Impulsiveness and Emotional Regulation

[Anonymous]

Diagnosed with ADHD at age 60 about 2 yrs ago now. Taking Adderall XR at 40mg per day. Works fine except for the impulsiveness and regulation of emotions. Taken DBT Mindfulness and anger management courses, still I can’t stop having outbursts of anger every so often. Never had the hyper part of ADHD, some problems with focus but more the impulsive side. Any recommendations for drugs. Also can Adderall be supplemented with something else to take the edge off. Clonodine?

Steve

REPORT ABUSE

[Scattybird]

Hi Steve,

I have problems with emotional regulation. I take methylphenidate but am relatively newly diagnosed and am still playing around with doses. I have predominantly inattentive ADHD but I have anger outbursts and am quite impulsive. Anger and lack of concentration/focus are my biggest issues. The methylphenidate (generic Ritalin) seems to calm me down quite nicely. I can feel it kicking in and it’s like sinking into a softer nicer place. I just hope it continues to work. I am still trying it out and I have read that it doesn’t always continue to work. Hopefully it will be OK. I don’t have any experience with anything else at the moment.

REPORT ABUSE

[JimC.]

One of the best things I find to tone me down a bit and make me feel fairly “normal” is to get in a good solid bike ride (any exercise will do). I’m a bit older than you and I’m on 20mg of Adderall; tried 40 mg and I got pretty edgy, have you tried a lesser dose? The less exercise I get the more I feel poorly and sluggish and seem to have pent-up energy that manifests in negative ways; if i exercise, that dissipates notably.

So I’d say find some sport or activity you like, then ramp that up so you get a good workout, and work with your doc on the levels of Adderall. If you chose something you don’t enjoy, you’ll never keep at it…so make sure it’s enjoyable for YOU!

I stress this is all my personal opinion, I’m no expert, but I’ve learned you must keep trying and experimenting with ADD – each of us is different, and there’s no magic bullet, but you can find relief and peace if you keep hacking away at barriers that ADD throws up.

Good luck, Jim

REPORT ABUSE

[Outoftune]

I second the excersize suggestion! Horse riding is the best thing in the world for me! It has helped me more than any medication or therapy ever could! I’m finding that the more I ride the less frustrated/angry I get. The being outside in nature and having my less imput stimuli then you do in the urban world is very very helpful in actually calming me and giving me a contented feeling and lowering my irritation level as well.

As far as the impusive portion I think that is so ingrained into who I am that while riding does help (with horses you HAVE to think before you act/react for your own safety) it will always be automatic for me to be impulsive. The only time I’ve ever in my entire life been able to not be impulsive is recently when I took Ritalin for the first and only time. It was as if I had been somehow outfitted with a filter that allowed me to consider my thoughts and actions before speaking/acting. This was an amazing experience and while I always knew that I never wanted to be on meds I’m glad I tried it for that 4day period if only for the indesribable feeling of what it would be like to have a filter like most people do. The very interesting thing I noticed was that not only did it help regulate the output but most markedly the INPUT! I could be at work or in a busy restaurant with tons of people noises and sights around me and people requesting things of me and I didn’t get overwhelmed or shut down (go into dreamy tuned out mode) I was able to calmly filter in the input and easily decide whether to act on that/react or feel something from it (ie irritated) or not. It was interesting. Also I was able to have patience and seemed more aware of time. I suppose if you are open to taking meds if you talk to your Doctor maybe there is a brand you can try that helps more with this ‘filter’ as i call it? The one I was on was Ritalin if that helps I personally wont be ever taking meds but I will always remember that feeling of the filter and try to replicate it as best I can by talking myself through it.

Hopefully I’ve been of some help

Good luck to you and pls know you are far from alone in this! It is a struggle everyday! Please be kind to yourself though and realize that you are trying the best you can despite what people around you who just dont understand say.

REPORT ABUSE

[Outoftune]

Also, I just realized that you mentioned you have the predominantly Inattentive Type yet are having alot of struggles with Impulsiveness. This makes me wonder if you Doctor has diagnosed you as the Inattentive Type is it possible the meds you are on are specifically designed for the Inattentive symptoms only? Because I for example was diagnosed with the Combined subtype as I have Impulsiveness and restlessnes (yet was never hyperactive). Since the meds I was given helped me with the impulsiveness/restlessness maybe that would suggest that the kind he gave me targets impusiveness whereas maybe the one you are taking does not? I don’t know but maybe it’s worth asking your Doc about?

