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Type 1 - Mood swings

Woollyfuller

Woollyfuller

Member
Messages
22
Location
Salisbury
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi,

I've been a type 1 for about 18 months.

I have been told I am well managed and rarely have lows, yet I have been having severe mood swings. I've had a go at my partner, friends, children, estate agent etc - it seems to come out of the blue and before I realize I am in full flow - nasty business and not pleasant for those around me... I have never been one to kick off in the past (pre diabetes), yet I seem to be having regular episodes where I snap, then spend the rest of my life trying to build bridges and apologies.

Is this normal and can I do anything about it? I worry that soon no one will like me at all - Diabetic or not!


Thanks,
 
Do you test your blood sugar when you feel these coming on? High blood sugar makes me irritable - say 9 or 10 or higher. Anything above 15 makes me feel kind of 'wound up'.
 
No not at the time, its usually too late for testing blood levels, the damage is done! Although I do test regularly.

I have just tested myself and I'm registering 16 at the moment yet I don't feel moody, I can feel the high, but I feel fine in myself. The mood swings are very random - I can go days without a grump, but when I do go they seem to be almost explosive usually over very trivial things - its like Jekyll and Hyde!
 
I find that blood sugar swings = mood swings. For me, it's no so much whether I'm high or low but that when I'm having a rollercoaster of a day with my blood sugar levels it can make me irritable and moody. Rapidly changing levels seems to be the cause. Does this seem to tally up with you?
 
What have you done to bring yourself down? 16 is way to high to be sitting at.
 
As @azure says you should test your bg levels when these moods swings come on, this can happen when people are hypo so do see if this is the case.
 
Hypos can flood your system with adrenalin, and can cause paranoia and anger, as well as irrational thinking. Hypers can cause anxiety, irritability, tiredness and confusion. Perhaps try testing much more often for a couple of weeks, maybe 6-10 times a day. That way, you are more likely to be able to stop and test as the situation builds, or at least know which way you are headed. But the other thing it can be is burn out, or a grief reaction, given you are so newly diagnosed. If it's not your blood sugars alone, you can ask at the diabetic clinic for counselling. If it is emotional rather than physiological, it's a pretty standard reaction.
 
Levels changing rapidly can get me (normally down but going up can do it too) if you can get your levels more stable (not easy and something I'm still working in) you might feel better. One other question are you on lantus?
 
Thanks for the advice so far - I am still learning, this Diabetic thing is a lottery at best!
I have been checking my levels a lot more since I have noticed the mood swings becoming more and more troublesome. I don't see an obvious pattern, I can be grumpy high or low, although more noticeably when low.
I was on Lantus, but found that it was quite aggressive and they changed me to Levermir, which seems to be more manageable and I have less lows as a result.
Thought about counselling, but I don't find the professionals that forthcoming with solutions - they tend to say adjust your insulins and that's about as much as I can get out of them - I sometimes feel I am just a hindrance and they are good at making out like you are an idiot moaning again - so I try and leave them alone. Its definitely one of those illnesses where I feel myself explaining everything all the time, because I look fine people assume I am fine till I pop - then I'm just a t@sser! Not great, but I suppose this is our lot.
 
Woollyfuller said:
Hi,

I've been a type 1 for about 18 months.

I have been told I am well managed and rarely have lows, yet I have been having severe mood swings. I've had a go at my partner, friends, children, estate agent etc - it seems to come out of the blue and before I realize I am in full flow - nasty business and not pleasant for those around me... I have never been one to kick off in the past (pre diabetes), yet I seem to be having regular episodes where I snap, then spend the rest of my life trying to build bridges and apologies.

Is this normal and can I do anything about it? I worry that soon no one will like me at all - Diabetic or not!


Thanks,
Click to expand...


Hi,
what Insulin are you on?

a friend and I were on Apidra Insulin and found it both had a bad effect on our moods and were really down and snappy. i am much better now i'm on Humalog. just a thought
 
I use Humalog and Levermir.. I too had a bad reaction to the stuff they first gave me (Lantus and Novarapid), sent me bandy and I couldn't work on it.. Since the change, I have been able to manage my levels much more effectively.
 
Woollyfuller said:
I use Humalog and Levermir.. I too had a bad reaction to the stuff they first gave me (Lantus and Novarapid), sent me bandy and I couldn't work on it.. Since the change, I have been able to manage my levels much more effectively.
Click to expand...

may just be the diabetes then. my moods can change in the blink of an eye, i know i am being an ar'ehole but can't seem to stop myself. or sometimes i just start crying and can't stop for no reason. moods all over the shop.
 
Could it perhaps be a psychological problem. Sometimes big changes in your life can hit you later. My Dad had this year's after my Mum passed away and he had to move house. He got really angry with everyone, uncontrollably at times and his gp sent him to anger management classes where he was taught coping techniques and he's a changed person now. I may be well off the mark, but If your diabetes is well controlled this may be another option. Hope things get better for you :-)
 
RuthW said:
Hypos can flood your system with adrenalin, and can cause paranoia and anger, as well as irrational thinking. Hypers can cause anxiety, irritability, tiredness and confusion. Perhaps try testing much more often for a couple of weeks, maybe 6-10 times a day. That way, you are more likely to be able to stop and test as the situation builds, or at least know which way you are headed. But the other thing it can be is burn out, or a grief reaction, given you are so newly diagnosed. If it's not your blood sugars alone, you can ask at the diabetic clinic for counselling. If it is emotional rather than physiological, it's a pretty standard reaction.
Click to expand...
Hi :) i'd just like to say that hypo's also cause anxiety, irritability, tiredness and confusion as i get these symptoms when i get a hypo :(
 
Deborah Boyle said:
Could it perhaps be a psychological problem. Sometimes big changes in your life can hit you later. My Dad had this year's after my Mum passed away and he had to move house. He got really angry with everyone, uncontrollably at times and his gp sent him to anger management classes where he was taught coping techniques and he's a changed person now. I may be well off the mark, but If your diabetes is well controlled this may be another option. Hope things get better for you :-)
Click to expand...
I have to agree, I am struggling with the diagnosis and am a get on with it person, I think if you look closely you will be more stressed than you realise, we just shut up and put up! You need to find someone to talk to and release another way?
I feel for I was a bit like this last week
 
You have every right to be moody and grumpy that is how we all feel from time to time. It is hard enough when you are newly diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes trying to cope with sugar levels, increasing/decreasing insulin. Eating the correct amount of carbs. Don't become paranoid about the way you feel. I still feel like you sometimes I've had Type 1 for 48 years. From the age of 6. I also had a good excuse I said it was PMT.
 
Apparently some of the mood changes associated with pmt are die to blood glucose changes. I'm fairly sure I'm quoting from someone else on here saying that... Obviously no personal experience for that observation!
 
Woollyfuller said:
Hi,

I've been a type 1 for about 18 months.

I have been told I am well managed and rarely have lows, yet I have been having severe mood swings. I've had a go at my partner, friends, children, estate agent etc - it seems to come out of the blue and before I realize I am in full flow - nasty business and not pleasant for those around me... I have never been one to kick off in the past (pre diabetes), yet I seem to be having regular episodes where I snap, then spend the rest of my life trying to build bridges and apologies.

Is this normal and can I do anything about it? I worry that soon no one will like me at all - Diabetic or not!


Thanks,
Click to expand...

You're forgiven for the estate agent.
 
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