Topamax for Borderline Personality Disorder? Does it work?

I told my therapists my two concerns with ANY type of medication for my disorder is sexual dysfunction and weight gain.

I see the psychiatrist tomorrow and my therapist suggested maybe i ask for Topamax. A mood stabilizer. i guess it helps with losing weight.

Anyone try it? does it help stabilize moods?

having just stumbled across this drug on wikipedia, I'm also curious to know anyone's experiences with it. seems its effects on bpd haven't been studied very much at all, but the little that has been done has shown that it can help with some symptoms.

anyone have any further info?

From my knowledge there aren't currently any drugs that are specifically geared to help with the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Each person reacts differently to different medications. Talking with your doctor about the specific symptoms that effect you most could help in narrowing down certain types of medications to try. For example, for me my rages issues were the biggest thing I struggled with. Seroquel has worked wonders for that in my situation. It's definitely something to talk about with your doctor though.

I have used it for migraines and it has horrible cognitive side effects. Many have had negative experiences with those type of side effects. I have no clue about how it works for BPD... I'm AsPD. If the side effects are worth it for you, can't hurt to try... maybe some of the cognitive effects will be a blessing.

I am on it for epilepsy, its supposed to help for my migraines but I still get them so my neurologist is thinking about upping my dosage. the side effects are crazy, when I first went on it my pupils wouldnt dilate and a few times they went to like small dots and I could barely see. It was almost like I had taken heroin or something. Supposedly thats extremely rare, but Im sensitive to meds so its no surprise that it happened to me and I was fine after about 4 weeks. but it did help me to lose the 30 pounds that I gained from the previous med I was on before and its helped my hair grow back (also from previous med). I have heard that its used for other things like ADHD but I am not sure about BPD.

It works for headaches. But it might make you slow. I wouldn't say stupid... Just slow down your thinking a bit.

I have been given Topamax for my migraines and it worked wonders. I used to have about about 12 migraines per month and it brought it down to 1 or two.
I've had it for about two years and now that the neurologist asked me stop it since January, my migraines have already returned to 8 per month, at least this month.
Besides I di not suffer particular side-effects .... probably because I suffer from severe unipolar depression however it didn't bring any benefits for my depression.
Ftzb

Topamax is a terrible mood stabilizer.

It can cause anxiety, anger and depression more than prevent it/treat it.



If you want weight neutral medication for BPD, you can try Stelazine and Trileptal.

I took topiramate/Topamax alone for BPD for about a year. It was the only med my GP would prescribe...he said it had shown results for BPD, and I didn't have access to mental health care at the time. I found it helped stabilize me a little, I kept my weight down, and my migraines were alleviated. But I'm also BP1, so I needed a lot more help than topiramate could deliver. It's worth a shot and if you don't like it you can always stop taking it.

It is so helpful with weight that I often wish I were still taking it to counteract the gain from quetiapine/Seroquel. My taste buds changed while on topiramate and many foods just tasted bad, including alcohol. I stopped taking it due to excessive hair loss which my doctors thought was caused by the topiramate. My migraines didn't return with force, I'd estimate I now have half as many which could be due to all the other meds I now take.

I just started taking this at only 25 mg. I would say give it a shot because it does control weight gain and is known to help you lose weight. Also, it has the least amount of negative side effects. My doctor recommended it because it is safer than the lot out there on the market. Only time will tell if it is going to help me but already I think I do see that it is slowing my thinking down. My mind tends to race very quickly.
Good Luck