20 Year Old Son with BPD - smoking Weed

[RobertX]

Hello everyone,

We are struggling with a son with BPD who regularly smokes weed which we think is making his condition worse.  Does anyone have insight to the effects of smoking weed (multiple times each day) on over mood and symptoms of BPD.

He is extremely articulate and routinely claims that we are 'gaslighting' and manipulating him.  He is also hugely twisting events of the past which is becoming hugely damaging.  We will survive it all but I wanted to understand if coming off weed could be a key step in helping him?

What impact can parents really have?

Many thanks

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[chinchilla_dad]

I'll start by saying I'm biased Because Delta eight CBD Literally saved my life From alcoholism.  However My hairstylist has BPD And she says it helps tremendously. 

[RobertX]

That's interesting the CBD i can imagine is great, the THC not so much  Thank you.

[ILMBPDC]

My daughter is 23, diagnosed BPD at 16, and smokes cannabis a lot - it helps calm her anxiety and emotions so much that she doesn't need to be on any pharmaceuticals.

[ILMBPDC]

That's interesting the CBD i can imagine is great, the THC not so much  Thank you.

Delta 8 contains THC, just about 50% less than delta 9 (which is the "normal" cannabis)

[khibomsis]

How sure are you of your son's diagnosis? Should he be of psychotic tendencies (BPD being on the borderline of psychosis and neurosis) then indeed the THC could affect him adversely. IMHO it works great for anxiety and depression, psychosis could potentially worsen.   In that case a THC free CBD oil might work better.

Some people are also sensitive to withdrawal symptoms, each individual is different. But if you notice a definite moodswing about 3-4 hours after imbibing that could well be the cause.

[chinchilla_dad]

RobertX,

Just wanted to add that anything I use is over the counter and fully legal, even in NY/NJ.  There are plenty of different blends that all aim to do different things.  I am not advocating anything only pointing out what helped me with my personality disorder (OCPD) and what I have heard other people say.  I also want to clarify that It is the Delta 8 IN CONJUNCTION WITH with Regular Meditation, Mindfulness training, Research, Yoga, regular exercise, CBT, therapy, and learning to love myself again after a couple of toxic relationships that saved my life.  Wish you guys the best.

[kells76]

Welcome RobertX;

Not sure if you've seen these threads; here are a couple from a few months ago about young adult children with BPD using marijuana:

https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=350346.0

https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=350302.0

Hope those help you as you figure out your steps forward;

kells76

[RobertX]

Thank you all for you insight and experiences -  very valuable and much appreciated

[Sancho]

DD started mid teens with marijuana. After quite a while she progressed to ice, but now 30 has come off ice herself, but finds it pretty impossible to come off marijuana.

She is calmer etc when using, but when she doesn't have any her BPD symptoms are much worse. She has lost her driving licence twice due to testing positive to marijuana. The first time she was able to give it up and test clean, got licence back.

This time it is different. She is finding it almost impossible to give up - and she is terrible to live with when she tries, which is often.

There are a few things to consider though I think in relation to marijuana use, particularly when it is frequent use as with your son and my DD.

Marijuana has all the chemicals of tobacco and about twice as much tar. The main difference is one has nicotine and the other THC.

THC is fat soluble which means it stays in the body much longer. This means that many users don't get the withdrawal symptoms of a tobacco user. It also means that for a heavy user it can take weeks to get out of the system. DD took 14 weeks to be clear the first time.

The other thing which is most important I think is what someone mentioned above. Marijuana can cause psychosis in vulnerable people. Shortly after starting to use it DD mentioned - in passing - that she could hear voices.

If DD had stayed with prescribed meds - and she didn't need very heavy meds - she would be so much better off now.

But everyone is different and it certainly seems to be a calming thing for many BPD sufferers. How it pans out in 10 or 15 years no one can tell. In my case it was not good.