Concerta, Menopause and ADHD. Good times!

[1972jules]

I turned 50 a few days ago and have been taking Concerta 54 mg once a day. I don’t think this drug is doing much. My symptoms seem worse than they were. The only thing I can think of is I may be entering menopause.

Has anyone experienced this? Is there a better medication out there?

Thanks.

[Slmndrs]

Hello,I'm 42 and I've been told I'm in perimenopause.

I think that hormones do impact medication. On top of that, there are individual variations. For some people, adderall and ritalin are basically interchangeable, while for others, it really makes a difference. Dosage is like that too.

So on the one hand we have to go through a whole process of finding what works best for us, and then as hormones fluctuate with menopause, we have to be paying attention and trying to adjust as we need it.

It *is* totally possible that concerta is the wrong drug for one person and another would work better. That doesn't necessarily have to do with menopause though, it could just be their individual biochemistry.

This should be an ongoing conversation with your doctor to try different meds. On top of the stimulants, there are non-stimulant meds. Those get a bad rep because of people being pushed towards them because of the whole schedule II thing, and it is true that they have a lower success rate, as far as I understand it, than stimulants. But for the people that they work for, they really do work for.

The other thing though - I can't tell whether you're just starting with meds - it can be really hard for us to track our own symptoms. It's a huge help for kids that teachers can give feedback on that, but for us, we're on our own. If there's someone in your life that can help kind of keep an eye on you or help with your own tracking, that could help a lot.

[_Sarah_J]

Menopause is different for everyone. If you think that’s a factor in what you’re experiencing it probably is. I do think I started needing to increase meds after menopause. Some of what you’re going through may be temporary, so don’t despair. Most of the major difficult menopausal symptoms are likely to level out eventually.

[Clara2328]

gi,

I'm 51 and still premenopausal I'm on30 my of elvanse and have noticed I'm more anxious but I think it's the hormones! We need estrogen to be at the right level before medication can work...i think! 😱🤣