What Medications Are Used to Treat Borderline Personality Disorder
While there are currently no medications approved by the Nutrient and Drug Administration (FDA) to care for Borderline personality disorder (BPD) specifically, some drugs have been institute to be constructive in some cases.
BPD is sometimes treated with medications for feet or depression, for case, which may reduce some symptoms. BPD medications may likewise be used to care for psychological conditions that ofttimes co-occur with this condition, such as major depressive disorder.
Medications are often used in conjunction with psychotherapy and other treatments rather than being a stand-alone selection. Learning more than near the different borderline personality disorder medications can aid you lot find the right one for you lot.
Reasons to Employ BPD Medications
There are a number of reasons why people may want to effort medications for deadline personality disorder. The important thing is to always work with your doctor to decide which medication options might be correct for you based on your symptoms and needs.
Some reasons you might desire to endeavour BPD medications include:
- Reduce symptom severity: Medications may help people better manage some of the symptoms of BPD, such as mood swings, irritability, low, anxiety, and stress-related paranoia.
- Improve functioning: Because medications may make some symptoms less severe, they might as well help better a person'south functioning in a number of areas, including relationships and daily living.
- Prevent worsening of symptoms: Some symptoms of BPD may grow worse if left untreated, and then taking medication to ameliorate those symptoms may be helpful. Research has found that BPD symptoms do tend to decline in frequency and severity equally people age.
- Care for co-occurring weather condition: Deadline personality disorder ofttimes co-occurs with other conditions that tin interact, overlap, and make it more hard to accurately diagnose BPD. Mental atmospheric condition that ordinarily co-be with BPD include low, feet disorders, eating disorders, substance employ disorders, and bipolar disorder.
- Decrease adventure for suicide: BPD is associated with an increased risk of self-harm and suicide. Considering medications may help reduce symptom frequency and severity, they may also lessen this risk.
- Improve treatment adherence: Non only practise some medications ease BPD symptoms, but they can also brand information technology easier to appoint in other forms of treatment for BPD, such as psychotherapy.
Types of BPD Medications
There is no medication that specifically treats BPD. That said, there are several types of medications that may be useful for treating BPD symptoms. The blazon of medication that your doctor prescribes will depend on your specific symptoms and needs.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants were developed for individuals with major depressive disorder and other disorders characterized by low mood. But many people with BPD are treated with these medications every bit well.
At that place are many types of antidepressants that accept been studied for employ with BPD. These include tetracyclic and tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Mutual antidepressants include:
- Nardil (phenelzine)
- Prozac (fluoxetine)
- Zoloft (sertraline)
- Effexor (venlafaxine)
- Wellbutrin (bupropion)
These medications may help with sadness, depression mood, anxiety, and emotional reactivity only do not seem to accept a stiff effect on other symptoms (due east.g., acrimony, impulsivity).
Antipsychotics
The term "borderline" was coined considering early psychiatrists believed that the symptoms of BPD were "on the border" between neurosis and psychosis. For this reason, some of the get-go medications tested for BPD were antipsychotics.
Antipsychotic drugs tin have a positive effect on a multifariousness of non-psychotic disorders, including BPD. They accept been shown to reduce anxiety, paranoid thinking, acrimony or hostility, and impulsivity in patients with BPD.
Common antipsychotics include:
- Abilify (aripiprazole)
- Geodon (ziprasidone)
- Risperdal (risperidone)
- Seroquel (quetiapine)
- Zyprexa (olanzapine)
Mood Stabilizers/Anticonvulsants
Medications with mood-stabilizing properties and some anticonvulsant or anti-seizure medications have been used to care for the impulsive behavior and rapid emotional changes associated with BPD. And enquiry suggests that these classes of drugs seem to be preferred.
Mutual anticonvulsants and mood stabilizers for BPD include:
- Lithobid (lithium)
- Depakote (valproate)
- Lamictal (lamotrigine)
- Tegretol or Carbatrol (carbamazepine)
Anxiolytics (Anti-Anxiety Drugs)
Considering individuals with BPD also often experience intense feet, medications to reduce anxiety are sometimes prescribed. Mutual anxiolytics include:
- Ativan (lorazepam)
- Klonopin (clonazepam)
- Xanax (alprazolam)
- Valium (diazepam)
- Buspar (buspirone)
Unfortunately, in that location is very fiddling research to support the utilize of anti-anxiety medication to treat BPD. There is some evidence, all the same, that utilize of benzodiazepines (e.g., Ativan, Klonopin)—a particular course of anxiolytics—may actually cause a worsening of symptoms for some individuals with BPD.
