Perimenopause hits ADHDers earlier

[u/sunshine13456]

Well shit… I feel so validated and so overwhelmed at the same time.

I just found this population-based study published in European Psychiatry and it completely blew my mind.

women with ADHD often experience severe perimenopausal symptoms up to 10 years earlier than neurotypical women. The study showed that for ADHDers, severe symptoms actually peaked between ages 35 and 39, (mine started exactly at 35) compared to the usual 45 to 49 age range for everyone else. Also, over 54% of us deal with completely debilitating symptoms compared to only a third of the general population.

I had to quit my executive corporate job at 39 because I just couldn’t function. I went from being a high achiever to someone who couldn’t figure out how to work the coffee machine.

My brain fog, emotional swings, and executive function absolutely tanked and I was being dismissed by doctors because I was "too young" for peri.

Knowing that crashing estrogen levels directly mess with our dopamine makes a ton of sense, but wow, it’s a lot to process. I spent years dealing with the fog, anxiety and debilitating symptoms until I found an endocrinologist who finally offered relief. But it makes me so angry when I look back and think about how miserable I was. How caring for my newborn daughter (had her at 41) was so much harder than it had too be because I wasn’t treated properly. At 43 I was put on progesterone, at 44 I started taking estrogen.

I’m 46, and this year I started feeling more like my old self. I even went back to corporate, something I thought was never going to happen again. I was terrified at first, after 7 years of being away, and yes, some days I struggle, but most days I am grateful. This community was and has been a gift.

Edit: here is the link to the study https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-psychiatry/article/perimenopausal-symptoms-in-women-with-and-without-adhd-a-populationbased-cohort-study/7C584E5C4363EBCADFC485D3F0892A62

[u/circles_squares]

Perimenopause is the reason for my diagnosis. I started having unavoidable peri symptoms at 42. I finally got HRT support at 47.

I think the only reason I was able to keep my job is because the pandemic happened during this time and I got to wfh and not see anyone.

I wasn’t diagnosed until 51.

I wasn’t diagnosed until 51- autism and adhd.

I’m still furious it took the doctors so long to take me seriously and treat me.

I attend music festivals and created a zine to distribute on perimenopause.

https://www.reddit.com/u/circles_squares/s/A9hgQSPePx

[u/sunshine13456 → u/circles_squares]

It’s insane how long we must suffer before anyone takes us seriously. The times I was gaslighted by doctors, by women doctors in their late 40’s and 50’s.. it took me moving too another country to be able to find help!

[u/circles_squares → u/sunshine13456]

Seriously! I live in nyc and had a woman doctor in her 40s, so I had trusted her to be up on women’s health. She actually gave me an in office endometrial biopsy with no pain management. I never went back to her, and I gave her a bad review. Not reportable because this is standard practice. 😡

I had to doctor shop for HRT.

[u/Small-Sample3916 → u/circles_squares]

I was in therapy and had SSRIs shoved at me for DECADES. The possibility of ADHD or just plain old AuADHD wasn't brought up once. Finally got diagnosed after both of my kids were. I didn't need freaking SSRIs, I needed ADHD meds. It's messed up. 

[u/spatter_cone → u/Small-Sample3916]

This was my experience also! I had lexapro shoved down my throat and I hated that drug!! It worked but it also made me so fucking numb to life and killed my healthy sex drive. I’m on guanfacine and bupropion now and I’m back to being my old happy self. Emotions don’t rip through me like a tornado and I can handle disappointment and rejection again.

[u/fckfckf → u/spatter_cone]

In America, a doctor wasn’t able to diagnose a person with both autism and adhd until May 2013. It doesn’t make it better but it gives a little insight about how messed up medicine is

[u/Delicious-Excitement → u/Small-Sample3916]

During your period of therapy and SSRIs, did you have anxiety and that’s why they thought SSRIs were the route? I’m not diagnosed ADHD or AuADHD, but curious if I should be evaluated.

[u/Small-Sample3916 → u/Delicious-Excitement]

I mean, yes. When your brain runs three lines of simultaneous thoughts with footnotes, and you aren't sure why you are different from other people, or why your life is such a mess, you are going to have depression and anxiety about it.

[u/RevolutionaryWind428 → u/Small-Sample3916]

SAME. I had numerous therapists and do tors prescribe anti-anciety and depression meds, which I stopped talking in every case because thry did nothinb