What medications are used in treating DID?

Q: What medications are used in treating Dissociative Identity Disorder? - Emily

A: There are no medications specific for treating Dissociative Identity Disorder. Many symptoms related to sleep problems, depression, anxiety, and PTSD hyperarousal can be managed with medications specific for those issues.

Anti-depressants are commonly used, especially those in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) family, to help regulate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Effexor, an anti-depressant that is not in the SSRI family, is often used because it has been shown to be effective in treating PTSD symptoms in addition to depression. Caution should be used with Effexor because of it's withdrawal syndrome.

Anti-anxiety medications such as Klonopin can be used to help with sleep issues, panic attacks, and flashbacks. These are best limited to as low dose as possible and only as needed due to risk of abuse and dependency.

Sleep aids include over-the-counter options such as Benadryl or Tylenol PM (same active sleep-causing ingredient in both), herbal supplements such as Melatonin (which is a substance that naturally occurs in the body and helps regulate our sleep cycle/internal clock), and prescription options. Many prescription options also have a risk of abuse, dependency, and withdrawal and are usually recommended to be taken for a short time (7-14 days) such as Ambien and Lunesta. Newer forms are allowed to be taken longer, such as Ambien CR and Rozerem (which is the only prescription sleep aid to work on the melatonin system). Any medication used for sleep on a regular basis can create psychologically dependence, which is basically the psychological belief that you need the medication to get to sleep and may become frustrated when sleep fails to come as quickly without the medication. Many doctors recommend that you limit your sleep aid use to 3-4 nights per week to avoid dependence issues. Your doctor will best be able to address these issues with you.

Other medications which are sometimes used with Dissociative Identity Disorder include anti-psychotics and mood stabilizers. These are controversial and should probably only be used for emergency situations or if Bipolar Disorder is thought to co-exist with the DID. In lower doses, these may also be used for medication resistant depression.