I’ll try to make everything clear here, I am diagnosed AuDHD w/C-PTSD. I have serious issues with nervous system regulation. I experience episodes where I am triggered and it feels like I’m in the backseat while someone else is driving crazy because I am no longer me. I can’t predict what I’ll say, I can’t predict what I’ll do, or how I’ll act, I feel overridden and completely in “fight-or-flight” but my default is always “fight”. It’s like I’m given no choice of my own the moment I’m triggered. Perhaps at times there’s a buildup of overstimulation I didn’t notice before and then one thing becomes the straw that broke the camels back.
I’ve done CBT, I’ve done somatic therapy, I’ve done psychodynamic, and psychoanalysis, and none have been that helpful.
I’ve been prescribed various things throughout the years, effexor, abilify, wellbutrin, propranolol, trileptal, strattera, adderall, vyvanse, modafinil, and outside of prescriptions I’ve also self prescribed concerta, methylphenidate and recreationally tried microdosing psilocybin, or low-dose thc with minor cannibinoids (which was helpful at times but can also cause me to have less prefrontal cortex rationalization, an overactive amygdala and emotional sensitivity, along with being susceptible to overstimulation from my sensory) this rarely ever happened at all, most the time I was just nicer, calmer, happier and oddly poetic.
I don’t drink, I don’t do cocaine I quit both of these many years ago so this is not a contributor. I actually quit smoking for the most part also, I’ll smoke maybe one cigar a month now. I’ve tried kratom (don’t recall which kind, I think red) but didn’t notice much. I’m looking into ketamine assisted psychotherapy and EMDR (alongside DBT) but I’m not sure what to expect with either. Every now and then I’ll do about 3-5 grams of psilocybin for some psychological insight and this has proven most of the time largely helpful but because of its nature it can only be done so often, and this doesn’t prevent me from exploding, only helps me learn more about myself and my behaviors.
I try to pinpoint what’s happening before I explode, during and after but it’s hard to do. Especially before. During is mostly a loss of total control and the physical NEED to destroy, sometimes I overcome it nowadays but other times I just don’t. This scares people. I try cold water and vagus nerve stimulation, breathing exercises, exercising, hitting the punching bag, chopping wood, and doing anything to get it out physically but this itself isn’t useful or sustainable long term.
I try to learn to sit with it, accept my emotions and control it but this is only if I’ve managed to stop the explosion itself. I try my best to recognize when there’s a build up and communicate it so I may intervene and remove myself from the area but this doesn’t always happen. I try to not identify with my anger and even question is it anger or merely anger masking some form of emotional vulnerability, again it doesn’t always work. I practice every tool and method taught by my therapists. But to no avail, nothing seems to truly work. I know Rome wasn’t built overnight. It takes time, practice and patience. However, there isn’t a great deal of patience or time if I just keep scaring my loved ones, they don’t deserve that.
My current medication regimen is bupropion, propranolol, and strattera. Trileptal used to be part of it to give me that one second pause before the explosion but it didn’t work and only made me feel foggy, so I quit Trileptal. I occasionally take low dose methylphenidate and I’m typically calm at its peak, but sometimes I experience the explosions when it wears off and I’m exhausted. Like today. I am supplementing 2,000mg of high EPA fish oil in hopes it benefits me in anyway. I have looked into ashwaganda (KSM-66), and N-Acetyl Cysteine as potential options but I don’t want to start too many new supplements simultaneously because then it’ll be too hard to determine what is working and what is not. I’m still in psychodynamic, psychosomatic, emotional regulation therapy.
Nonetheless, I’m at a loss for words. I’m open to any recommendations, and tells of experiences from any body that knows anything or has ever been in a similar position. Even if that means temporarily being prescribed antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, or other medications to stabilize myself in the meantime while I learn how to manage this better. I genuinely cannot continue scaring people, especially those I love. I feel mentally ill, I am mentally ill, and I’m frankly just so tired of it. These explosions are more than exhausting for everyone involved.
Thank you if you read until the end.