Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 635485

Shown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Spikes of aggression or anger

Posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 9:04:08

I am currently taking 400 mg Lamictal (bipolar)and 150 mg Wellbutrin (depression) to stabilize my moods and make me "feel better," as my psychiatrist would say. I do feel better, but I get spikes of anger and aggression sometimes if someone or something irritates me, even in the slightest way. These are not normal anger emotions because they can be irrational or over petty issues. Should I add another med to control those emotions? If so, which one?

 

Re: Spikes of aggression or anger

Posted by naughtypuppy on April 21, 2006, at 12:48:47

In reply to Spikes of aggression or anger, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 9:04:08

It could be the Wellbutrin causing some hypomania. Have you tries Depakote or Carbamazepine instead of the Lamictal. I found for me anyway, that they both reduce my irritability significantly, though they leave me mildly depressed and lethargic when used alone. Maybe a combo of one of these with the Wellbutrin would be a good mix for you.

 

Re: Spikes of aggression or anger

Posted by Phillipa on April 21, 2006, at 13:43:31

In reply to Re: Spikes of aggression or anger, posted by naughtypuppy on April 21, 2006, at 12:48:47

Is that you below that just got the ENSAM Patch? Love Phillipa

 

Re: Spikes of aggression or anger » curtm

Posted by HappyGirl on April 22, 2006, at 8:20:52

In reply to Spikes of aggression or anger, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 9:04:08

Hi:
Two meds. one is Trazodone and other is Zyprexa are both good for the problem you're dealing with. Aggression and rage is said to be one of 'manic' episodes.

Both meds., Lamictal and Wellbutrin are both good for 'depressive side' of your Bipolar, but you need a med. for manic side of your Bipolar. Then, at your next appt. ask your pdoc. about 'calming' med. like Trazodone, Zyprexa or any other Anti-psychotic meds. Also, those meds. make you sleep well throughout night.

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression

Posted by B2chica on April 24, 2006, at 12:20:28

In reply to Spikes of anger and aggression, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 9:06:53

definatel tell pdoc about them, but i know anti-anxiety meds helped with mine...i mean you talk about road rage x 10...sometimes literally people breathing would irritate me to no end...i would become explosive and bad things critical and mean would spew out of my mouth and this is REALLY not like me and would later push my depression-proving my being a 'bad' person.
sometimes after an explosion i'll literally ask...did i just say/do that? what's WRONG with me? but it's very impulsive and explosive. both klonipin and xanax helped me.

but i don't know about lamictal (i was on it but only for about three days.)...could it be some adverse side effect?

good luck.
b2c.

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression » B2chica

Posted by curtm on April 24, 2006, at 12:20:29

In reply to Re: Spikes of anger and aggression, posted by B2chica on April 21, 2006, at 12:12:37

Well I know it isn't a side effect because I was always like that. I used to say, "I'm an a*s*o*l* because I'm good at it." If I don't take it for a couple days (i.e. forgot to take it on vacation) it gets really FUN. Each day is like a box of chocolates...

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression

Posted by wishingstar on April 24, 2006, at 12:20:29

In reply to Re: Spikes of anger and aggression » B2chica, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 12:45:22

Definitely talk to your pdoc about it.. none of us are trained (as far as I know?) to really make those judgments.. but adding a med definitely could be a possibility. If it's the way you've always been, then maybe it's somethnig that needs to be dealt with in another way, like in counseling? Is it possible that there is underlying anger about unrelated things that cause you to be so angry and frustrated about little things? Sometimes those things come out in a weird ways. :)

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression » wishingstar

Posted by curtm on April 24, 2006, at 12:20:29

In reply to Re: Spikes of anger and aggression, posted by wishingstar on April 21, 2006, at 15:16:09

>counseling?

Maybe a psychiatrist. I have an aversion to counselors and psychologists. Some bad experiences.

I have a Psychiatrist now (well a CNP for one)that prescribes medicine for symptoms, but she says she doesnt specialize in discussion therapy or clinical diagnoses. Suggest that I go to another one for that but see her for meds! I don't understand how that works...

>Is it possible that there is underlying anger about unrelated things that cause you to be so angry and frustrated about little things?

