Q. I have been searching the net trying to find information that best describes the way that I feel. I came across an article that brought tears to my eyes, it was as if someone had written it about me. I have been diagnosed in the past with bipolar disorder II, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder. The article that I read about focused on Borderline Personality Disorder, it is ME! I am known for seeking help, sticking with it 6-9 months, feeling better and falling off again. This time I am afraid that unless I get some serious help that I will not get back up. My feelings of depression, doom, abandonment and anger are inconceivable to me.... I have always been able to contain (hide) them for the most part. I have started to see a doctor here in Florida, who I am comfortable with but worry that he is not familiar enough with this area. In addition to I wanted to know what kind of medications are used to treat this illness.

A. Drugs used to treat BPD are
SSRIs: Prozac (80 mg/day), Zoloft (200-400 mg/day), Luvox (300-400 mg/day), Celexa (60-80 mg/day)
SNRIs: Effexor XR (300-450 mg/day)
Serzone : 500-600 mg at bedtime.

There have been articles written on just about every psychiatric medication to treat BPD, but the above ones work best overall. Much of the pharmacotherapy is covered in the book Impulsively and Aggression edited by Hollander and Stein. Most people with BPD do a lot better on appropriate medications.