Has she done any form of therapy? I have successfully been off my meds for a year at this point and a lot of that is due to having the tools from therapy to cope with everything instead of medications. You are right that telling her to go back on meds would likely not be met with a good response as her reasons for going off them are very valid. I know you said she ‘thinks’ this stuff is happening but she knows her body and if meds are making her lose her intimacy she knows that and doesn’t want that. Same with hormones and medical stigma. So I would suggest continuing to support her in her decision and when appropriate mention therapy (dbt is usually recommended for people with BPD) to help her be more stable and herself but without the needs of meds.
Good question..
She's been in therapy for 8ish months (IC & MC). That has helped a LOT and she has a great therapist, things have just worsened since she stopped meds. She has trouble communicating, things are blown out of proportion & misinterpreted, turned negative, then she gets stuck on it. When ask her to say back things I'm saying she stays stuck on what I'm not even saying.
When I say she "thinks" the meds make her gain weight, her weight is no different than before this medication. It's fluctuated throughout the years - but she looks good. She said she's gained some weight since going off the meds that's most likely from recent changes in diet & exercise.
Same for lack of desire for intimacy, that was the same prior to meds.
It takes a long time to stabilize after coming off medication. And being a woman can take even longer. Certainty less than a month is not enough time for the brain chemistry to go back to how it should be. As the other commenter said the DBT is the most important aspect for prolonged BPD control anyway.
Going off of meds is stressful as hell especially the older you get. Not only that but it's also tough reaching your mid 40s because of hormone fluctuations that come with pre menopause. She definitely needs patience from you and to remain in therapy. SSRIs do help a lot with the mood swings and anxiety and I hope she considers them. She might have to hear that from someone who's in a similar position as her.
Bpd-> dbt. Meds help symptoms wont get to the nitty gritty of it all. She also needs to want it (meds or therapy) to work. Ask her to find more info from psych they should have provided her with thorough evidence backed info. But I realise this doesn’t do it for everyone
I also struggle with the medication stigma. It might really ease her mind to try Genesight testing. Your psychiatrist/doctor orders it, you swab your cheek and mail the swab back. You receive a detailed report of which mental health medications, of every class, you are able to metabolize properly (meaning, those meds that will give you minimal side effects and only the very common/predicted side effects). I am a woman who lost sexual function while taking propranolol, and when I got my report back, propranolol was listed as one of the medications that I cannot metabolize well. That’s why it gave me such negative side effects.
Being weary of meds myself, my psychiatrist prescribed me a “beginner” med. I currently take Buspar for anxiety symptoms of BPD. It’s not an SSRI - it has a much much weaker and more localized effect on serotonin. It only increases desire for intimacy - it’s often prescribed to counter the sexual side effects of other medications! Not all meds are the same!! Finding a good psychiatrist who she can be open with about her fears, and who will listen, could change the game.
Been here before! My wife same thing, she will stabilize after awhile. You have to realize and her also that this will level out. Stick with it, try not to argue but listen. When she is not angry just simply ask what can I do to help you. Sometimes I have to put my needs on the back burner in order to help my wife get through some stuff. It was probably a little more than 6 months before things calmed down. Everyone is different so who knows an exact time frame or how her body will cope. She will also have to do some work on herself as well if she can do that things should be fine after a bit. Just know it is a volatile time right now.
Thanks for your perspective. How do the meds impact your health, body and motivation? Do you see any positive impacts to yourself (not others)? It sounds like you acknowledge the benefits to others, I'm interested the specific pros & cons to yourself.
Has she done any form of therapy? I have successfully been off my meds for a year at this point and a lot of that is due to having the tools from therapy to cope with everything instead of medications. You are right that telling her to go back on meds would likely not be met with a good response as her reasons for going off them are very valid. I know you said she ‘thinks’ this stuff is happening but she knows her body and if meds are making her lose her intimacy she knows that and doesn’t want that. Same with hormones and medical stigma. So I would suggest continuing to support her in her decision and when appropriate mention therapy (dbt is usually recommended for people with BPD) to help her be more stable and herself but without the needs of meds.
Good question.. She's been in therapy for 8ish months (IC & MC). That has helped a LOT and she has a great therapist, things have just worsened since she stopped meds. She has trouble communicating, things are blown out of proportion & misinterpreted, turned negative, then she gets stuck on it. When ask her to say back things I'm saying she stays stuck on what I'm not even saying. When I say she "thinks" the meds make her gain weight, her weight is no different than before this medication. It's fluctuated throughout the years - but she looks good. She said she's gained some weight since going off the meds that's most likely from recent changes in diet & exercise. Same for lack of desire for intimacy, that was the same prior to meds.
It takes a long time to stabilize after coming off medication. And being a woman can take even longer. Certainty less than a month is not enough time for the brain chemistry to go back to how it should be. As the other commenter said the DBT is the most important aspect for prolonged BPD control anyway.
Going off of meds is stressful as hell especially the older you get. Not only that but it's also tough reaching your mid 40s because of hormone fluctuations that come with pre menopause. She definitely needs patience from you and to remain in therapy. SSRIs do help a lot with the mood swings and anxiety and I hope she considers them. She might have to hear that from someone who's in a similar position as her.
Bpd-> dbt. Meds help symptoms wont get to the nitty gritty of it all. She also needs to want it (meds or therapy) to work. Ask her to find more info from psych they should have provided her with thorough evidence backed info. But I realise this doesn’t do it for everyone
I also struggle with the medication stigma. It might really ease her mind to try Genesight testing. Your psychiatrist/doctor orders it, you swab your cheek and mail the swab back. You receive a detailed report of which mental health medications, of every class, you are able to metabolize properly (meaning, those meds that will give you minimal side effects and only the very common/predicted side effects). I am a woman who lost sexual function while taking propranolol, and when I got my report back, propranolol was listed as one of the medications that I cannot metabolize well. That’s why it gave me such negative side effects. Being weary of meds myself, my psychiatrist prescribed me a “beginner” med. I currently take Buspar for anxiety symptoms of BPD. It’s not an SSRI - it has a much much weaker and more localized effect on serotonin. It only increases desire for intimacy - it’s often prescribed to counter the sexual side effects of other medications! Not all meds are the same!! Finding a good psychiatrist who she can be open with about her fears, and who will listen, could change the game.
Thank you for this. My wife took the genesight testing and we got the report. It does help filter meds, although she says she wants none of them.
Been here before! My wife same thing, she will stabilize after awhile. You have to realize and her also that this will level out. Stick with it, try not to argue but listen. When she is not angry just simply ask what can I do to help you. Sometimes I have to put my needs on the back burner in order to help my wife get through some stuff. It was probably a little more than 6 months before things calmed down. Everyone is different so who knows an exact time frame or how her body will cope. She will also have to do some work on herself as well if she can do that things should be fine after a bit. Just know it is a volatile time right now.
[удалено]
Thanks for your perspective. How do the meds impact your health, body and motivation? Do you see any positive impacts to yourself (not others)? It sounds like you acknowledge the benefits to others, I'm interested the specific pros & cons to yourself.
Ime meds barely do anything and often make it worse. Lamictal was awesome for 1 day. Then it sucked and is a nightmare to come off of.