Discussion Coping with Borderline Personality Disorder

[Nihilisticstatic]

BDP is quite hard to live with, my life may be the best its ever been but I still feel like dying. I wanna fuck everything up by ctb. I made a promise to someone before fucking their life up, and that promise to not ctb is the only thing I havent fucked up yet. Ive done every therapy and Ive tried SSRIs and also quetiapine (both XR and PRN).

Id like to know if anyone has coping mechanisms or had positive experiences with certain meds/drugs for BPD. The biggest issue for me isnt the personality traits but the mood swings.

 

[gunmetalblue11]

I was misdiagnosed with bpd some years ago, and put on Quetiapine. It worked at first actually, I had more severe mood swings at the time and it mellowed it down for a period. But the side effects and added lithium made it just impossible to keep as meds in the long run.

Have you tried other mood stabilizers? Some work better for people. Lithium for example, in my case was a disaster (also now knowing, was not needed) but I knew a person who it was very beneficial for.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

What did you find unhelpful or even harmful possibly about dbt

 

[Nihilisticstatic]

I was misdiagnosed with bpd some years ago, and put on Quetiapine. It worked at first actually, I had more severe mood swings at the time and it mellowed it down for a period. But the side effects and added lithium made it just impossible to keep as meds in the long run.

Have you tried other mood stabilizers? Some work better for people. Lithium for example, in my case was a disaster (also now knowing, was not needed) but I knew a person who it was very beneficial for.

I dont wanna take lithium because it interacts with too many drugs I need to pass thru my days. But Ill definitely ask my doctor for looking into more options tyy

What did you find unhelpful or even harmful possibly about dbt

It wasnt unhelpful in itself, it helped me by giving the concept of trying to find a more shaded view of things but it didnt help with the mood swings themselves, only with the impulsivity and self control.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

I dont wanna take lithium because it interacts with too many drugs I need to pass thru my days. But Ill definitely ask my doctor for looking into more options tyy

It wasnt unhelpful in itself, it helped me by giving the concept of trying to find a more shaded view of things but it didnt help with the mood swings themselves, only with the impulsivity and self control.

It doesn't sound like you have tried meds specifically designed for mood instability. You could try lithium or other proper mood stabilizers. You just tried one class of antidepresssnt.

Sometimes eliminating CTB urges or thoughts isn't realistic and we just have to learn to work around them always keeping in mind we have ultimate control on whether to li sten to them.

Can or would you share some more about what makes your current life the best it has always been?

I know the discrepancy between how you feel and you feel you "should" feel is very painful and can be frustrating and lead to more despair.

 

[Nihilisticstatic]

It doesn't sound like you have tried meds specifically designed for mood instability. You could try lithium or other proper mood stabilizers. You just tried one class of antidepresssnt.

Sometimes eliminating CTB urges or thoughts isn't realistic and we just have to learn to work around them always keeping in mind we habe ultimate control oh whether to.listen to them.

Can or would you share some more about what makes your current life the best it has always been?

I know the discrepancy between how you feel and you feel you "should" feel is very painful and can be frustrating and lead to more despair.

Ill answer the question first as its also the reply to the suggestion.

I used to have only downs, no ups, I was pre transition (transfem) and I had lots of social anxiety. Now, Im post transition, I have found drugs that can force me into a good mood (ketamine), I have stable relationships. I love chemistry and got a setup to do what I love. Most importantly, my moods are no longer just "downs", I get "hourly"/daily shifts in between down and up. Theres a moment in my day where I just feel so euphoric out of nowhere, like a rush of pure happiness. Mood stabilizers might ruin that and thats why Im a bit reticent to take lithium (along the fact they have tons of ketamine and other drugs interactions). When I was taking quetiapine XR. My moods were stable but it was the zombie feeling: no more down but no interest in anything. I still have the PRN but I use ket instead since it doesnt kill my euphoric moods.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

Ill answer the question first as its also the reply to the suggestion.

I used to have only downs, no ups, I was pre transition (transfem) and I had lots of social anxiety. Now, Im post transition, I have found drugs that can force me into a good mood (ketamine), I have stable relationships. I love chemistry and got a setup to do what I love. Most importantly, my moods are no longer just "downs", I get "hourly"/daily shifts in between down and up. Theres a moment in my day where I just feel so euphoric out of nowhere, like a rush of pure happiness. Mood stabilizers might ruin that and thats why Im a bit reticent to take lithium (along the fact they have tons of ketamine and other drugs interactions). When I was taking quetiapine XR. My moods were stable but it was the zombie feeling: no more down but no interest in anything. I still have the PRN but I use ket instead since it doesnt kill my euphoric moods.

Yeah there are downsides to psych meds and I definitely didn't bring them up lightly. Informed decisions are the best kinds.

On balance having a general euthymic mood where the desire to die isn't so pronounced and automatic might be better than having fleeting intervals of elation.

 

[losthope1980]

H

BDP is quite hard to live with, my life may be the best its ever been but I still feel like dying. I wanna fuck everything up by ctb. I made a promise to someone before fucking their life up, and that promise to not ctb is the only thing I havent fucked up yet. Ive done every therapy and Ive tried SSRIs and also quetiapine (both XR and PRN).