Benzodiazepines are particularly dangerous for employ by individuals with co-occurring substance apply disorders because they can be habit-forming. Buspar, an anxiolytic that is not habit-forming, is an alternative to medications from the benzodiazepine family.
Other Borderline Personality Disorder Medications
As we larn more than about BPD, new medications are beingness developed and tested for the disorder. Researchers are exploring anti-dementia drugs, anesthetics, and facial paralysis drugs to larn more well-nigh their furnishings on BPD.
Findings from one report suggest that an omega-three-fatty acid supplement can atomic number 82 to decreased aggression and feelings of hostility in people with BPD.
Borderline Personality Disorder Discussion Guide
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Side Effects
As with other substances, people may experience side effects while taking BPD medications. Information technology is of import to remember that each medication has its own gear up of adverse furnishings. Though, some of the more common side effects you might experience tin include:
- Constipation
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Sedation
- Weight gain
Always talk to the doc almost both the common and rare side furnishings that are associated with a specific medication. Information technology is as well important to tell your doctor nearly any other medications, substances, or supplements you are taking to avoid potentially serious drug interactions.
Some people may also experience allergic reactions to medications. Seek medical attention immediately if you begin to feel symptoms of an allergic reaction.
Challenges When Taking BPD Medications
There are a number of challenges that tin affect the utilize of medications to treat BPD. These include:
- People have differing needs: There tends to be a high degree of diversity in the symptoms that each person with BPD experiences.
- Co-occurring weather are common: Having another condition can complicate medication pick. For example, antidepressants should non be used in cases where someone also has a bipolar disorder because these substances tin can trigger manic episodes.
- Multiple approaches may exist necessary: Medications may not be able to manage all of your symptoms, which is why things similar psychotherapy and cocky-care are likewise important. Plus, information technology'south not uncommon for someone with a borderline personality disorder to exist prescribed numerous medications.
Precautions for BPD Medications
At that place are sure precautions to take before trying a medication to treat BPD. Some concerns to think near include:
- Benzodiazepines may worsen symptoms for some individuals. Research suggests that benzodiazepines may worsen the symptoms of impulsivity and suicidality in people with BPD, then their apply is discouraged.
- Some medications, such as benzodiazepines, may be habit-forming. Enquiry as well suggests that people with BPD may be at a college risk of benzodiazepine dependence due to efforts to cocky-medicate.
- Antidepressants bear a black-box alert. This warning notes that antidepressants are associated with an increased adventure for suicidal thinking in immature people.
Coping with BPD
While psychotherapy is the standard handling approach for BPD, medications may be useful for relieving and managing some symptoms. There are also things that people with BPD tin do to improve their ability to cope. These include:
- Treating co-occurring conditions: Other mental health conditions such as substance use, feet disorders, low, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can make managing your BPD more hard. Treating those co-occurring illnesses can help y'all feel better.
- Finding ways to manage stress: Stress tin play a major role in exacerbating the symptoms of BPD, so finding ways to reduce or manage stress can be helpful. Strategies such equally deep breathing, exercise, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation are but a few you might desire to attempt.
- Developing coping skills: Finding effective ways to deal with emotional distress and to command impulsive behaviors can also assistance you function amend in daily life. Some things that can help you improve your coping skills include mindfulness, social support, and dialectical beliefs therapy.
A Give-and-take From Verywell
While medications for BPD can be a useful part of your overall treatment plan, it is important to piece of work with your doctor to determine the best approach for your needs.
At that place is no single treatment that is appropriate for every person with BPD. The correct approach for yous volition depend on your symptoms, medical history, and response to treatments.
It is also of import to be aware that medications are most effective when combined with other options such as psychotherapy. Talk to your doctor almost what might be right for you.
Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/borderline-personality-disorder-medications-425450
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