Having trouble controlling my anger

[djinnx]

Hello everyone,

I am a new member here and I am seeking some advice. I have recently been unable to control my outbursts. It all started after I began taking Vyvanse. I began having issues with controlling my anger. Whenever I get excited, the volume of my voice increases and my tone gets very angry. I decided to stop taking the meds however the effects are still present.

I am not sure what to do to take back control of my emotions. Does anyone else have this problem? What do you do to help control your emotions?

Thanks

[kilted_scotsman]

You are half way there.... you are aware of the emotion and the effect it is having on your life.

Recognise the situations in which you get angry and become aware of when you are approaching one.

Then you can "experiment" with different ways of handling it.

You might try ...

Avoidance.... not getting into the situation.... say by just walking away

Deflection.... postponing the interaction till later. "I don't want to talk about this now I can feel myself getting angry"

Active listening.... trying to say little while listening to the other person and letting them vent/say what they need to say. The key is to just reflect what you hear them saying so that they know you've "really" heard them. (This is tough... not one to try straight off)

You could try Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, it's pretty good at this kind of thing.

Alternatively try going to a Person Centred Counselling training workshop... that wold give the active listening/reflecting bit...

or try a Non-violent communication workshop...

with workshops/trainings alot depends on the tutor

kilted

[sarahsweets]

Originally Posted by djinnx

Hello everyone,

I am a new member here and I am seeking some advice. I have recently been unable to control my outbursts. It all started after I began taking Vyvanse. I began having issues with controlling my anger. Whenever I get excited, the volume of my voice increases and my tone gets very angry. I decided to stop taking the meds however the effects are still present.

I am not sure what to do to take back control of my emotions. Does anyone else have this problem? What do you do to help control your emotions?

Thanks

is it possible that its a dose issue with vyvanse?

[tudorose]

Exercise. That's the only solution I've found - which has made the last year of not being able to exercise very hard to cope with.

[picard]

I have the same problem too but I don't take vyvanse. I tend to get excited and raise my voice during a conversation.

[lateralthinker]

If you didn't have anger issues before the Vyvanse, take a look at your caffeine and alcohol intake. Too much caffeine can overstimulate you making you edgy. Vyvanse will also potentiate the alcohol, making you drunk very fast. If you've gotten to be a jerk after having too much to drink, you will do this on Vyvanse, sometimes after having very little to drink. I've stopped since I upped my dose to 40mg - I'm on day 10 of being on the wagon and my anger is much more in control.

You may also want to look at your dose. If it's low and you're not getting too much caffeine or alcohol, it may just not be for you.

[GameON]

When I was all over the place fighting on nights out I just decided to go to a kickbox class.
I went 4 times a week..sometimes 5.
Got the hell kicked out of myself... but... I rarely have that urge to fight with someone anymore. Dunno why.

[KidDutchy]

Hello, i am 21 and i have severe ADHD. I also have anger problems. Little tedious tasks send me into a spiraling anger if i can not complete the task in little to no time. I just snap. Even worse more so when i forget to take my meds (methylphenidate 20mg) Oddly enough once im agry i say angry and simple questions from my parents and/ or girlfriend like "hey whatcha doin" ill respond in a angry grunt "NOTHING!!!! LEAVE ME ALONE" and i dont mean it at all but it just happens. I find that working out takes the anger away almost instantly. Thats just me. I also fond that if i misplace something its almost impossible to backtrack and find it and that makes me snap too.

[Buffie1313]

I have had anger problems after I had my son. I thought it was postpardon dep. But, I think it may of been that and years of untreated ADHD my life becoming to stressfull. I was put on adderall and had built up anger on my niece. Well one night I was trying to tell her nicely that a dress she wore made her look like a hooker and was not flattering. She didn't like so I told her rudly how the dress made her look bad. I thought it was the adderall...I was wrong!!! What you need to think about is, Has there been any changes in your life that has caused more stress. Has anyone upset you and you just unleashed like I did. There is more to it then the meds...there is something underlining that wants out. True maybe your dose needs to be adjusted because it's letting that anger out in away you don't want. Also think about what's new or upsetting around you cause it could be both meds and that

[Lunacie]

Since you say this has only been a problem since starting on Vyvanse, I'd
say start looking there for the answer. I say this because after more than
six months of anger and depression and lashing out, we finally weaned my
granddaughter off Abilify over the weekend and we have our darling happy
girl back again. So wonderful to see her smile at us once more. I wish the
p-doc had been more aware of this particular side effect and had us switch
sooner.


There are so many different formulations and meds and doses, it can be
frustrating trying to figure out which one is right for you, but you don't
have to live with unwanted side effects if they outweigh the benefits of the
medication.

[Conman]

channel it into another medium. martial arts. video games. a sport. or try learning to not get so angry with things. life will **** you at some point, but it happens to all of us, get used to it. i myself am one to talk since even small things will 'ruin my day' for me, but im getting better at it by seeing them as only 'inconveniences'.

[sarahsweets]

Maybe you should try dexedrine?

[towm8er]

It seems anger and the spontaneous uncontrollable response to lash out might be a common thing with ADD. I was diagnosed late in life unfortunately, so there's a lot of pent up anger about having to stumble through 45 years of trouble unwittingly. Now I'm angry about everything; politics, illegal immigration, legal system, inconsiderate drivers, too many people, being criticized about my own opinions or choices or attitudes, and the list goes on.

I take Adderall daily after trying everything else. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs anymore, but now I realize why I did those things earlier in life. ADD.

I can't remember the last time I had a good laugh. by the way, this is my first post here.

[phscalisi]

I have been having more and more of an issue with this lately myself. I am on Concerta, and generally it seems to help, but like towm8er said, everything seems to upset me. It could be alot of stress, Lord knows my family and I have been dealing with a great deal of that lately.

Interesting that I have cut back on my caffeine and alcohol and no longer smoke. Possible that the Concerta isn't enough? I mean I quit smoking 10 years ago, cut back alcohol 7 years ago and have been trying to wean myself off of caffeine. Yet, I guess I feel like I am going through some type of withdrawal symptoms.

Part of me was also wondering if this is a manifestation of impulsivity, and maybe I don't have my symptoms (at least these) as under control as I thought.

[clovislorax]

Two primary points that others have shared:
1) Recognizing you have an issue is the first and most important step to doing something about it. So you're off to a good start.
2) If the problems weren't there before and they started after you started taking Vyvanse then you really need to look at that issue and see if a med change or dosage change is needed.

Some other things to consider:
1) For me, my anger gets out of control when I'm not medicated. I get stressed out way too easily and then over-react.
2) Mindfulness and meditation are effective tools for dealing with anger and other difficult emotions.
3) Exercise helps.
4) Eating right helps (avoiding spikes and drops in blood sugar levels brought on by simple carbs).

Best wishes