differences of bi polar 2 and borderline personality

[sadnconfused42]

hi i was i believe diagnoised with borderline personality disorder, can someone tell me what is the diff from borderline personality and bi polar 2? i know a friend told me that 2 is hypo mania? not sure what that truly means. my dr that i just started seeing put me on a new mood stablizier called lacital ( i spelled it wrong) but i am confused and worried. i am highly focused on learning about all meds and diagnoises i receive. now a days, some drs love to just put people on meds for whatever. i dont mess around when it comes to my health and body. thanks all!

[lindahand]

Ann gave a great description. One of the best resources is your pharmacist. You can call them over the telephone if you don't want to ask personal questions at the store or many of them have private consultation rooms. They are the drug experts. For example my doctor prescribed the birth control pill to try and regulate my cycle, the pharmacist caught that we had to increase the lamotrigine because BCpills decrease it and they phoned the doctor for an increase to the lamotrigine (generic Lamictal).

There is a section under "Health Information" for bipolar but unfortunately not for borderline, but if you google DSM borderline personality disorder a few sites come up and give you definitions. One of the main differences between the two is moods for Borderline last hours/ maybe a day but for typical bipolar last days to weeks.

Good luck.

[Anneinside]

Borderline Personality Disorder is primarily relationship problems with  high drama, fear of abandonment and mood fluxuations. Bipolar is a mood stabilization disorder with mania or hypomania (lower level mania) alternating with depression. Lamictal is a antiseizure med that is also a mood stabilizer that is primarily used for bipolar and seizure disorders. Some pdocs give lamictal to people with BPD to help with the mood fluxuations (lower mood changes than with bipolar).