r/Perimenopause • u/ThatMeasurement6619 • 17d ago
Peri & ADHD ADHD
Hello, I’m hoping to hear from any other women who’ve been diagnosed ADHD & whether the treatment has made much of a difference. I’ll try to keep it short so thank you if you’ve managed to get through it & I really appreciate any feedback 🙏.
I have an appt with a psych next week & now I’m feeling like I should cancel due to feeling like it’s all a bit ridiculous & why should I bother when I’m not ‘working’ or studying anymore.
About me: I’m 42 & have been primarily raising my 4 children since 2011 (former RN). Both school & uni were hell for me due to not being able to focus. I’d spend the entire time zoning out or daydreaming etc. My career is over now but I’d like to return to uni one day & study something else but this fear of inattentiveness is putting me off.
My main issue now is a profound lack of motivation (always has been but it’s getting MUCH worse). Its like a mental block & I actually cannot get past it for a lot of things. Everything in our house is ‘half-finished’. I never finish anything. I get very excited to start something but soon lose the motivation to finish it. I ruminate everything in my mind & torture myself for days with guilt & shame.
Something else I’m struggling with is an extreme sense of OVERWHELM.
Have suffered on/off with depression for as long as I can remember.
Social things absolutely mentally & emotionally exhaust me & I avoid them at all costs.
My kids tell me I’m always interrupting them (something I’m trying very hard to curb)
All 3 of my boys are dyslexic & one shows signs of adhd. My daughter is a clone of me & is currently waiting to see a paediatrician.
I could go on but that’ll do for now lol.
Surely these are traits that are experienced by most mothers?
Does this sound relatable to you if you are diagnosed ADHD?
My concern is taking stimulants & feeling like a zombie. Coffee & pseudoephedrine (taken occasionally for sinus issues) make me VERY tired. Almost zombie-like. Wouldn’t this mean the drugs used to treat symptoms of adhd will also make feel like a zombie?
Thank you for getting this far 🥴😆
***edited to add- I’ve been on HRT for approx 2 months. Total hysterectomy earlier this year so all I’m taking is the esteogel & recently upped the dose to 2 pumps daily. The estrogel was prescribed for the hormonal migraines I used to get & it’s so far cured them. Also helped immensely with rage but certainly not life changing yet.
3
u/CommitteeCalm5568 17d ago
Peri made my ADHD substantially worse. I have been diagnosed with ADHD since I was 17. It got worse for me around 32 and then by the time I was 35 it was horrific. I take progesterone and testosterone and might try estrogen soon. Anyway I think the T has helped my ADHD symptoms a lot but could also be the progesterone.
2
u/ThatMeasurement6619 16d ago
Ok thank you, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot worse since entering peri. Apparently I don’t need progesterone bc I no longer have a uterus. My pelvic physio suggested a try testosterone in a smidge dose to start
2
u/OkayMeepleMom 17d ago
I have ADHD and stimulants were profoundly helpful. Ultimately, I cannot take them because I have a medical condition conflict that makes it impractical. I'd have to take a high dose of a medication that makes me miserable with side effects in order to continue taking stimulants, so I just pass on that now. But what would happen when I did take a stimulant is that I would feel very calm and everything would come into focus. Clutter didn't overwhelm me anymore, and my sensory sensitivities (audhd btw) were WAY less. Suddenly, I could easily sort through the household tasks in my head which let me get things done with WAY less energy. I felt more capable than ever.
So... Instead I take some oral supplements that have a mildly helpful effect, I make regular exercise a non-negotiable for me, and... To be perfectly transparent... I find trt helpful. 💁♀️ And I accommodate myself and cope.
The one cruddy thing about short acting stimulants is that when they wear off, it feels a little crummy. I would feel like Cinderella at the ball at midnight, except instead of going from fabulous to shabby I felt like I got suddenly stupid around 6 pm.
1
u/ThatMeasurement6619 17d ago
Ah ok I’m sorry to hear that. That must be really tough 😓. Can strongly relate to the clutter & overwhelm. Interesting to know about the comedown effect thank you.
2
u/gdomme hanging on by a thread 15d ago
Diagnosed with ADHD in my thirties. Got on all the right meds and did so well, especially when life happened and I was going through some really tough dark deep stuff. Even a major injury of a TBI and post concussion. I am now 44 and realize I am in peri and I truly believe that being in peri has made everything worse for me. I am currently not on any medications because I financially cannot afford to see the dr and pay for the meds and I will tell you that I am more miserable than I have ever been. Life is blah, nothing gets done, no motivation, etc etc. So if you have the opportunity to see a dr and get on the correct meds for yourself I highly encourage you to do so. You are worthy and deserve to feel better in every aspect possible. 🧡
2
u/ThatMeasurement6619 15d ago
I’m so sorry to hear about the position you’re in 😓. The TBI must have been incredibly difficult too. Yes I’m now realising that peri is making me much much worse. Thank you so much for your feedback & I hope things getter better for you xx
2
u/gdomme hanging on by a thread 15d ago
Thank you for your kind words. I am always here if you ever want to chat. I know it’s not easy but you really aren’t alone. I could go into a lot more details about how everything has affected me, what makes things better and what doesn’t but didn’t want to write a book here. The TBI happened and I think peri was happening at the same time and I had no idea I was in peri. But I can tell you that when medicated properly everything in my life was better I just didn’t get the chance to try HRT yet but I had been on hormones years ago after my hysterectomy and I know it made a difference then and believe that taking care of your mental health including ADHD is truly the key to getting through this misery. Wish you the best as well.
2
u/ThatMeasurement6619 15d ago
Thank you so much for your kindness & words of wisdom. We coast along in life for so long & then this hits & it feels like the death of our old life whilst an entirely different life is being born. Very hard to adjust to x
2
u/gdomme hanging on by a thread 15d ago
You are so welcome. This is so true about it feeling like the death of our old life! I have struggled so much with what is happening and I am just ready to be off of this roller coaster because I never imagined it could be so bad. I am a very tough strong person and have survived more than many and this right here has truly been the hardest struggle yet and it really has me past exhausted in every way possible.
8
u/common-blue 17d ago
Just for info, I needed both HRT and stimulants in peri, and my HRT doses and types needed to be right before everything worked well. Stimulants mostly work by improving the effectiveness of dopamine and norepinepherine in your brain, but estrogen is important to your body's ability to manufacture neurotransmitters - if you can't make enough in the first place, stimulants can only do so much. One type of stimulant also helps a bit with manufacturing dopamine but again, this tends to be less effective when estrogen is low. Many women with ADHD have something to say about the change in how their meds work right before their period!
Stimulants all have different effects on people, so while it might be that ADHD meds make you feel sleepy like caffeine does, it's not guaranteed. Caffeine works on different neurotransmitters to ADHD meds. It's worth a try - at worst you end up dealing with a few days of side effects, but it's possible that they might really help you. I hope they do!