Posted by cache-monkey on May 5, 2005, at 2:56:11
In reply to How do I know if my meds are working?, posted by Shy_Girl on May 4, 2005, at 22:23:36
Hello,
I think that quite a few of psychiatrists/psychologists consider BPD as an Axis II disorder. I.e. more "character" based rather than "temperament" (read biological). Consequently they think meds are a waste of time and therapy is the route they prefer. I think that others would disagree.
And even so, there are a lot of comorbidities like depression, anxiety, dysphoria, etc that can (and I think should) be treated via pharmacotherapy. I don't know if you've already visited this site before, but check out http://www.biologicalunhappiness.com/bpd.htm . It's maintained by a pdoc who specializes in BPD.
He lays out his ideas for medication-based treatment of BPD at http://www.biologicalunhappiness.com/HowBPD-Y.htm . The first line recommendation seems to be Prozac + Tegretol. (He thinks that Prozac is the most effective of the SSRIs for BPD.) Various other med options are laid out on that page as well, which might be useful.
In terms of therapy, though, have you tried anything specifically targeted toward BPD, like dialectical behavior therapy? That might be also be a useful avenure to persue.
Good luck! I know how frustrating this can be.
Best,
cache-monkey
> Do SSRI's really help BPD? My pdoc doesn't seem very interested in meds at all...that probably means my problems are psychosocial in nature. Am I just wasting money??
poster:cache-monkey
thread:493916
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050504/msgs/493978.html