Id like to know if anyone has coping mechanisms or had positive experiences with certain meds/drugs for BPD. The biggest issue for me isnt the personality traits but the mood swings.

Hi I've had depression my whole life. Been on SSRIs on and off since 13. I have BPD , OCD and major depression. Its been two months since I've been taking brintelix(vortioxetine) rexulti and quetiapine and I think its working better than SSRIs.

Hope you feel better
Wish you the best

 

[Nihilisticstatic]

H

Hi I've had depression my whole life. Been on SSRIs on and off since 13. I have BPD , OCD and major depression. Its been two months since I've been taking brintelix(vortioxetine) rexulti and quetiapine and I think its working better than SSRIs.

Hope you feel better
Wish you the best

Im sorry you have to live with that. Thank you for the help, Ive never heard of SMSs being effective for BPD before, Ill definitively look into it.

 

[losthope1980]

Im sorry you have to live with that. Thank you for the help, Ive never heard of SMSs being effective for BPD before, Ill definitively look into it.

These past months have been like going through hell but st I'm still here ,still fighting though I'm barely holding. I thought CTB would be easier

 

[thislifeisunfair]

BDP is quite hard to live with, my life may be the best its ever been but I still feel like dying. I wanna fuck everything up by ctb. I made a promise to someone before fucking their life up, and that promise to not ctb is the only thing I havent fucked up yet. Ive done every therapy and Ive tried SSRIs and also quetiapine (both XR and PRN).

Id like to know if anyone has coping mechanisms or had positive experiences with certain meds/drugs for BPD. The biggest issue for me isnt the personality traits but the mood swings.

Hey, I have BPD, depression, and an eating disorder. Along with a lot of compulsions, which I'm still waiting to see if it is OCD. I've tried quite a few antidepressants. None of which works for me. I was also on Olanzapine, which sometimes can be good with thoughts, but is also a sedative. But it probably could help your mood. I tried Quetiapine, which again did not work for me and made my thoughts worse. For me, there isn't much I can do to help. I mean, you can try TIPP coping skills. The one I've heard the best things about is the ice dunk. Fill a bucket with ice-cold water and submerge your head while holding your breath. Take your head out, breathe, and do it again. This activates your parasympathetic nerve instead of your sympathetic nerve (pretty sure), which can also be helpful with panic attacks and SH urges. Both of which I struggle with, and this has helped with. Other than that, DBT is the best therapy for BPD and has the most successful results. And for mood swings, which I get very often, which ok when I feel really happy, but only lasts around 10 minutes, then I go back to being really depressed, take a break from the space around you. That could be going for a short walk, sitting outside, or having a glass of water. Whatever, just take time for yourself. And talk to people about how you feel. Sorry, I don't know much else about the medication part. I was told medication doesn't help with it.

 

[Hime]

Sadly, the only true treatment for BPD, from what my psychiatrist has told me, is proper therapy with a group and a team, usually Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). There are medications to help you cope and survive, but the therapy is the most effective thing to truly free you. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, it could take an embarrassingly long time to actually get into a program. It took me almost two years to get Mentalization-based Treatment (MBT).

 

[Nihilisticstatic]

Sadly, the only true treatment for BPD, from what my psychiatrist has told me, is proper therapy with a group and a team, usually Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). There are medications to help you cope and survive, but the therapy is the most effective thing to truly free you. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, it could take an embarrassingly long time to actually get into a program. It took me almost two years to get Mentalization-based Treatment (MBT).

Ive already done the DBT nearly one year ago. It only helped with my social relations and impulsivity. Which is good but it didnt help with the mood swings at all..

 

[Dejected 55]

From my recent experience in the psychiatric facility where an unusual number of patients were being surprise-diagnosed on discharge with "Borderline Personality Disorder"... I've come to believe this is near a nonsense diagnosis.

It's like going to a medical doctor and being diagnosed as having a "cold" or going to get treatment for a rash and being told you have "contact dermatitis"... these are very generic diagnoses that encompass a wide-range of sometimes unrelated symptoms... they are effectively catch-all diagnosis so that doctors can check a box to say they did something when they otherwise can't determine what is wrong with you.

I'm NOT saying any of you don't have a problem, and don't need treatment, and don't need to be diagnosed... I'm just saying this particular diagnosis is not all that useful when it is an umbrella to lay a label on you whenever they can't figure out what is wrong with you. I feel like it helps a lot of us fall through the cracks because lazy doctors will not put in the effort to figure out what is really going on so we can get meaningful treatment.

 

[Reywashere]

I might be in the minorities here but mood stabilizers really helped me. I don't feel the extreme anger I used to feel. Even my dissociation have decreased greatly. My psychiatrist prescribed me Lamotrigine. It worked wonders for me.

 

[Penguin96]

Ive had therapy for 6 years. The last 3 years was for bpd. Didnt help anything. Some are responsive to treatment, others are not. I also have bipolar and adhd so that doesnt help I guess. I might get DBT now but Im not motivated for it. Its pretty similar to the treatment Ive already gotten. I dont think I can get any better, thats the harsh truth.