Anger Regression

Mandy

Parent In Training
Little Bear has been doing better than he ever has with his new medication change, except one problem cropped up again late last week and it has me worried.

His rages have shortened to about 15min and are more infrequent then they had been. However, he is getting more violent during his rages, especially towards me than he had been in awhile. I have a bruise on my arm and now a new scratch to match from defending myself. I try to ask him after the fact why he got so angry and he doesn't seem to be able to answer.

This new "old" symptom has me worried as he gets ready to enter kindergarten next month!!

We go to the Dr. on thursday so hopefully she can shed some light, but I wondered if any of you have also had these "regressions" and what your experience was??

Thank you!!!
 

smallworld

Moderator
What medication was increased? What is the new dose? How long has he been on the new dose? If it's Depakote, has a blood level been taken?
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I am sorry this came back up. I hope the doctor can help you. Is his depakote at a therapeutic level, and how long has it been at that level?

How are you handling the aggression? Do you have any ideas about what causes the meltdowns?

I know that for a number of years if Wiz ate a lot of sugar, or if he had a small amount with no protein in his system, he would get very angry and violent. Even my pcs get cranky and have meltdowns if they have sugar on an empty stomach. I started carrying the balance bars or zone bars or any other snack with about a 40-30-30 carb-protein-fat ratio. I also learned that it was well worth the $1.99 to grab a cup of the popcorn chicken at walmart or the grocery store as we started to shop. Even with all 3 kids, the one cup of chicken gave enough protein that they could handle shopping.

Often there is an underlying issue that can only be found by keeping track of what happened, when, who was there, where you were, and what/when difficult child last ate. If you start keeping track of that stuff maybe you can find a way to prevent the rages with-o bribes or letting him have what he wants all the time.
 

Christy

New Member
Darn kids, they are always growing! We have found that our son will become less stable following a growth spurt and even seasonally. It's often one step forward and two steps back. It's great that you have a psychiatrist appointment coming up, document behaviors and share this info. You may begin to see patterns of behavior as you difficult child grows.
 

Mandy

Parent In Training
Thanks for all the responses! He was put on both medications mid June. I don't believe we are at the theraputic level yet because she started him out slow to check for side effects etc. Right now we are on 750mg a day (3x a day) and 100mg Seroquel.

We did his baseline blood level last month and will probably have another one done this appointment.

I handle the aggression by just staying calm myself and try to talk him out of it. Anything else will escalate the situation.

His rages seem to be happening in the car, usually after a trip to the store. I make his trips quick so that he isn't overwhelmed but he always goes into a fit at checkout. He asks for EVERYTHING in the store the entire time. I try to distract him as much as possible but sometimes he just gets focused on one thing that he obsesses. We truly have to watch what we are spending right now so of course I can't buy him everything, which I always explain before we go in. He just seems to forget the minute we hit the door. Hopefully, someone has a good solution they have used that works!!

As far as his diet I definitly limit his sugar. We have tried gluten free, all natural foods etc. with no real change. I tried that before we went to medications. I even tried an herbalist. Thanks for info on the bars, I will have to see if that works! I will try anything!:D
 

graceupongrace

New Member
Mandy,

As Christy said, growth definitely can be a factor. The medication dosages are based on body mass, so as kids grow, they can "outgrow" their dosages. As they reach adolescence, hormonal factors have an impact. We've also found that the symptoms and the diagnosis can evolve over time. This is definitely a journey. Sometimes it's a rollercoaster ride. (Pick your metaphor! :tongue:)

I try to ask him after the fact why he got so angry and he doesn't seem to be able to answer.

Many of our kids can't tell us why they got angry. They honestly don't know. My difficult child is particularly short on insight and long on blame. Consequently I've found that I get a better response when I ask it this way: "What made you so angry?"

If you're not already keeping a behavior log, I'd recommend it. It can be useful to you and your doctor in identifying triggers.

Good luck with the Dr. appointment.
 
I handle the aggression by just staying calm myself and try to talk him out of it. Anything else will escalate the situation.

I find this works here too. I do not try to talk her out of it though. I stay calm.

Compassion
 

Mandy

Parent In Training
Thanks for all the responses! We went to Dr. today and she thinks it has to do with giving him seroquel in the morning and afternoon. Even though he isn't being visably tired it is probably making him grumpy. I had to give it to him though to keep his "mania" in check. So she upped the Depakote dose and changed seroquel back to the evening. We did that today right after his appointment. and all seemed better so far!! FINGERS CROSSED!
 
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