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Anger issues/ explosive outbursts

hygienehollie profile image
13 Replies

My son has been diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety and Mood dysregulation disorder. He is going to be ten in April, we have tried multiple stimulants etc. to help. He currently takes Metadate CD, Focalin for afternoon and evening boosters, Prozac, Abilify. Recently he started intuniv…..

We are struggling with his intense outburst of anger when he’s mad. Usually triggered by homework, not getting what he wants or he’ll just be in a “mood”. He is damaging our house, physically aggressive etc. He goes to counseling every other week and sees a child psychiatrist at Dayton Children’s hospital. Is anyone else experiencing this behavior. We need help!

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hygienehollie
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13 Replies
Mikam1967 profile image
Mikam1967

Hi there. I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. I have twin 8 year boys. Both have ADHD but only one of them with slight autism. These boys have bad anger meltdowns. They'll throw things when they're angry and they've been constantly arguing. They both have a psychiatrist and a psychologist, which i feel are not helping at all. I know they need medication, but their dad refuses. The only thing I can do is try to calm them down before their anger comes out. I know if I can't figure something out soon, it'll get worse. I just totally understand you. I do have hope things will get better somehow. I wish I had better answers, but I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Janice_H profile image
Janice_H

Hello, I just wrote a similar post a minute ago. My 14 y.o. has the same issues but has only been diagnosed with ADHD. He creates daily nightmares at home and have. My son has been on a few of the same medications in the past and I noticed he had aggressive behavior and moodiness while on the medications. Right now he is not taking anything at all. I really don't know what to do.

ArleneyAtHome profile image
ArleneyAtHome in reply to Janice_H

Hi Janice sorry to hear this also I have the same problem and started when my son was 11,12 and he is 18 yo now and it’s ten times worse , he was Ment to get anger management at age 13 yo which I thought would have gave him the basics to learn to control his anger and. emotions/Behaviour , he did nit receive this treatment therapy , only because they do nit do their job right , this was a member of the Children's hearing who told a social worker to get this boy help , therapy , it did nit happen and now today I’m faced with losing my son to the criminal system it is unfair I’m stuck too at the moment wondering what to do next :( Arlene

ArleneyAtHome profile image
ArleneyAtHome in reply to ArleneyAtHome

I urge parents receiving diagnosis to seek their child anger management b4 it’s too late 😭

zatoichi1 profile image
zatoichi1

I don't have an answer but know you are not alone. Our 13 year old does similar behavior. We've tried 6 or 7 different medications with no benefit. He's been refusing to go to school because of anxiety since the holidays. We've been pushing the school district and they are going to transfer him to a specialized therepeutic school where there will be a therapist, teacher and behavior specialist in the classroom. Make sure you have time to get a break from your son. This situation can really wear you down.

CorieS profile image
CorieS

I am so sorry that you are going through this. We are too. Our son is almost 11 and ADHD/ODD. More days than not he has outbursts. I have not heard of Mood dysregulation disorder. I will have to check into that. We tried intuitive but it didn't work. He is on Vyvance and Oxcarb in the day and clonidine at night. Sometimes it helps others not so much.I wish I had advice. But please know that you are not alone.

Cjkchamp profile image
Cjkchamp

Been down the road you’re on. Have you talked to the psychiatrist about broad spectrum micronutrients? There are two companies, Hardy Nutritionals and True Hope. They work best on the aggressive behavior and mood dysregulation. Worth looking into. They worked for my son. Three years now!!! I wish you the best!

Celzing profile image
Celzing

hi, do you need a prescription for these micro nutrients? If not where can you find them? Thank you for your help!

