Pharmocological Treatment of BPD
In addition to psychotherapy, psychiatrists frequently prescribe medication to combat the symptoms of BPD. Although a wide range of drugs are used with BPD, the most common pharmacological agents are SSRI's, neuroleptics, and anti-epilepsy drugs.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) help to alleviate common symptoms of BPD such as mood swings, anger, emptiness, tedium, and depression. Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox, and Lexapro represent the different types of SSRI's prescribed by psychiatrists. Like other psychotropic medications, SSRI's function at the level of the synapse. Patients with BPD possess an imbalance of the serotonin in the synapse. SSRI's are able to create a better balance by preventing the serotonin from being reabsorbed back into the neuron.
Anti-psychotics or neuroleptics help to combat anger, anxiety, impulsivity, self-destructive thoughts, and dysphoria, symptoms often present in BPD patients. These symptoms have been linked to an overproduction of and/or an increased sensitivity to the neurotransmitter dopamine. Neuroleptics help to correct this dopamine imbalance.
Anti-epilepsy drugs such as Neurontin and Depakote help to alleviate the BPD symptoms of disassociation and dyshphoria. Like neuroleptics, anti-epilepsy drugs affect the levels of dopamine. Although it is unknown how anti-epilepsy drugs exactly function, it is known that they aid in achieving better balance of dopamine within the brain.