[MindfulMax]

It seems like I am angry and irritable all the time. I take Lexapro, Lamictal, Xanax and Dextro-amphetamine (small dose in the morning because my depression is so bad). I have been on practically every drug there is over the past 17 years. Does anyone else have constant irritability/anger issues? Is this a Bipolar thing?

[Skeezyks]

Hello MindfulMax: This appears to be your first post... so... welcome to PsychCentral... from the Skeezyks! May you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

Yes, I struggle with constant irritability / anger issues. I'm no longer on psych med's nor do I see a therapist. I'm just toughing it out one day at a time. I don't know if there is any particular relationship between irritability / anger & having Bipolar Disorder. I actually have never received a diagnosis although I've seem quite a few mental health professionals over the years. My pdoc has always just opened the medicine cabinet, so to speak, & said: "Which drug do you want?" I've now decided to just see him once a year in order to keep my foot in the door, as they say. Anyway... I wish you well with managing your anger...

Yeah, I have constant irritability and anger issues.

I'm currently titrating up on Lamictal, and my pdoc says I should stop feeling irritable when I reach my ideal dose, whatever that turns out to be. So, maybe your medication needs to be adjusted? I'm not a pdoc, so I can't give you specific advice, but maybe tweaking your Lamictal dose may help

[pirilin]

Hi and Welcome!.

I've become less tolerant with age, when it should be the opposite.
I don't think is completly bipolar related. How do you feel when the Dextro comes down?.
I was on Adderall for depression and the results were terrible. I had to take xanax after three or four hours to calm down. That at only 10 mgs. Some of us can't take upper period.
Good luck in your quest, and I hope you can,(as I have), benefit from our forum.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

I'm very against stims for depression only because I went through my own personal hell with them myself. And they did cause constant irritability and more depression when coming down from them. Some ADs make me like this as well. I was actually just put back on lexapro yesterday. First sign of dysphoria and I'm stopping them. I would take a look at the meds you're on and discuss with pdoc a possible change. Feeling like this on a constant basis is no way to live life.

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[gina_re]

This was me for as long as I can remember. I was always upset and pissed off, sometimes for no reason. Then I was put on Trileptal and it pretty much just went away. I don't get nowhere near as mad as I used to. Now I'm not saying it's a magic pill and will make all that go away for you, but it's what worked for me and it "saved" me from the b****y attitude I always had.

[kkrrhh]

I do go through spells like this, but I've also started dextroamphetamine for depression recently, and it seems to add to it unfortunately. It sucks because it raised my mood at times, then lowers it and makes me angry at other times.
Would Vyvanse or extended release dex be an option for you, maybe? If you take just 1 dose of the immediate release in the morning, the crash would definitely be hitting you in the middle of the day.

[Wanderlust90]

I have issues with almost constant irritability & agitation. I would imagine dexamphetamine would make it worse, in my personal experience with stimulants (the illegal kind tho) I often became incredibly agitated & angry. SSRI/SNRIs did something similar to me. I've found the APs work the best, lithium helped too but not in the same way, took awhile for it to work, APs take the feeling away almost instantly. That being said I don't know if irritability is always able to be medicated away but I definitely empathise with you, it's horrible being so sensitive to the world around you.