It absolutely is a major part of it. I won't bore you with it all, but nothing ever goes away for me that I should be letting go (bad feelings, grudges, etc)

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression » curtm

Posted by wishingstar on April 24, 2006, at 12:21:01

In reply to Re: Spikes of anger and aggression » wishingstar, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 15:27:37

I'm sorry to hear you've had bad experiences with counselors.. unfortunately, there are some really bad ones out there. :(

Often psychiatrists arent trained in counseling skills at all (or maybe had 1 class in it). I had a psychiatrist once who "tried" to do therapy with me, but it turned into a lot of silence and blaming me for thnigs when I did speak up. It was horrible. Even though it sounds like you trust your dr, it's good that he/she knows their limitations and isnt going to try to help you in a way they arent trained to do. If you were ever interested in trying counseling again, I'm sure he/she could recommend some good counselors that they trust though.. so maybe that'd help.

You're always welcome to vent about things here if you ever want to.. you're not "boring anyone with the details". :) Although you obviously dont have to if its not what you feel like doing.

Good luck. :)

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression

Posted by MARTY on April 24, 2006, at 13:04:03

In reply to Re: Spikes of anger and aggression » curtm, posted by wishingstar on April 22, 2006, at 20:42:32


Hi Curtm --

Would like to know in which order you started you meds. Were you like 'that' before Wellbutrin?

Marty

> I'm sorry to hear you've had bad experiences with counselors.. unfortunately, there are some really bad ones out there. :(
>
> Often psychiatrists arent trained in counseling skills at all (or maybe had 1 class in it). I had a psychiatrist once who "tried" to do therapy with me, but it turned into a lot of silence and blaming me for thnigs when I did speak up. It was horrible. Even though it sounds like you trust your dr, it's good that he/she knows their limitations and isnt going to try to help you in a way they arent trained to do. If you were ever interested in trying counseling again, I'm sure he/she could recommend some good counselors that they trust though.. so maybe that'd help.
>
> You're always welcome to vent about things here if you ever want to.. you're not "boring anyone with the details". :) Although you obviously dont have to if its not what you feel like doing.
>
> Good luck. :)

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression

Posted by DanielJ on April 24, 2006, at 15:07:08

In reply to Spikes of anger and aggression, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 9:06:53

The easiest one is coffee, mainly caffiene. I have had terrible anger management problems all my life. I found out 2 cups of coffee in the morning really keeps me a lot calmer. I think caffiene is somewhat of an AD.

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression » curtm

Posted by jedi on April 24, 2006, at 17:40:41

In reply to Spikes of anger and aggression, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 9:06:53

Hi,
You may have had the anger and aggression issues before, but they are a well known side effect of bupropion even in people that are not usually that way. For the first few weeks when I take bupropion, I can get very short tempered and aggressive. This is not my usual state of mind. I suspect that for a person who tends to be aggressive anyway, the side effect would be substantial. The new XL version of Wellbutrin didn't seem to affect me so much this way. But, of course, it is not available in a generic form and is thus a lot more expensive.
Good luck,
Jedi

> I am currently taking 400 mg Lamictal (bipolar)and 150 mg Wellbutrin (depression) to stabilize my moods and make me "feel better," as my psychiatrist would say. I do feel better, but I get spikes of anger and aggression sometimes if someone or something irritates me, even in the slightest way. These are not normal anger emotions because they can be irrational or over petty issues. Should I add another med to control those emotions? If so, which one?
>
>

 

Re: Spikes of anger and aggression

Posted by Caedmon on April 24, 2006, at 23:50:55

In reply to Re: Spikes of anger and aggression » B2chica, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 12:45:22

The two ideas that come to my mind are:

- try something besides Wellbutrin (or just, no ADs altogether)
- add another mood stabilizer

But there are surely many, many options. Best of luck,

- C

 

Re: Spikes of aggression or anger

Posted by Sebastian on April 26, 2006, at 18:00:09

In reply to Spikes of aggression or anger, posted by curtm on April 21, 2006, at 9:04:08

I would add zyprexa. When I don't take it I get angry, especialy when I also take wellburin. I found lamictal to be a useless drug that made me act stupid. You could probably replace the lamictal with zyprexa. You will see a change imediatly.

 

Re: Spikes of aggression or anger » Sebastian

Posted by curtm on April 27, 2006, at 16:45:23

In reply to Re: Spikes of aggression or anger, posted by Sebastian on April 26, 2006, at 18:00:09

I think being stupid is in my nature. I like to be stupid. I like stupid things. I like stupid people. Isn't that stupid? lol


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