If there were a pill available to remove dysphoria would you take it?

[Violets]

Yes, I'd take it. It would certainly make for a less complicated life.

[DawnOday]

If it were available when I was married to my first wife forty three years ago. But I have lived through it until I couldn't anymore. If it had failed and sex change was more common when I was young. I would have preferred all the alterations.  But if the pill were available and could save my marriage to the love of my life. Yes. 

[Anastasia]

I would definitely take that pill. There is too much inner turmoil and uncertainty about being MTF. I am not transitioning and have plans not to, but there is still a part of me that is convinced that I would be my true self if I did transition. I would take the pill to rid my psyche of that part of me that that I find so troublesome. I could then learn how to be the confident man, husband and father that I feel I could be. I am pleased with the core of who I am, but the dysphoria is a highly disruptive and a non-productive part of me.

I would not take the pill. I love the person I am, and I have no idea of how much of the feminine aspects of my personality contribute to the overall person I am and I wouldn't want to risk losing myself. My wife and children love me and want me to contribute to their lives. Despite all of my inner issues, they love me for who I am now, MTF, and I love that. I would not take the pill.

I would like to give society a pill that allows them to accept me for who and what I am. If I choose to be "all male" one day, watching a football game while sitting on the tailgate of of a truck, drinking beer on a Saturday afternoon, then go out for a romantic evening with my wife while we wear complimentary dresses, society would be accepting of that.

I would, in all likely hood, fail to decide.

[Ann W]

It has taken me all my life to find out who I am and to find joy in knowing myself. To give that up seems very very wrong and painful.

This is me, too. I would never take that pill. I spent a lifetime only half-alive. I didn't know what joy was, until I came out to myself. Besides, it seems to me that dysphoria is only a symptom, not the real problem. Sometimes a problem is so painful that addressing the symptom is all you can do; but I hope I am never faced with that choice. I can't imagine denying who I am, no matter what the cost.

[Allie Jayne]

For myself, no. For the people around me, so they would never have to feel pain, embarrassment, awkwardness and confusion I am putting them through, yes. Being trans has severely limited my career, cost me my business, the mother of my children, and recently, my health. I'm hoping it won't cost me my current wife or family members as I transition. I'm 65, so losing my job isn't critical, but I do love the people I work with. I'm also a well known member of a community group which is likely I will have to leave. So while I probably wouldn't like the all male person the pill would make me, the benefits to all around me would be hard to deny.

Allie

[AnneK]

Sure I would.  In fact, I'm seeing an endocrinologist soon to get the prescription for HRT.

[Denise]

Actually I would much rather give those around me who cared negatively that I transitioned a chill-pill or acceptance pill.

I only need one or two please.  It would help if it would switch their sexual orientation too.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

[Victoria L.]

So you mean, like, my mind would shift to being male? While I'm sure a lot of the mental pain I deal with would be gone, I would not be myself anymore, so I decline 100%.

[Tribble]

Yes, yes, and YES!

I've dreamed of such a pill from the first time I heard of the thought-concept a couple of decades ago.  Even after my decade-and-a-half of living full time, marrying the man I loved (and still do, but situations change) and devoting so much time to self-exploration, yes, in a heartbeat, a New York minute.

However, if a pill were available for me to wake up in a fully natural female body with feminine forms and chromosomes and the ability to have children and a mind at ease enough that I could deal with life, I would prefer that drug rather than the previous pill.

My answer vs. other trans people's answers is just another reason for my questioning of my own identity, just one more reason I find myself struggling to figure out what I really am, the reason I'm just about to give up on my third purge and re-transition...to what, I'm not sure.

I have strong dysphoria and dysmorphia and I hate both.  That hatred has developed over the years to the point that I really, truly do hate myself and have tried to do something about it in the past, leaving me with some measure of brain damage.

I respect that others feel differently.  I wish I could.

As Scrooge McDuck once said, "Work smarter, not harder."  I see transition and trying to gain the acceptance of society and myself as extremely hard work.  Many times, it's too much work for me to handle.

[F_P_M]

I'd rather have a pill that would make me switch sex...

<_<

that'd be a way more useful pill for me.

Ultimately though? I don't think I would, because the idea of transitioning genuinely excites me. It's like a transformation, the ultimate reinventing of myself and given how often i've lamented that I hate myself and will never be anyone but the useless sack of flesh I am, this feeling of rebirth is pretty HUGE.

I don't think removing the dysphoria would magically make me not a sad sack and I don't wanna go back to that.

Of course I might change my mind in the coming months/years, but right now? I'm in the "eeeeee yay" phase

and to be honest, removing the dysphoria now isn't gonna remove the 33 years of prior gender related nonsense.