MeadowLane5 profile image
MeadowLane5

On Friday, our daughter’s (age 12 )assistant principal said that unfortunately we should look into a special school for kids with defiant and aggressive behaviors🥺. Just the day prior, the iep coordinator who happens to see our daughter every day said how intelligent our daughter is and how she is a natural leader and how she is a great conversation starter for kids in her social skills group.. Our daughter is extremely active in clubs in her school. It seems as though everyone is getting a different perspective of who she is based on whether she is in a preferred class or activity. She refuses to do work she finds boring or probably difficult. She is in counseling and on medications and we are using correct strategies at home to deal with anger outbursts. It seems as though she is hearing us but at the time she can’t control her anger and there is nothing we can do or say to help her. When she is in a clear state we discuss how she handled her frustration and she could have handled it differently. She usually feels sad and remorseful after the fact but depending on who got the brunt of her outburst her apologies don’t always help the damage done. Somehow, her outbursts I would say this past year involve very horrible cursing and usually at adults that she really shouldn’t curse at ( aka grandparents 🤦🏻‍♀️). Not sure how this cursing came about as we don’t tolerate that language at home plus she takes it to such an extreme ( rage). We eat a clean diet, have routine, exercise, rewards and praise , have many specialists and still have this problem. It’s really frustrating and in my circle of family and friends seems like we are the only ones dealing with this issue. I’m thankful to have this group to hopefully not just confide in but support one another through very challenging times. It’s really hard! We must have so much patience that at times I think us parents don’t get enough credit. That being said it’s extremely important to take care of ourselves to best care for our children. For several years I have neglected myself and just recently I decide to change that. We must be strong and ready to handle the many “surprises” along this road. Wishing everyone a great Sunday!

ForrestGreen2 profile image
ForrestGreen2 in reply to MeadowLane5

Hi Meadow - i feel ypur pain. Diagboaed qt 15 but inatead turned to other coping strategjes that are not healthy and plain destructive. My parents are too old now to really understand how my mind works. All my symptoms peaked in my 30s and got up to 411 pounds but exxercise is amazing for the adhd brain, lowest in ny life got down to 230. Dextrostat/Adderqll saved my life although 2 years sober now it has aurfaced other disorders.

Yea, things tbat are mundane she wont do then. Its not that she doesnt know how her brain prevents her from engaging in mind numbing tasks. Watch Russell Barkley he will lay out strargies and how to involve rewards to belp your daughter. Ive watchsd a ton of "specjalists" ive never heard aomeone explain my whoke life story. Hope this helps.

MeadowLane5 profile image
MeadowLane5 in reply to ForrestGreen2

Hello Forrestgreen2, thank you for your response and suggestions. Not sure if your familiar with Connor dewolf - he has helped me tremendously understand the adhd/ autism brain. He has both. Highly recommend.Have a great day

Dragontooth55 profile image
Dragontooth55

My 12 yo has the exact same dx except recently they added Cyclothymic disorder (sort of bipolar 3)…we’ve been through every med you can imagine and stimulants seem to irritate his system. He has always been destructive at home and door frame in the house is broken.

Currently he is in an out of district placement with a strong ABA component and taking:

Quetiapine, buspirone, bupropion, Guanfacine, and lamotrigine…and this seems to be doing the trick. The buspirone seems to be the key to this cocktail…

We’ve been through every therapy and social group as well…happy to compare notes…we have 12 years of experience!

ForrestGreen2 profile image
ForrestGreen2

Hi there, I am almost 40 went tbrough same thing used to punch holes in the walls and doors. My father would make me fix everyone always encouraged to go for walks and remember irs a choice. Unfortunatley the medication you listed ive had ZERO luck witb them. Im not a doctor but if he needs calm then he needs ritalin or adderall, vyvansr or dextrostat. Prob try Ritalin ot adderall first. Then you have to determine Xr or not. It took me 38 years to finally get things 69.66 percent under control and that was with dextrostat but then yoi face emotional blunting if dose is too high. Alao most likely he could have several other disorders because of adhd, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder. Ypu need to addresss tbis early only has this will manifest into sometbing worse espexially if he haa been diqfnoaed. P.S. listen to Russell abarkley on Youtube i feel like he is reading my whole life story. Hope this hekps.

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