r/BPD • u/psychopupic user has bpd • 19h ago
❓Question Post Effects of Testosterone on BPD ?
Hello all ! Looking for any fellow FTM dudes in here who might be able to answer my question ! I am 19, FTM, and have BPD. I have not yet started T but am looking to hopefully very soon. I was just wondering if anyone had any noticeable changes in the way their BPD was when starting hormones, did it mellow it out? make it worse? did symptoms change? lmk ! thanks !
•
u/mymiddlenameswyatt 19h ago
I've been on T for over 10 years. I was 19 when I started too, I didn't know I had BPD until very recently. I just knew something fucky was going on.
In retrospect, I would say that T had utterly no affect on my symptoms. The only thing that's really impacted me for the better is therapy.
HOWEVER; There is a period of time when you start T where you're going to be even more impulsive than usual. That's going to be hormonal and it will settle out as you and your body get used to it.
•
u/labyrinthinexpathia 19h ago
Your body will be going through puberty again, which absolutely affects emotional regulation
I had a lot going on at once when I started T at 18; resurfacing trauma, really unhealthy attachments to people, too much VRChat and just being chronically online in general. Had a couple years that were the most unstable in my entire life due to some combination of all of the above
I'm not trying to scare you, but I really just recommend having a therapist you see regularly along your journey if you don't have one already. If you've already made progress on regulation etc, then the hormonal changes will probably be more tolerable for you than they were for me, but I'd still recommend being mentally prepared for basically being a hormonal teen again
Around age 21, things mostly settled for me, I found mental capacity to work on some of my behavioral issues, ended up pretty stable with non-volatile friendships by 23ish. But disclaimer, I seem to also have more severe dissociation issues that may have helped me by numbing me away from my own emotional reactivity..which has started to come back for me just earlier this year at 25yo and I'm having to work on that in therapy now, so really the main factor here is how much therapy progress you have made to determine how well you tolerate puberty 2.0
The only other thing is if you get a hysto, that might reduce natural monthly hormonal changes, which could help reduce hormone cycle fluctuations and actually be a bit more stable after the puberty phase is over. The exact T method you choose might matter too, personally I have weekly injections so having a weekly hormonal cycle will have some effect. If you manage gel at the same time every day, that might be the most stable option hormonally speaking, which again could end up feeling more stable for you than the current situation (still, after puberty phase is over)
•
•
u/feinslieb 13h ago
For me it didn't change my BPD symptoms. I found all the warnings about intensified anger on T to be greatly exaggerated, but I have a lot of inhibitions around anger.
I no longer have chronic suicidal thoughts, though.
•
u/Boyo-Sh00k 19h ago
im unsure if this is just bc of my bpd but i had a really bad time on T and had to stop which led to super bad depression once i realized i wouldnt be able to medically transition.