there are no medications for borderline itself, it's psychological and not physiological. meds can help treat SOME symptoms and other disorders that go along with it. otherwise, the only treatment.........therapy.....and for the lucky, support.

[Zenobia]

Welcome to the forum Cleomaru. It was my understanding too that there was no meds for borderline as a disorder but meds could be used to help with the symptoms that surround the illness. There have been findings however that borderline is in part a physiological illness. Brain scans have shown that there are in many borderline patients two areas of the brain that are up to 15 percent smaller then non-borderline patients. Those areas of the brain deal with memory and with emotions. The pathways between these two parts also tend to be incomplete or misdirected. When you consider the problems with emotional control and object constanance it makes perfect sense. On the bright side, the brain is always growing and restructuring so these things can be over come with, as you say, therapy and for the lucky, support.
Carrie

<font color=green>But the implicit and usually unconscious bargain we make with ourselves is that, yes, we want to be healed, we want to be made whole, we're willing to go some distance, but we're not willing to question the fundamental assumptions upon which our way of life has been built, both personally and societally.--Bill Plotkin, Soulcraft

[cleomaru]

yeah i've read the fMRI studies too........

you know they've found that emotional pain stimulates/comes form the same area in the brain as physical pain.......

where's my tylenol for neglect and abandonment?

[Zenobia]

why couldn't our pain centers be smaller? ha ha. I found the studies on brain develop in teenagers fascinating. It made total sense to me considering when I was raped. Apparently around 10 or 11 or so a child's brain goes through enormous growth. It becomes twice the size in neuronic density as an adult brain then through the teen years it slowly pares itself down dropping all the unused connections as it specializes. I got raped at 12 at which time I closed down emotionally and totally blocked out memeories. This is at the same time that all these unused channels are being shed. Is it any wonder that my brain could be 15 percent smaller in those areas? When I read it, it was like "Wow" that explains it all. But reading about the brain has given me so much comfort because I realize why and I realize that the plasticity of the brain is incredible and all is not lost. My healing has become a challenge in brain development. I guess that is why when I thought of the new connection I was making the other day when I was triggered by the bill situation I felt better, more calm because I knew I was doing brain excercise which is making my mental illness better. I was occomplishing something.
Carrie

<font color=green>But the implicit and usually unconscious bargain we make with ourselves is that, yes, we want to be healed, we want to be made whole, we're willing to go some distance, but we're not willing to question the fundamental assumptions upon which our way of life has been built, both personally and societally.--Bill Plotkin, Soulcraft

[vetttech]

I've had BPD and Major Depression for 10 years now, and have gone though many different combos of meds. The combo that seems to help for me is:

Seroquel 100mg 3x a day, 200mg @ bedtime
Depakote 500mg 3x a day
Paxil 20mg 1x a day

It's different for everyone, but this combo reduces my thoughts of self injury.

interesting info about the brain.
i was severely sexually abused over a period of over 10 years, ending at 15.... overstimulation is obviously a factor in my borderline type symptoms. i dont have the disorder, but the symptoms are similar due to the childhood trauma. i have bipolar disorder, but i am still interested in reducing these borderline type symptoms of self injury, and extreme anger.
my doc prescribed depakote, and i have read that it may help with borderline as well. (i havent taken it yet)
anyone have any good response to depakote in reducing borderline symptoms?

oh, sorry.... i just noticed how old this thread was.