ADD/ADHD and menstruation cycles
 

Has anyone found a correlation between their ADD/ADHD symptoms and where you are in your cycle? For me, it seems like the medication doesn't work as well right before my period starts. Thoughts? Experiences? Insight?

purple pal

that happens with my daughter...she has almost a week every month where i ask her every day if she took her meds.

took me about 6 months to figure it out, now i am not surprised by it.

: )

Yes! Adderall Xr Doesn't Work During My Cycle!
 

YES!!! I just figured out that connection! It took me 2 years to figure it out. The only reason I finally did is because I'm taking my 2nd psychology class in college. I'm 40, diagnosed in 2004. I've done so well. Straight A's, responsible, I can follow through, make appointments on time & can manage my emotions much better. But every 23 days I take extra medication because I'm feeling so out of whack. I have classes to attend, work, homework & was under pressure. I began to think that maybe I was abusing the meds because I was 1 week short every month because I needed the extra help. Finally last week I was so distraught over it that I went into my doctor's office crying & said I was quitting the meds because I was too irresponsible to take it & maybe I was just a drug addict after all! Thank God he knew better. My boyfriend pointed it out to me a long time ago but I just sluffed it off, like what does he know? My sister mentioned it again about 6 months ago, again I ignored it. My psychology teacher pointed it out & with my new knowledge of the brain & neurotransmitters all of the sudden it clicked! I was so relieved to find out what the problem was. My doctor is making accommodations for me in my daily schedule until we can pin point which hormone/neurotransmitter is the culprit, if we can. When I start my period for the next 3 months I will go to get my blood drawn for hormone level checks to see if we can discover the problem. Yes, Adderall XR is ineffective 2 days before and during my period. Absolutely! Thank God I'm not the only one! Thank you so much for posting that. You confirmed it for me.

I don't take meds regularly but I've known for years that a week before my period I get really moody, I look for a fight or I get emotional. I've learned not to make big decisions during this time and to keep my mouth shut :D (I'm ADHD)

I go through the same thing..I thought i was crazy, but now i see that alot of women experience the same thing..The meds seem not to work well around my period

The hormonal effects of the menstrual cycle affect ADHD symptoms and medication doses
 

I think this is one of the most overlooked factors in medication treatments for ADHD and related disorders. We often think of drug-drug, drug-food, or drug-environment interactions, but often neglect to consider important drug-hormonal interactions. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of research on these effects, at least at the moment.

Estrogen and progesterone fluctuations seem to have a big impact on medications, especially amphetamine or amphetamine-like stimulants.

In general, higher estrogen levels seem to increase the effects of amphetamines, while high progesterone levels seem to counteract this effect and decrease the effects of these stimulants.

During the follicular phase (pre-ovulation), a higher estrogen to progesterone ratio often results in more pronounced effects of stimulants such as amphetamines (a more pronounced effect or "high" can typically be seen during this stage), while during the luteal (post-ovulation) phase of the menstrual cycle, where progesterone levels are typically higher, these "euphoric" feelings associated with amphetamine-based ADHD treatments typically subside.

This could indicate that for women with ADHD who are taking stimulant meds (especially of the Adderall, Dexedrine and Vyvanse varieties of amphetamine-based treatments) may benefit from slightly higher doses of drugs during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (when progesterone is higher relative to estrogen), while requiring slightly lower levels of medication to get the same effects during the relatively high estrogen boosts of the follicular phase.

I know I am posting three years after your original post but YES!! I am 32 and was just diagnosed a year ago. I have always had problems with my mood during my cycle but have become more aware since my diagnosis. I have this feeling that "my skin is crawling" which I never recognized before. I became aware of this when I was trying medication and coming off of adult Ritalin. Although it worked wonderfully to calm and focus me it caused my blood pressure to sky rocket. I was also diagnosed with major depression which I now realize has a direct correlation to my ADHD and it seems during my cycle these symptoms also reappear. I become tearful and cannot stand to be "with myself". Thank you SO much for posting this. I was really becoming concerned that I was psyching myself into this misery and discomfort during my cycle.

Same here
 

This is the first time I have registered with a site to post on adhd. I felt compelled to do so here because I have the same problem as what is being discussed in this thread. It seems that my med (concerta) is completely inaffective during the first few days of my menstral cycle. It is very difficult to focus and to accomplish tasks.
There is defiantly something occuring hormonally. I would love to see this researched by medical professionals.

