Biology,  Borderline Personality Disorder

Study Will Evaluate Bipolar Medication in Treating Borderline Personality Disorder

The secondary outcomes are depressive symptoms, deliberate self-harm, social functioning, health-related quality of life, resource use and costs, side effects of treatment, adverse events, and withdrawal of trial medication due to adverse effects.

Study Will Evaluate Bipolar Medication in Treating Borderline Personality Disorder
Aug 12, 2015 | Bill Schu

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is challenging to diagnose and treat. As yet, there are no drugs currently licensed for BPD treatment. In fact, guidance from England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that pharmacologic therapy not be used for patients with BPD at all. This is potentially troubling, because those patients typically experience rapid and extreme changes in mood, poor social functioning and have high rates of suicidal behavior.

Some smaller-scale research has suggested that mood stabilizers may produce short-term reductions in symptoms of BPD, but few controlled, randomized clinical trials have been undertaken in this area. A new study announced in Trials will compare the effectiveness of the bipolar disorder and anti-seizure medication lamotrigine, which has been shown to be effective at preventing or delaying some depressive effects in patients with bipolar disorder, versus placebo in patients with BPD.

The lamotrigine and borderline personality disorder: Investigating Long-term Effectiveness trial (LABILE) is a multi-center, two-arm, parallel group, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial with three-, six-, and 12-month follow-up assessment. It will be the first study to examine the long-term clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of lamotrigine for people with BPD.

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2 Comments

  • invisiblerain

    While some people may have Bi-Polar, and/or other co-morbidities in conjunction with BPD, Borderline Personality Disorder, by itself, is an emotional disorder, not a mental or physiological disorder. I am a Borderline. A few years ago, before being diagnosed as BPD, I was diagnosed with major depression. And I was in fact, depressed for many years, but i didn’t know it. I was too often, moody, angry, beligerent. I was prescribed and I took Lamictal (Lamogitirine). Psychiatrists also mistakingly diagnosed me as Bi-Polar and they prescribed me a buffet of pharmaceuticals, that I was leery of and only swallowed one or two prescriptions for a very short period of time. I am A Borderline; and I’m not ashamed to say it because it is inspiring my creativity. I have to work extremely hard at being mindful of my angry, judgmental, impatient thoughts..because if I’m not careful, those ugly thoughts turn into my feelings..which manifest into naughty behaviors. Self control is one of nine fruits of the spirit, that I pray for daily. Peace. ; ))

  • Tallulah

    A few years ago a psychiatrist put me on Lamotrigine. It made my ability to control my emotions worse not better. When I came off the drug I felt more stable. I have BPD and don’t recommend Lamotrigine to anyone with this disorder. No drugs seem to help me much.

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