Common Medications For Borderline Personality Disorder

Venlafaxine, fluoxetine, and bupropion are a few examples of antidepressants that are prescribed to people with BPD. Typically, antidepressants were developed to treat the symptoms of major depression, specifically low mood. However, doctors and mental health practitioners have started prescribing them for people with other disorders, including BPD.

Researchers have looked into the use of various types of antidepressants for the treatment of BPD, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tetracyclic and tricyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. If you’re experiencing emotional reactivity, anxiety, or persistent sadness, you may get a prescription for antidepressants. However, they don’t have a strong effect on symptoms like impulsivity and anger.

Mood stabilizers like carbamazepine and valproate, as well as anti-seizure medication, are used to treat symptoms of emotional reactivity and impulsivity in people with BPD. Current research indicates that people with BPD are often prescribed mood stabilizers and that they have proven to be effective.

Aripiprazole, risperidone, and olanzapine are some of the antipsychotics that, if needed, are typically prescribed to people with a BPD diagnosis. The term ‘borderline’ is used to name the condition because medical practitioners previously considered the disorder to be on the border between neurosis and psychosis. Because of this theory, antipsychotics were among the first types of medications to be used in the treatment of BPD.

Even though psychotic symptoms don’t accompany BPD, antipsychotic drugs can have a positive effect on different disorders. Studies have found that they can alleviate symptoms like impulsivity, hostility, and paranoid thinking in people with a diagnosis of BPD. And if you’re aware of the symptoms, you’ll know that one of them includes paranoid ideation, which makes antipsychotics a suitable recommendation.

Lorazepam, buspirone, and alprazolam are a few of the anxiolytics that may be prescribed to address anxiety symptoms in people with BPD. Typically, it’s possible to reduce anxiety using antidepressant medication, but when you experience intense anxiety, you may need anxiolytics. Unlike antidepressants, which regulate levels of neurotransmitters in your nervous system, anti-anxiety drugs work by slowing down brain activity.

Currently, there’s little research to prove the effectiveness of anti-anxiety medication for the treatment of BPD. More importantly, some medications, such as benzodiazepines, can be habit-forming, indicating a risk for physical and psychological dependence. Therefore, prescribing them can be dangerous, especially for people with a co-occurring substance use disorder.

When you’re struggling with symptoms like low mood and anxiety in addition to BPD symptoms, it becomes much harder to focus on therapy. In this case, your practitioner can prescribe medications that ease your symptoms and make it easier to engage in therapy.

Although psychotherapy is highly effective in addressing BPD symptoms, it takes some time to show results. Moreover, some symptoms can get worse over time, so prescribing medication can prevent this from happening while you’re seeking therapy.

While medications may not eliminate BPD symptoms entirely, they can make them more manageable. This is especially true in the case of symptoms like anxiety, depression, irritability, and dissociation.

One of the major reasons BPD is misdiagnosed is because it co-occurs with other disorders, the symptoms of which can interact and overlap. This makes it much harder to diagnose BPD. Common disorders that co-occur with BPD include depression, substance abuse, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders.

If you’re diagnosed with any of these disorders in addition to BPD, they can get in the way of the treatment process. Therefore, your practitioner may prescribe medications to treat co-occurring conditions.

Self-harming and suicidal behavior are common features of BPD. If you present with severe symptoms, your practitioner may prescribe medication to alleviate symptoms to reduce the risk of self-harming behavior.

Since BPD medication reduces symptom intensity and frequency, it improves functioning in areas such as daily living and relationships.