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BPD wife's P just put her on Hydroxyzine for panic attacks and anxiety. 

I am concerned because P (who sees W 10 minutes every 3 months for med management) still has wife misdiagnosed as bipolar and insist she is not BPD, even though every T says she is textbook BPD. Current T who sees W weekly is doing DBT with her, so I am sure she is on the right path.   

Anyone here have a SO w/BPD who has been given Hydroxyzine for BPD? Was it helpful? Any side effects?   

Hi cole,

Hydroxyzine primary use is for allergies as it is an antihistamine. I have not encountered it being used for anxiety in either my professional or personal life.

What are your concerns about the bi-polar diagnosis?

It is usual for a P or GP to prescribe according to presenting symptoms, rather than diagnosis. This is also useful for pwBPD as there is no medication that is used specifically to treat personality disorders.

My concern with the bipolar dx is W has not actively sought therapy for years because her P told her she does not need it, stating all she needs is meds because therapy does not help with bipolar. She sees W for 10 minutes every 3 months, just long enough to write a new script and send her back out the door.

Fortunately, she found a T she likes who I believe knows she is properly dx as BPD.

My feeling on this:  Medications can help a pwBPD's symptoms of anxiety, depression, or sleeplessness.  A diagnosis of bipolar helps convince the insurance company to pay for medications and P visits.  If she were just diagnosed as BPD, the insurance company may balk at paying for treatment.  Note, I am not in the insurance industry or work for a doctor, but one time my insurance company did not want to pay for an acne treatment medicine or ADHD medicine because they considered me too old to have those ailments.  I assume insurance companies try to not pay for treatments that don't match the diagnosis. 

That said, I suspect the P is not clueless as to the BPD, because if the P was, your wife would be sent home with other meds like Lithium or Seroquel.  Antihistamines are a relatively "safe" way of treating anxiety without the addiction issues of benzos.  P may simply be listening to anxiety complaints and treating her in the safest way possible.

I do know that my wife DRs even when the call the regulating bodies to get the permits to prescribe various meds they always give reasons that have nothing to BPD. There are obvious set reasons for meds and they just trot them out.

Is there an option to try a different P? As you say short infrequent vists are not all that hard for a pwBPD to lead medicos down the wrong path. What does your wife want to believe she has?

Wife has been on Depakote for 7 years now for bipolar dx.


I have hoped she wold find a different P for years. P tells wife she is bipolar and not to seek a T because she sees no value in it. "You are still bipolar. Here's your script(s), see you in 3 months." does not seem to be due diligence in carrying out her duties as a physician.   

Again, and fortunately, wife found a T she really likes and sees weekly as a condition to me not filing for divorce a few months ago.* This T is the first one who seems to get she is BPD and is making some good progress.   

* Did not want me to file for divorce, but threatens to leave me weekly. Ah, the life of a non... .