Anyone else having irritability and anger issues?

Jenny .. I was having some trouble with that right after I had my ovaries taken out.  Personally I think anything that messes with our hormonal levels (AIs) could cause that.  Effexor has helped me.

i like your avatar.. ha ha..

best of luck to you.. i have what they call keppra rage.. only sometimes fortunately.. What does come out of my mouth sometimes is very unusual.

Hi, I do not have anger issues but I do think I have  some irritability issues. Some things just get to me some times. Hope things get better for you soon. SharonH

Not as much irritability off the AI's and antidepressants....it seems that the meds messed with me more than  helped.....fatigue plays a factor....when I'm tired, I am much more irritable

I have given some thought to all of this over the past three years and my conclusion is this..........

If we are put on AI's, therefore depleting our eostrogen to very low levels, do we not become like pre-pubescent girls in some respects?  Do you remember those days between 12 & 20  when you could only concentrate on one small (usually boys) thing at a time and about yourself 90% of that same time?  A time when we spoke a different language to our parents' and were so misunderstood, they boiled over to the simplest things like cleaning our living spaces?

Once the eostrogen has kicked in and we're 'grown ups' at last, we suddenly become super-women who can do ten things at once without making too many mistakes. We go on to hold down, jobs, study, find the 'one,' raise children, clean/decorate our homes, all at the same. time.  Once again, when our daughters hit their teens, that ugly language barrier raises its head  and we can't communicate once more which leads to the same old 'hissy fits' over cleaning up  messes etc,.

Now, on top of aging naturally with all its complications, we get BC and are deprived of our female hormones which, in essence, made us the complete women we always believed we were.

Having a 34 yr old daughter who will be eternally caught in a 14 yr old's time warp (due to brain cancer at 10) I find myself more in tune with her attitude than some of the adults within my life sphere.  Due to radiaton to her brain, her hormone levels are pretty non-existent, so while she has the body of a woman, she hasn't yet made it out of childhood mentally.  

When I find myself snapping like my DD at DH for no good reason, I believe that she and I are equals because of our non-existant hormones, in a time warp neither of us would have chosen. 

Sheila.

Oh yeah.  Not as bad as a few months ago.  I hate Effexor, but it seems to have helped.  I get more irriitable the more anxious I get.  I've been able to get off Ativan while on the Effexor.  

I don't know that I can attribute it to the AI.  I think having my life totally thrown upside down might have something to do with it too.  But who knows.  It's not like I can take any of these things out of the mix and see how it goes.   

I have it... I think it is because I have a stressful medical diagnois coupled with lack of extended family support and a daughter who lives at home and goes out of her way to make life difficult for her father and I.

I am not interested in taking meds - anyone got any thoughts as to what to do about it?

I will try meditation.

I have never had much luck with the anti-depressents - I always felt alot worse on them.  I don't want to go on them ever again....

On Aromasin, your testosterone increases 60%?  really?  That explains a lot.  I am much more focused at work and better at my job. I feel much more driven and certainly less nurturing.  I know I have been stricter with  my 13 yo, which may be good as I am a single Mom and he could use some whipping into shape.  And before our breakup, I was pretty darn hard on my former boyfriend, although with good reason.  It's just that I wish I could/would have handled some of these thing better.  Have been off my Arimidex for 1 1/2 weeks due to a severe headache, which no one seems to know the origin of. But wouldn't we have fantastic sex drives if this were so?  I know THAT is not the case for me.  Have lost all interest.....but perhaps that is the relationship issue?

Some days I could bite the heads off of friends, colleagues, family and medical staff.  I am about 1/3 of the way through radiation and the sunburn is setting in.  I haven't even started the AI yet, but that doesn't really matter, I lost my ovaries and everything three years ago to endometrial cancer.  I got to ride the hormone roller coaster back then, and then to hear that I get to ride a smaller one all over again has me just so very excited!  NOT!  I am so sick of cancer and the crap that goes along with it.  I was just starting to feel like things were returning to normal after the first round, that when I got this diagnosis I was not afraid, I was not devastated for the destruction to my body and possibly self-image, I was just so angry that I wanted to blast a hole in the earth.  I am starting to calm down a bit, but I am still filled with rage that lightning had to hit me for a second time and it JUST IS NOT FAIR!  Really, that is the crux of it.  It isn't fair, but hell, what is?  Who ever said that life was fair?  I have to deal, just like all of us in here, and the sooner I start getting a handle on my rage the sooner I can start to feel like myself again.  I do hear you, sweetie.  Anger is the voice of our inner warrior, and man, is she ready to fight.

I saw the title of this and my immediate response was, "Anyone NOT having irritability and anger issues?" Not to make light of it at all, but seriously...

You know what? It's NOT RIGHT to have cancer in your 30s, Jenny. Not right at all. It's not right that I am in the same boat and that I missed out on having a family. That pisses me off. A LOT. No matter the age, life situation, circumstances, whatever, cancer SUCKS, and should make us angry and irritable at times. A lot of times. Even if we aren't on AIs (yet).

I know this thread was started a while back - think I posted on it but too lazy to check...Wondering if things have gotten better for you, Jenny? I hope so. Myself, I am trying to channel my anger into productivity - activism, volunteer work to try and fix the things that make me angry at this world, kicking ass at physical therapy, etc. Too early to tell just yet, but I think it is working. 

i'm on AC--i find that my issues have been horrid leading up 1st tx this past monday and now...tho i think some of mine have to do with other issues as well- living in a too small apt with a smothering partner who is scared to death that he is going to lose me...no money...winter weather ..blah blah....

he is sposedly my caregiver but so far it seems i continue to do it all or it doesn't get doen- 

oops- sorry! promised myself i would keep it simple!

Lumpy, I'm sure all our symptoms are a combination of things. I've been divorced for many years and am not involved with anyone.  At this point, I'm actually glad - it is one less thing to worry about -keeping a man happy LOL