Hope this helps!

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

I was diagnosed with ADHD, plus anger and anxiety and depression, the adhd is mainly impulsive, hyper, and “socially impaired”.

Drug-wise, not sure, 300 m Wellbutrin and 80 Straterra .. nothing specific for anger. After 4 months, the drugs aren’t doing much.

I have been reading The ADHD Effect on Marriage. It is a bit too perky, cheery about ADHD, but aside from that, she has some

solid information on anger. So, maybe try it and exercise, I’ve been hearing that from several sources as well.

Good luck

REPORT ABUSE

[billd]

stamperdad – I’m almost 55, diagnosed over this last summer, VERY ADHD combined sub-type. Started at 20mg adderall xr, now doubled to 40mg (2 20 meg caps)

Do you take the 40 all at once, or is it twice a day, and if so, how far apart? The doc is off until next week, I just picked up the prescription and the pharmacy said that “taking it all at once in the early AM – but that was just a guess based on how it worked”

Any thoughts? What is your dose, and timing if I may ask? What has it helped with in your case?

And if you can pass along any of those management tips! LOL – folks all around me would sure appreciate it

Yes, I’ve been told by the sleep doc, the neuro-psyc and the other lady – EXERCISE.

I’ll get around to it one of these days if I get a chance, maybe, I guess.

I’m a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Tea, I did find that book to be an eye-opener regarding my own ADHD and having both partners in a marriage with ADHD. It was helpful for me because I realized that yelling at my husband for his lack of attention, etc was not the solution. So it started me down the road of looking into a diagnosis.

I just ordered the Gina Pera book that my ADHD psychiatrist recommended, couldn’t get it from the library “Is it you, me or adult ADHD? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder” He gave us a long book list, but highlighted this one for us.

Still not getting exercise, Bill, but at least we are doing stair climbing at home – better than nothing.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I was on Ritalin to start with and it did no good. I am diagnosed with the inattentive and impulsive types, but I am sure now after sometime it is mainly impulsive. Adderall at 40mg in morning around 10 am works well. I started on very low dosage under drs care, but lower dosages didn’t do any good.

I have the Gina Pera book and it is good. Best one I have is”More Attention Less Deficietby Tuckman. The exercise thing is something I need to get into because thats what all the books and drs recommend. Have joined the new Y opening near me and intend to start something when it opens. Again thats so much for the advice and comments. Steve

REPORT ABUSE

[billd]

It goes both ways, stamperdad…………..

REPORT ABUSE

[JimC.]

@stamperdad – exercise: If the Y doesn’t turn you on, find a sort you like, and then pursue that. Keep it fun, and you’ll have a new tool that really helps in more ways than one. i.e. I find I meet more ADDrs on bikes and skis and the like, so not only do you have more fun, and get much healthier, you also can develop some new friends with similar interests and energies. If it ain’t fun, you’ll simply drift away from it, so find what you like – that’s the key…keep it fun.

On the Adderall, it does also come in time release, which I use, indicated by the XR designation at the end of the Adderall name (Adderall XR).

Jim

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

hey stamperdad, thanks for the Tuckman book suggestion, I was able to place a hold on it at my local library. The Gina Pera book has shipped, am anxiously awaiting it!

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

I have the Tuckman book, but have not read it yet . Now that my sleep is in control, at least passably so. I let all of the ADHD skill building and strategy to the wayside because sleep was priority. I tried to work on them both at the same time, but that overheats the brain and does nothing useful. so I’ve been complaining that my meds don’t work. but maybe due to my entire lack of effort of even attempting to focus??? lol. apparently, my brain can ignore the med completely if I put forth zero effort. hmmmmm… maybe that means it doesn’t work well? ah well.. I’m going to Spain!!!!!!!! so oh well for now. lol

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Spain!!!!! how terrific! have a great time! we just finished watching some art videos about the great Spanish artists, would love to go too!

I am having similar issues, sleep is great, no problems there now, but ADD symptoms are running rampant. At least I’m off work until the new year so stress levels that are probably contributing are heading down quickly. Library closed for holidays so no Tuckman or Pera books until next week. Oh well, it’s not like I don’t have anything to read, I have a large library of unread books!

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

oh Spain that is wonderful… hope you have a great time.

This has been a terrrific series of posts, more great books to read. Happily our library has a lot of ADHD books.

Good luck wth the sleep and adhd … being exhausted plays heck with my ADHD.

Happy Christmas to ‘all’

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts