Borderline? What About When Medications Cause Problems?
Published: Mon, 04/12/10
Hi ,
How's it going?
I hope you're doing well today.
Today I'd like to invite you to an
imaginary world.
In this world, most things are perfect,
and it's no big deal to have something
like borderline personality disorder.
See, in this imaginary world, there is one
medication that not only works for
everyone who has it, but completely cures
them from the disorder!
Okay, flash back to reality now.
We all know better than all of that.
It is very difficult to have borderline
personality disorder, or to be the supporter
of someone who does.
We all know that there is not one
medication that works for all people.
And we all know that there is no cure for
borderline personality disorder, especially
from a pill.
In reality, many problems can pop up from
medications - side effects, added
symptoms, or even when they simply
don't work.
So what can we do when our - or our loved
one's - medications don't work the way
they are supposed to?
Well, to begin with, we have to notice that
they are not working the way they are
supposed to.
That means we have to be paying attention.
For some people, it may be best to keep
a journal that lists that they took their
medication, how they felt that day, any
symptoms or side effects, and how they
slept.
For others, that process might not work so
well.
For some people, asking a friend or family
member to help them notice things that
are unusual might work better.
However it needs to be done, a watchful
eye should be kept on how their bodies
and minds are responding to their
medications, especially when the
medication is new.
A very careful eye should be kept for
certain specific side effects, especially
any desire or attempt at suicide or
self-harming behaviors.
If you suspect your loved one may be
experiencing this sort of side effect, you
should get help for them immediately.
The next thing you should do when the
medications have side effects is to
carefully determine whether you can
handle the side effects.
If it is just constipation or dry mouth, for
example, it can probably be handled
fairly easily.
If it is a serious side effect, however, then
you should talk to your psychiatrist about
what can be done about it.
Also, it is important to note that most of
the not-so-serious side effects will wear
off after a certain amount of time of being
on the medications.
So sometimes you just have to wait until
it does wear off.
The next thing you should do if you have
any problems with your medications,
regardless of if it is a side effect, a mental
change, or simply the medication not
working, is to consult with your
psychiatrist.
Remember, they are there for a reason,
and that reason happens to be very
important.
They can help you determine whether the
medications need to be stopped, altered,
or added onto.
If the medications need to be stopped, they
can help you do so in a way that isn't
harmful to you.
Here is a very important caution:
You should never stop a medication on
your own without seeing a psychiatrist
and following their directions on how to
do so.
By stopping certain medications suddenly,
a person can actually create bigger
problems in their minds and bodies.
And without medical training, it is
highly unlikely that we will know which
medications those are and which are fine
to just stop taking.
So it is very important that you consult
with the psychiatrist if you wish to
stop taking your medications, so that they
can instruct you in how it needs to be done.
They know how to stop a medication in
a way that it will not cause any further
problems.
Make sure once you have gotten their
advice on how to do so that you follow it;
it could make all the difference in the
world.
When you go to the psychiatrist to tell
them what has been going on with your
medications, be sure to be prepared to tell
them what sorts of symptoms you have
been experiencing.
They may ask questions to determine
factors that you may not have thought
about.
Remember that the psychiatrist is there
to help you with your medications, and
that they know more about them than
most of us could ever hope to.
So it is always best to get their advice on
anything to do with medications.
After all, they're there for a reason.
Your Friend,
Dave
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