Question:
Is Seroquel (quetiapine) a good medication for the BPD?
Hi Dr. Heller,
I hope my email finds you to be well.
I a 27 year old girl diagnosed with BPD
since 1998. I've never made any progress with my emotions until my
psychiatrist prescribed Seroquel to help me sleep. Since I've been on this
medication my emotions are a little numbed and I think the Seroquel has
helped a lot.
I was wondering have you prescribed this tablet to your own
patients? And if so, how long should one take it for?
Also in your opinion, do
you think Seroquel is a good medication for my illness?
My psychiatrist doesn't seem to know much about BPD and I have read your 2
books and I trust what you say.
Please get back to me when you have a minute.
Thank you,
Dr. Heller's Answer:
Seroquel is rarely a good medication for
the BPD. It’s most useful for sleep. I
frequently see patients already taking
Seroquel when they come to see me. In my
experience it’s not as effective and causes weight gain.
The usual medications I prescribe for plain BPD
are Prozac (fluoxetine) with
Tegretol (carbamazepine) and the as needed
medications: Haldol (haloperidol) 2mg:
one every 4 hours as needed for dysphoria
(anxiety, rage, depression and despair);
have Benadryl 25-50mg available in case of a
dystonic reaction.
If Haldol doesn’t
work in 15 minutes, take Tegretol (carbamazepine)
200mg once. If this doesn’t
work in 4 hours, that night take Risperdal (risperidone)
3mg with 200mg of
Tegretol. You will be non functional for a
day, but 24 hours later you’ll no longer
be depressed.
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