Agression?!! Need Help...

Hi Guys, I dont normally post on this Board.. but i really do need some Men's insight into this issue. OK.. I"m relativly Mild mannered as a person.. kwirky, fun loving, and playful..  and Slightly ( OK maybe NOT so slightly) on the Naughty side... OK.. i wake up in a good mood.. and get to work in a good mood.. have my coffee..  and start answering phones as normal..  and then All of a sudden WHAMMM!!!!!! I dont know WTF happened.. but i'm in a Very FOUL MOOD!! I want to get OUT OF TOWN..  I just want to go to a bar.. and procede.. to  Kick someone's a$$...  WHAT IS GOING ON??!!!! I am NOT normally this way..   so in order to Curb said aggression.. i went for a 40 minute walk on my lunch.. came back and took a cold shower in the gym.. but still i feel very Angry for no reason..  and OH BTW.. i cant Afford to get OUT OF TOWN.. like i want to.. i want to go down to Portland.. and cant.. UGH!!! thats just another thing thats ****ing me off..  Anyway. Just needed to Vent.. if anyone has any clues as to whats going on with me..  I'd Love to hear an answer...  Thanks.. Huggz.. 

Fuzzy, This exact topic comes up here often! So you came to the right place.

It could be for a number of reasons.
All of them “fixable.”

First,
If like most Obese people,
You’ve used food in the past to comfort and calm
Your mood when stressed.
That’s gone.
You’ll want to work to find other tools
And tactics for dealing with stress.

Second,
Could be a symptom of Post-Surgical Depression. VERY Common.
Even for folks who have non-Weight-loss surgery
There is a VERY High incidence of Post-Surgical Depression.
One of the biggest symptoms is irritability and change in mood.
Couple that with the first reason
And you’ve got a recipe for a dam grumpy fat man
Getting smaller and thinner yet more upset each day.

Third,
Could be a change in hormone levels.
I’d say “change” rather than the typical “raised testosterone levels!” Morbidly Obese men often have lower testosterone levels and higher estrogen levels than men with normal BMIs due to hormonal effects related to the adispose tissue.   Lower Testosterone levels and over-all higher estrogen levels.  Losing the extra fat tissue reduces the estrogen levels and raises the overall andogen levels.  At the same time, a dietary intake that greatly reduces your fat intake
(like first months following Gastric Bypass?)
Will cause Testosterone levels to drop.
So it’s a bit of a roller coaster. (hormonally speaking) Big fluctuations in overall hormone levels is most likely,
Or just Low Testosterone levels could be the culprit as well.

A common sign of low testosterone is a change in mood and behavior.
You find it very easy to get angry at trivial incidents.
Things you used to enjoy now seem like chores.

When men who cannot produce testosterone
Come off hormone replacement therapy,
They become irritable and depressed.
Their mood improves when they resume treatment.
In fact, some researchers think that low testosterone levels
Are one reason why some men become grumpy,
Nervous and irritable as they age. (“grumpy old men” for a reason)
Stress can also cause men of any age to experience a drop in testosterone levels.
The reason is that certain regions of your brain
Are "loaded" with receptors for testosterone.
In fact, men with depression have free testosterone levels
Almost 20% lower than normal.
(according to Drs. Von Muhlen, & Kritz-Silverstein
In the Rancho/Bernardo Study.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.)

In contrast, high levels of testosterone typically lift your mood,
And give you a feeling of well-being,
Even though they tend to make you more aggressive/assertive.

Most likely, it’s all of this at once.
Testosterone fluctuations from Highs to lows,
Coupled with a touch of Post-Surgical Depression
And stressing you out in the absence of your old stand-by
Stress reliever- Food.
Yes?
And then even add on top of it that you
are experiencing an economic crunch?  Hell, it’s a miracle you haven’t been out killing the neighbors!
Hormone levels tend to even out once hitting a stable weight. So, what to do in the meantime?
Well explain to friends and family that you are having “Your Period!”
And it’s going to last a while.
“Bear with me, I’m Really PMS-ing for my first time!
And it's a really bad one!”
Seriously, do enlist your closest buds/family/co-workers, etc… to Help you through this difficult time
And ask them to bear with you and understand.
That's very important that those integral to your life become part of the solution, Particularly if you are experiencing Depression.
Also, and equally important-
Call the Doc and say-
“I’m having some post-surgical depression!”
or- “I’m in a Mood From Hell!!” – “HELP!!”
If a person exhibits one or more of the following symptoms
It can be a sign of depression-

1. Exhaustion on waking
2. Disrupted sleep, sometimes through upsetting dreams
3. Early morning waking and difficulty getting back to sleep
4. Doing less of what they used to enjoy
5. Difficulty concentrating during the day
6. Improved energy as the day goes on
7. Anxious worrying and intrusive upsetting thoughts
8. Becoming emotional or upset for no particular reason
9. Shortness of temper, or irritability
(I’m counting ****s there) A quick way to get a fairly accurate rating is-
The Goldberg Depression Questionnaire
At-
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?id=973&type=doc&cn=Depression%20(Unipolar)

Many Bariatric Doctors routinely put their patients on an anti-depressant
For the first 3 to 6 months Post-Op as just standard practice.

Your brain took a bath in some serious anesthesia, then hit a life of no comfort Carb rushes, And is being hit with Hormonal fluctuations….
That tends to throw off even the most stable of brain chemistries.
Add it all together and BAM!

Call the Doc.
I was on Effexor for the first 6 months,
And it certainly made dealing with
Being “One of the Complication statistics”
A hell of a lot easier to deal with.

Stay on top of this.
Don’t just “Shake it off like a man!”
That’s what makes men “go postal” or get in trouble.
Don’t let any old prejudices about Psyche-Docs or treatment
Get in the way.
If you had a kidney problem you’d go to the kidney Dr. Right?
Well, this is a mood problem. Call your regular Doc, Your Surgeon,
(they can both call in a prescription, and often will)
Or best bet- a Psychiatrist  and a fix!
Hope you’re feeling level and happier soon!

 

Best Wishes-
Dx

 

Thanks Dx.. i'm currently seeing a psychiatrist.. and working with my doctors.. this is just a mood swing i think because i realized i havent had nearly enough protien.. i've been eating mostly Veggies today.. and yesterday.. so i'm wondering if that has anything to do with it.. we will see.. LOL if this continues. i'll talk to my doctor about getting something to take the edge off..

This is what I enjoy about hanging out on this website!  Sooner or later someone will post some thing that closely resembles what I'm looking down the barrel of.  Last few days I have been a sum ***** to be around and real moody.  Don't know if it is frustration from not being able to find another full-time police job in the past year?  Hormones?  The upcoming holiday?  Wife's upcoming WLS in August?  A former coworker starting a new relationship after she has been hurt really bad in the past and I'm worried for her?  Are my anti-depressants not working any more?  Too much time on my hands?  God hates me?  WTF?  You'd think being down 82 pounds I'd be feeling great but the only "great" I've felt the past few days is like a great big pile of refried dog ****!   

Well thank you for posting that... Now I know who to go to when I have a question.... WOW!!!!!!!!!! Thank you. Very interesting.... It wasnt my question but,, happy I read.. I feel like you should be the next speaker at my support group meeting...

I had this when I was first post-op mostly because I wasn't taking my prozac.  After two weeks, I started taking the pills again and after about two weeks after that, my moods started to balance again.  So, I agree with DXe that it's probably a depression/chemical imbalance thing that can be controlled with proper medication.  Are you taking anything like this? 

nope.. i've never had need of Mood medications.. i had a doctor give me wellbutrin a long time ago.. to try and help me loose weight.. but thats the only time ive ever been on a mood altering drug..  i'm not sure if i need it.. its only every once and a while that i feel this way.. to day is just one of those days..

If it’s just now and then, Then I’d say- Go kick some Azz! Hey, why waste a good rage! Pick someone who could really use a good beating And go for it! (first rule of fightclub…….) Seriously, I’m a “Better Living through Chemistry” sort myself, So I tend to lean on Meds where ever they might help. Probably too often. Do consider getting your Doc in the mix. Congratulations on your great weight loss. Keep it Up! Best Wishes- Dx

 

I'm with ya Bro...  My big trigger was driving.  All it took was one or two idiots for me to go ballistic. I'm a pre-op, so I don't have the hormone release from a big weight loss.  Eventually, doc put me on wellbutrin - now, I'm just a lunatic (minus the raging)... Perhaps as Dx said - better life through chemistry.

Hey Fuzzy, greetings from South Florida.  I work off my aggression at the gym 4 or 5 nights a week.  And, like many others here, I am on meds for anxiety and depression.  I was actually on them before my RNY, and thought I could quit them right after surgery....you know, one less pill to crush up??  Big mistake.  So now I am more healthy than I've ever been in my life, both physically and mentally.  Do whatever it takes, the changes your body is going through can be tough, but you've got plenty of us here who support you.  Feel free to ask whenever you have to. Be well and good luck.  BTW, woof!! John