QUESTION:

I was diagnosed with BPD inn my early 30's. After years of therapy, I was told that people tend to "outgrow" the disorder in their 40's, and was told that was true in my case. I am now 46, under extreme stress from several major life areas, and see old behaviors surfacing. It really scares me. I am currently seeing a social worker, and taking Zoloft 250mg/day; Ambien 10mg/HS; Xanax 1mg/4x day; and Remeron 60mg/HS. I take several other meds for various reasons. I feel I'm regressing with behaviors like self-mutilation, panic attacks, need for attention, isolation, etc. Can you offer any suggestions? I feel like I'm being listened to, but not really heard.

DR. HELLER'S ANSWER:

I would not use that combination of medications for my patients. It's possible that Tegretol would stop your dysphoria in a few hours, though. I did a study comparing Zoloft to Prozac - Prozac always worked, Zoloft sometimes worked. This study is in the "articles" section of this website.

People do not "outgrow" the BPD. They just become less overtly self-destructive and are able to maintain employment better. I have 80 year old patients with the BPD.

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