BPD and Recreational Drug Use Possible Benefits ?

[Revelations]

First... .I do not advocate any illegal drug use of any kind.

My question is: Can recreational drug use cause any good or bad reactions with a BPD person ?

I smoked pot with my BPD GF once or twice and saw no ill effects on her. Drinking caused her to go 180 degrees and it usually ended in a rage, a fight and a bad evening for us both.

I understand that drug and alcohol use in a BPD is part of their escape from the pain. But is it ever for the purpose of pure pleasure that a non BPD may experience ?

Does escape = pleasure ?

I always wondered about the drug Ecstasy

Re: Ecstasy

Ecstasy, MDMA, was originally used by psychologists in a controlled setting to help couples over barriers and past an impasse and bring them closer, if only for a short while so they can move through the relationship.

How would Ecstasy effect a BPD person ?

My thoughts:

While on the one hand they could become more loving and affectionate as most people become... .They are NOT most people…... could it also trigger an intense fear of abandonment as they get too affectionate and now need to run away from the extreme temporary closeness they now feel ?

Could something even worse be triggered ?

I wish this had been available to my non BPD wife of 15 years. It may have helped us over our impasse. I didn't want a divorce. My non BPD girlfriend and I enjoyed this a few times. All good.

Anybody have experience with this ?

Thx

Again I am not suggesting anything illegal here.

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[Johan]

Yes, i took speed once with my ex back when we into clubbing, and she said her head didn't feel right and wanted to stop.

She took extacy also before I met her... not sure how she was... .

But if mdma/ectasy going to give you a high by serotonin pathways. once the brain goes back down to normality si where most people have their 'come down'

I can only imagine this being a lot worse for BPD... such as once i seen my ex being weened off and come off prozac... her moods were all over place and ended up breakin up 6months or so after that, with a lot of verbal abuse, self centredness and passive agressvie behaviour. then silent treatment.


I think lsd would probably be worse drug for them to take.

[Revelations]

Hallucinogenics  or speed is NOT the same as ecstacy.

NO NO NO

I wasn’t thinking of altering the perception but maybe opening up the affection, breaking down the negative resistance.

( maybe that also altering the perception as well )

[MissyM]

Considering the very bad damage to the brain that can happen from MDMA use and the propensity for BPDs to become addicted, this sounds like a very bad idea for someone that already has so many psychiatric issues.  And before you say it doesn't cause brain damage, my daughter is a neuroscientist and did addiction research.  MDMA is very harmful to the brain.

[Revelations]

No, I would never profess that drugs are in any way not damaging to the body.

But I was curious as to the possible effects, positive or negative that it could have on a BPD individual.

I guess from my personal experience with my ex non BPD GF, which was positive….I would hope for the same on my current BPD GF.  If anyone has personal experience with ecstasy and a non BPD person…... the experience can be very loving and wonderful.  If taken in a safe and controlled setting.

The LAST thing I would ever need is an adverse reaction that would cause another major fight.

[pallavirajsinghani]

Drugs can temporarily mask the symptoms so it seems as if they bring respite... however, they do not fundamentally cure anything in the case of BPD sufferers.  The reason being, this is a disease of perception, of dysphoria caused by faulty neural pathways.  These neural pathways can be reset only by rigorous commitment to treatment(s) specifically designed for BPD (DBT therapies). 

[MissyM]

However, there are psychiatric drugs that can help.  My dBPDh is nonfunctional unless he is on an antidepressant.  His new antidepressant works on multiple neurotransmitters and is helping.  The psychiatrist wanted to add in Abilify (which is supposed to be very beneficial with BPD but my dBPDh refused) and they decide to up the new antidepressant to the highest dose.

Just to be clear, I am not anti recreation drug use for those that aren't easily addicted.  BPDs do not fit into that category, in my experience.  Considering the 3 BPDs that I know are all in addiction recovery, introducing drug use isn't a chance that I would want to suggest.

[Mr. Solo]

My dBPDw began smoking with her "girlfriend" in the summer of 2010. I cannot say whether it is beneficial because since that time she hasn't been right. I do not know if it is the drug contributing or she would be like this without it. I started smoking with her in 2011. I do know she used it differently than I. I used it to feel good, have a good time, and only did it at night and sometimes more often on weekends. She had to have it all day long, every day, or she was a wreck. In addition, the people we got it from contributed greatly to the spiraling of our marriage the last three years we were together. So, several times I wanted to stop smoking because they used her addiction against her/us. They even made rules for her only that she had to stay for a certain time when she picked up EVEN if she was just over there earlier. She would spend all day there, come home for a while, and then go back to get it and have to stay a certain time or they wouldn't give it to her. Now, I am sure, with the state of mind she was in, she didn't mind this but it caused major problems between us. Nevertheless, any time I said I wanted to stop smoking, she refused and became very paranoid about why I wanted to stop. To her, it couldn't have been I didn't want her to be used by them, it was because I wanted her home with me all the time and didn't want her hanging out there. Well, when she spent 15 hours a day over there, smoking all day, wouldn't come home sometimes if I needed her to, and they agreed with her assessment of things, of course I didn't want her over there. So, what I am saying is, I do not know what emotional, physical, mental, etc., effects marijuana had/has on her but she is one of the people who get addicted. It isn't recreational for her. It is a coping mechanism.

[Mr. Solo]

Also, I don't know about others but my dBPDw would also use our use against me. It was just something else to manipulate with. For example, the first 3-4 times we smoked together, she came onto me like she never had before. I always had to initiate sex but not then. However, the very first night I tried to initiate sex, when she didn't, she got mad and asked why did we always have to have sex when we smoked? LOL! Later that morphed into, why do we have to smoke to have sex? I never felt like I did. However, I did admit it was more intense. It is just something else they can play games with. That's the way I see it.

[Mono No Aware]

Datapoint 1: most anything that effects the mind has negative consequences for my uBPDw, recreational included.

Quality cannabis has among it's various effects incredible rates of enhancement and magnification of both imaginative thoughts and emotional responses.

For the person with BPD who has a strong tendencies for A) negativity spilling forth from their imagination  and B) being overwhelmed by strong negative emotions, it's a perfect storm.

I shared a small amount of potent green tea with my uBPDw mere days before her suicide attempt, hoping it would have a calming effect as she was really wound up - to the point where she was experiencing dissociation. It did calm her, but later she said that she could not stop her mind from racing. During her week in a psych ward after the attempt one of the doctors spoke to her about the pot and confirmed that several other patients had reported the same "can't stop thinking bad thoughts" effect. I will never ever give her any again.

Reference video that dips into the neurochemistry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeF6rFN9org


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Datapoint 2: I place a very high value on the therapeutic effects that quality cannabis has on me as part of my self-care regimen. When taken with extreme moderation and only in safe alone-time, it is a rejuvenating and spiritually expanding experience. It's greatly helped me maintain and improve the mindset of striving to be Supportive, Empathetic, Truthful, Understanding, and Persevering that I need to successfully Stay & Improve my marriage to my wonderful though slightly mentally ill wife. I cherish the "expanded viewpoint" that allows me to rise above the petty emotional traps of the daily grind and experience the grander patterns of life.

It is a powerful medicine - use with care.