[Haley Conner]

I'd rather have a pill that cures society of telling people who they are and how they should act. 

[jkredman]

I'd rather have a pill that cures society of telling people who they are and how they should act. 

That would be a wonderful pill indeed.

Back to the original question;

I tried the pills.  Their called antidepressants.  They didn't work. All I ever got were the side effects.

So I'm on a new patch & pill.  They're called estradiol and Spiro.  They work great.  I have peace. So no, I'm not going back.

Kate is free!   I'm not taking any pill that would bottle her back up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jesse135]

Yes, life would probably be less complicated, but maybe more complicated sometimes...as I'd probably be a lesbian then instead of a straight man who passes half the time so lol....

[Gabriel_C]

Having no dysphoria means your brain matches your body. If by "removing dysphoria" you mean the pill would change my brain into accepting my body... then my answer is NO, I wouldn't take that pill.

Because that means the pill would change ME, my personality... It would change who I am. I would be a woman. And I'm not a woman. And do not wish to be one.

[Bea1968]

A pill that would allow me to be happy with myself? Heck yea!

No more expensive and time consuming electrolysis.

No more self doubt and depression

No more visits to the therapist, yea...more time for the beach

No expensive and invasive surgeries...maybe take a cruise to the Bahamas instead...

To be happy with me is all I ever wanted to be

[Tribble]

A pill that would allow me to be happy with myself? Heck yea!

No more expensive and time consuming electrolysis.

No more self doubt and depression

No more visits to the therapist, yea...more time for the beach

No expensive and invasive surgeries...maybe take a cruise to the Bahamas instead...

To be happy with me is all I ever wanted to be

I think I've read someone else in this thread say similar other than me, but I completely agree.

To be comfortable seeing myself in a mirror after getting out of my shower without needing to spend tens of thousands of dollars.

To have my first marriage continue to this day.

Ifs and buts...

[RetroTS]

I've given this a bit of thought over the weekend.

For as much as I hate my gender issues, and the things its cost me over the years, I would have to say no.

A lot of good has come out of it; I was able to come out of the closet and not feel guilty about being in love with another man, I've got to experience things from both sides of the gender spectrum.  It can be a massive pain to have two sets of clothes.

I've developed rock solid relationships with people including one whose kids refer to me as Aunt. As a matter of fact the daughter of my friend just turned 16 and she wanted me to be one of the first people to show me her prom dress.. Yes, I cried as I was so happy for her.

I've also am good friends with a trans man in which we have a long running gag. Our conversations usually start like this:

"Hi, can I have your boobs?"

"Absolutely.  I hate these @#$%@ things, and I want them gone."

"Great, I'll be 'round this evening "

"You're a lifesaver"

And we both howl with laughter. It's those moments I cherish. I feel that I understand things from both genders. 

For all of the hassle, loneliness, the fear, the potential of it upending my life at a moments notice , I wouldn't trade it for anything...

[Tribble]

Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of great benefits that come with transitioning, but to me, with my own body image and my own situation, I would still happily take that pill that would allow me to be comfortable in my own skin.  I would like to think that I'd still be an ally for LGBT people and remain the empathic and compassionate person I've always been.

As Buttigieg says, I would cut this part of myself out with a knife if it were possible.

[Janes Groove]

As Buttigieg says, I would cut this part of myself out with a knife if it were possible.

I can't help but note that that's taking that quote a little out of context.  He said that applied to the way he USED to think. Back when he was in the closet.  Back when he was struggling to find a place for himself as an authentic, whole person in the world.

He also said that fortunately there was no knife.  That embracing his true self led him closer to God and led him to a happy marriage with his husband.  He describes those feelings as being a dark part of his past before he came out of the closet. He said that being in the closet was like being at war with yourself and with your creator.

[Tribble]

I can't help but note that that's taking that quote a little out of context.  He said that applied to the way he USED to think. Back when he was in the closet.  Back when he was struggling to find a place for himself as an authentic, whole person in the world.

He also said that fortunately there was no knife.  That embracing his true self led him closer to God and led him to a happy marriage with his husband.  He describes those feelings as being a dark part of his past before he came out of the closet. He said that being in the closet was like being at war with yourself and with your creator.

You are right, of course, and he was applying that statement to before he was out, however, while I have a "tolerant" support circle, they're not exactly the most encouraging and for me, life had not gotten any easier.

My feelings about myself are getting better, especially after finding a local support and advocacy group that I find exceptionally welcoming, as opposed to the one I found when I first transitioned that caused even more internal issues for myself, so there's a chance I might change my mind, but at this point in time, I would rather be who the people around me wished I was rather than who I really am.