Yes, just fell back to *zero* despite meds today
 

Thanks all! I found this forum while googling my hypothesis about why I might be back down to *zero* in terms of focus today (first full day of period, was OK even most of yesterday I think). Very curious what the mechanisms are, whether we might find ways of anticipating the cycle and nipping it in the bud.

At least, in the meantime, it saves me some sanity to have a thought other than "for no reason it's as if my med does nothing today". It allows me not to despair that I'll be stuck in this pit for the forseeable future. LOL.

-Persona

I know I'm ridiculously late to this party but
 

thank you so much for proving that I am not crazy or alone. All of you have pretty much described how I have felt today- it's like I didn't take anything. I struggled through work and school and that had not been the case. I was only recently diagnosed and given the Adderoll and right away my focus and everything improved. I've been on antidepressants and anxiety drugs for years and now wonder if all I needed was to be acknowledged as an adult ADHD sufferer. But since I only started my prescription about 2 weeks ago when I emailed my doctor that I was completely out of whack and wondered if I should take more he says we'll talk about it next visit. I'll tell you I'm probably in for a week of tough days since he doesn't want to help me until then.

I'm just so grateful to not be alone because I felt almost unhinged today and kept making foolish mistakes at work. I'm telling you, it was embarrassing how out of it I was.

So printing out all your comments to prove to him I'm not alone and that maybe if he lived through what we are going through he'd understand!

Thanks so much!

At least I am not going mad!!!
 

FINALLY i have realised that I am not completely losing the plot. I am half way through being assessed for adult adhd (my 7 yr old is already diagnosed)
Every time I start my period I feel like a coiled spring or a jack in the box ready to explode.
I am not yet on any medication and finding it really hard to cope every time I have a period. At least I am not the only one x

Glad to see I'm not alone. I've noticed that my adderall starts to lose efficiency around a week before and is pretty much 100% ineffective by day 1 of my menstrual cycle. Starts to vamp back up again after the first day. Not to mention, my appetite is insane during that week! Adderall somewhat dulls my appetite but the week before my period, it's like all I can think about is food.

I take 50 mg XR per day (yes I realize it's an unusually large dose but it was ineffective at 20 and at around 30-40, I got all of these strange symptoms so my psychiatrist and I agreed on 50 as the best dose) but I'm wondering if I should start increasing my dosage around the time of my period from here on out. Or even the dosage of my IR pills that I take during the evening. Usually I take 30 mg IR. Would this be a bad idea? I'm just starting to get a little desperate here :-/

How to get through College with Good grades?
 

Hi,
I know I'm terribly late to comment. What you said interest me that you're an A student. I'm entering 4th month of my college, and exam is close!
Please help me do you have tips and can you share how can you get A's, it's terribly hard with this ADD. Thank you in advance!

Nice to know I'm not losing it either!
 

Wow!!!, Have been meaning to look up AD/HD and hormones for 6 monthes now and finally took the time. Having same problem around menstral cycle so much so my 8yr old daughter said "Mom u need to start taking ur meds again", of coures my husband noticed too, and since we are working on our marraige, staying focused is a BIG issue. My psychiatrist had not heard of this when I mention it...will be printing all post. Talked to one of my gyno doctors, i cut his hair, and he said you can take certain birthcontrol pills and not have a cycle and they have one that is low enough in est/proges, that its safe to take for long term, through menapause even. I'm 43 and want to learn about all my optitions and which will work the best. I'll text and find out which pill he was talking about so you can do your own research. Thanks to all who' ve shared over the years. anything new any of you have found out I would love to hear about.

Thank you!!!
 

I have never addressed my ADD/ADHD my entire life because my PMS is so severe that, frankly I'm afraid to add anything to the mix of my angry, moody state of mind during those days. Generally I get about 7 days in my body when I feel "fine" otherwise I'm ramping up to PMS, in PMS, having my period and then back myself for one precious week. It's been like this for almost a decade.. I truly hate being female most of the time...

That being said, my ADHD is worsening and I can't afford the constant distraction. My work is getting more demanding and I MUST FOCUS and PRODUCE. My doctor and I have discussed Adderall, but I'm scared of anything big Pharma.. I've come this far (45years old) and refrained from anything, yet I fear I can't anymore.

Also, I am in the wine industry, so alcohol plays a big role in my lifestyle.

Will Adderall make me even angrier during PMS? I can't afford that either. It's already pretty extreme. I certainly don't want to become some psycho-rage-aholic..

Welcome Mindflower. :Wave-Hello: