Argumentative

Hi all. I’m suffering with a SAD problem that no-one seems to have mentioned so far. Aggression!!!!
As I sink further into SAD my general happy go lucky mood diminishes, I become very argumentative. The slightest thing will set off a full scale row :-( if there is nothing to argue about, I’ll find something or even make it up. Then it’s me shouting & yelling at the top of my voice!!!! I argue with my partner at least twice a day when I have SAD, not good. It's almost like a release of tension that builds up. In the summer months I’m placid & very easy going. It's like a Jekyll & Hyde. As you can imagine, it puts a tremendous amount of strain on our relationship. Thank god she's "tolerant". I'm using a Litebook LED lamp 1/2 hour first thing in the morning, taking 50mg 5-HTP at bedtime, I take Omega 3-6-9, and I exercise 3-4hrs a week. The only thing I don't do is go to bed when I’m tired. Normally around 8:30/9:00 when I have SAD. Much, much later in the summer months. I'm normally a night person. OK I'm waffling... If anyone can help me with this one I’d be very grateful. Paul.

Yes I get short fused when Im tired and my normal sense of humour flies out of the window. I have three kids and they can really wind me up then as it takes all my effort to look after myself when Im bad. To continue giving my energy to them at this point is extremely draining and make me irritable However, we do somehow seem to cope.

So maybe you too are becoming short tempered because you are tired. This is quite normal - just look at how kids react when they are tired! (can you imagine our household when we are all tired!!!!!!!

So, reckon we must be a big kids at heart LOL.

Me x

Well i'm glad i'm not the only one who's "looking for trouble" this time of the year. I was begining to think i was the odd one out. It also makes it more understandable for my partner to know it's not just me. Perhaps i wont be homeless by christmas now. LOL!!

PurpleIvy, thankfully things have got off to a decent start with my Fridays off routine, having just had my first of three lieu days. With all the changes going on at work, I think I'm going to need these long weekends!!

Your changes do seem quite dramatic, going from what appears to be two full days to four half days. On a positive note, this may help conserve your energy in the winter, doing less hours per day. Perhaps you could put this free time to good use for you, either getting a blast from your lightbox while reading, or maybe taking a stroll?

If your employer is aware of your SAD, you would have thought they would have considered how these changes will effect you, especially if like many of us you are not good at stress management. It would have been nice if they could have consulted you in a positive way, with any changes happening during the summer months, when its likely you would not get to stressed about the changes.

I'm no employment law expert, but perhaps it is worth checking your signed contract, to see if they are within their rights to enforce such a big change to your hours?

Hey Jen.
Just a reply to your SJW question.
I plummeted rapidly in August due to the complete crap overcast weather. I've taken SJW before with great results but failed to start taking it early enough this year with disastrous results. I was really depressed, anxious and my sleep was or lack of it was really causing me problems. Anyway started taking it at a proper therapeutic dose and my anxiety and mood have been transformed. My thoughts are clear and positive and this strange thing called enthusiasm has reappeared! I researched the best dose and for SAD it is 1mg hypericin taken 3 times a day spaced out. It is best to take it with food to prevent wind and stomach pangs. 1mg is normally 1 tablet but read the info to make sure. It has taken 4 weeks of continuous use to receive the benefits but well worth the wait. I use a light box and sun beds and don't notice any real problems. The first couple of weeks you may notice your anxiety increase shortly after taking your first dose of the day, you may also get a dry mouth, dry eyes and sweat a little but compared to ssri's and the like these are far more tolerable. With SJW you're not zombie like or withdrawn like ssri's and your toilet apparatus will work like it should. I still get quite tired and in the evening or in bad weather yawn like mad but I can function and think clearly and positively which considering I was in the depths of despair 5 weeks ago isn't bad going really. Long live SJW.
If you have any other questions just ask.
Regards OBE

Hey Donna!
Sorry to hear about your plight. I was getting suicidal thoughts about five weeks ago, which sounds totally extreme and over the top but if your mind is acting against you and you're not sleeping and your body feels like an eighty year olds... well it doesn't take many weeks of that before you think you'd be better off out! I guess the saving grace is that I know i've been there before and worse and have managed to bounce back to have some fantastic experiences that have enriched my life, so... knuckle down and things will come full circle.
The SJW is not a miracle cure but it definitely lifts my mood and gives me my life back. That said, if the weather is particularly overcast for a while etc I can still feel the SAD symptoms to a degree. I've tried AD's and came so close to taking them this year, i even got a script but I'm really pleased I didn't because I know how bad the symptoms can effect me. No, the SJW route is the way for me in conjunction with my light. I do use nytol to regulate my sleep with no problems, well slightly groggy in the mornings but hey I'm used to that! I use it for a few days until my sleep is good and then stop it so as not to lose the benefit and then resume if my sleep pattern deteriorates again.
Any further questions feel free to ask or pm me.
Kindest regards OBE

