What meds are your BPD partners on?

[Family Court Strategies: When Your Partner Has BPD OR NPD Traits.]

My husband has been taking Trileptal (a seizure medication) for the past few years and it has helped SO MUCH. He still has BPD and if he misses one dose, I can tell immediately that he's missed it but if he takes it like he is supposed to, he is almost normal. Before he was on it, my God... . it was literally like living with a monster. HOURS of ranting and screaming and horrific physical abuse every single day, all day long. Thousands of suicide attempts and gestures and threats. Endless accusations, endless money drain... . I can't even list how awful it was.

A doctor diagnosed him with BPD and started him on Trileptal in 2010. After he got on the meds, I noticed a difference IMMEDIATELY. It was adjusted a few times and he is on a pretty high dose: 600mg 3 times a day. Now he has not hit me in 2 years. He no longer rants and screams for hours every day. He is nowhere NEAR as paranoid or delusional. The continuous antagonistic and provoking behavior has really diminished. He is probably 80-85% better than he was when I met him. He can hold a job now. He is mostly responsible with the money. I am still the bad guy and he still has BPD, don't get me wrong; there are still accusations of cheating and rejection, he still tries to manipulate others and convince them I'm the bad guy, etc. but I don't expect that to ever change. Compared to what I was living through, it's like a miracle. This is with almost no therapy, by the way. Sporadic attempts here and there but the credit really does go to the medicine. And he is not a zombie on it, either, which I was afraid of. Just a better, more controlled version of him.

He has tried many, many other meds. None of them worked and some of them made him worse. Trileptal really has worked wonders. I am a huge advocate of NO MEDS but some people do need them. He is one of them. I was thinking that maybe if some of you are at your wit's end with meds that don't work, you could try Trileptal with your partner. Some people do not respond to meds but it's worth a shot. Anything that helps is good.

[Sin_M]

My husband has been taking Trileptal (a seizure medication) for the past few years and it has helped SO MUCH. He still has BPD and if he misses one dose, I can tell immediately that he's missed it but if he takes it like he is supposed to, he is almost normal. Before he was on it, my God... . it was literally like living with a monster. HOURS of ranting and screaming and horrific physical abuse every single day, all day long. Thousands of suicide attempts and gestures and threats. Endless accusations, endless money drain... . I can't even list how awful it was.

A doctor diagnosed him with BPD and started him on Trileptal in 2010. After he got on the meds, I noticed a difference IMMEDIATELY. It was adjusted a few times and he is on a pretty high dose: 600mg 3 times a day. Now he has not hit me in 2 years. He no longer rants and screams for hours every day. He is nowhere NEAR as paranoid or delusional. The continuous antagonistic and provoking behavior has really diminished. He is probably 80-85% better than he was when I met him. He can hold a job now. He is mostly responsible with the money. I am still the bad guy and he still has BPD, don't get me wrong; there are still accusations of cheating and rejection, he still tries to manipulate others and convince them I'm the bad guy, etc. but I don't expect that to ever change. Compared to what I was living through, it's like a miracle. This is with almost no therapy, by the way. Sporadic attempts here and there but the credit really does go to the medicine. And he is not a zombie on it, either, which I was afraid of. Just a better, more controlled version of him.

He has tried many, many other meds. None of them worked and some of them made him worse. Trileptal really has worked wonders. I am a huge advocate of NO MEDS but some people do need them. He is one of them. I was thinking that maybe if some of you are at your wit's end with meds that don't work, you could try Trileptal with your partner. Some people do not respond to meds but it's worth a shot. Anything that helps is good.

[bruceli]

Xanax, ambien, estradiol... .

[BPDHubby]

uPBDw is on effexor - as she is undiagnosed BPD - her doctors have been treating her for depression and anxiety.

It helps. A lot. At one stage she was taking four times the amount she is on now. When she would miss her dose by two hours, she would go off the rails. Now she is under control about 80% of the time and only gets distressed over kids (wild and crazy boys), money and interpersonal conflict.

[Sin_M]

I have noticed that a lot of the literature states that meds don't really help with BPD but I have not found that to be true in our case. In fact, they helped A LOT. I guess it's all about keeping the feelings from overwhelming them, so if anything holds the feelings down to a more manageable level, it will help.

[bruceli]

I have noticed that a lot of the literature states that meds don't really help with BPD but I have not found that to be true in our case. In fact, they helped A LOT. I guess it's all about keeping the feelings from overwhelming them, so if anything holds the feelings down to a more manageable level, it will help.

It's what is known now in the industry as "CHEMICAL RESTRAINTS".  Meds that are used, per-se, off label, to make people "more manageable".

[Sin_M]

@bruceli: Well, on that topic in general I am very against medication. I think we as a population are overmedicated, overdiagnosed and basically being chemically poisoned. However, some people DO need them. My husband is a real danger to himself and other people when he is not on them. Like a physical danger. The meds control that.

[maryy16]

Prosac and Buspar. These have helped my H tremendously.

[Jadam12]

She takes Valium every night to go to bed.  About a half a pint of vodka every night before taking the Valium. A whole host of other meds (like anti-depressents) that exist in her pharmacy that takes up an entire kitchen cabinet for her and her daughter also with a host of serious psychological issues.

Yet broaching the subject of being diagnosed BPD is nearly impossible.  One time she briefly mentioned to me something about being bi-polar.

[HoldingAHurricane]

Cipromil prescribed for Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Concerta prescribed for ADHD. As bad as things are are present, both of those medications have had a significant and positive effect. I can't even imagine going back to the time when he wasn't medicated.