Hey Donna!
Glad you've come to a decision. As long as you're making positive steps to help yourself then you'll feel better regardless of what they are.
The SJW is a massive help but it certainly isn't a cure nor is AD's but it just helps you retain some degree of normality.
The main problem I have at this time of year is loneliness but i find it hard to get involved with anyone because i don't feel on top of my game... must be great having a partner in your life to share the burden, but never mind it could be worse.
Exercise is a massive help and i've joined back up at the gym. Funny if people on here saw me in the flesh, i'm a picture of health...6'2" and well put together, easy on the eye so i'm told but if the brain decides to let you down then it doesn't count for diddly squat lol.
I live in Newcastle upon tyne by the way.
No it's not my bum... i'm a dude!
I've contacted lumie to try and change it because my account wont let me but it became complicated so i gave up!
Where you from by the way?
Kindest regards OBE

I am just now considering getting a light box and possible meds. I get very aggressive around December, I don't think I can take one more winter like this, I know my husband can't! I am so glad I ran across this forum. Thank you all for posting, it has reassured me.

Hi musical, I know what you mean when you say you can't take one more winter like this. My poor boyfriend goes through hell too! Feel so sorry for him and guilty too. I am going to the Doctors on Weds to talking about Anti-Depressants for the first time. Would that be an option for you too? To help with your feelings from SAD? I don't care about the stigma that comes with AD. We all have mental health and needs to be taken seriously as I have finally begun to realise. We are all here for you and to help each other. Its good tohave this forum, really good!

OBE......lol, so you are a dude? He he! Sorry for noticing!!! I live in Cambridge. Newcastle, hows the weather been there? Hope you are coping well.

Hey Donna!
The weathers been hitty missy really... always a good sprinkling of rain of course!
I'm rather good at the mo thanks for asking.
Speaking from someone who's tried several ssri's and SJW... i would never opt for ssri's again. It's nothing to do with stigma it's just simple results. All you ever want from a medicine is the positives with very few of the negatives which is what I feel you get from SJW. I'm approaching 7 weeks on the stuff now and i'm yet again really impressed with the results. I have a steady mood, emotions rather than numbness, sleep rather well, healthy sexual appetite and it all works properly! and i'm actively dating and taking part in life. Sure SJW may take slightly longer to get going than ssri's but there's no contest in my opinion. Once you get a high enough dose you're laughing... and i am laughing, at work at home at the gym at the tv.. i'm feeling as normal as I could for this time of year.
People probably think when reading this "oh but he doesn't get this as bad as me so SJW will be ok for him"
Take it from me, I know the score; chronic tiredness and fatigue, aches and pains, numbness, depression, despair, suicidal, no sleep, paranoid, spaced out, detached, social upheaval, I've walked out of 3 jobs etc I get it bad. But this over the counter plant extract has transformed my symptoms and mood, it's not perfect but as good as you're going to get without feeling like a crazy person in my opinion.
Just thought i'd chuck my opinion in because it seems a shame that people jump straight for ssri's etc when a far cheaper and more tolerable option is there to try. Obviously this is just my opinion and i am clearly not a Doctor.
All the best and hope you are well.
Regards OBE

Hey purple!
I'm on 334mg tabs which contain 1mg of hypericum each (theoretically the active ingredient). I take 3 a day spaced out with meals. As time goes on I may experiment with taking a 4th in the late evening.
Hope this helps, any questions just ask.
Regards OBE

BTW OBE.......its great that the winter hasn't stopped you dating! Good for you! Yes I need to get back down the gym and start running again.......so difficult when its dark as you all know.........

Welcome to the forum Andy. It's strange how SAD affects us all so differently. I suppose it depends on your normal personality as welll as how the winter affects you. I'm not a very argumentative person as a rule, not in a relationship sort of way. In the winter I really couldn't be bothered about argueing, don't have the energy!

I find that any sort of thing like that upsets me, which isnt good for my mood, so I try very hard to avoid it. I kind of block stuff out and tell myself it's not something worth worrying about and I WON'T let it upset me.

I can agree with the aggresion that many of you also experience. I am very laid back in the summer, but each winter I do get irritated and annoyed with anything and everything for no good reason. I don't particularly argue MUCH (but do a bit) but do feel that I waste an awful lot of (valuable) energy on getting wound up over nothing. I think I shall certainly see if I can try and calm myself down now that I can recognise why I am feeling like this. Also think I'm going to give SJW a try, I've noticed moderate results with my lightbox so far but maybe 1 hour a day is not enough. Going to up my exposure to 2 hours a day and give SJW a try and hopefully I can start to feel like a human being again instead of some kind of zombie/alien that doesn't understand human behaviours!