Womens ADD Brain, Estrogen and Medication Not Working? Need help finding new medication!

[Starkisses7018]

Good morning, The problem I believe I am having is associated with (1) either my hormone imbalance of progesterone or (2) when estrogen drops that hormone somehow helps my add meds, (I believe its the latter as I have charted this for about 7 months)- and then they become less effective. Re this article- Its fascinating.

ADD Brain and Estrogen: docs.google.com/document/d/...

I have a couple questions about ADHD meds, are you familiar with which meds specifically or types use which vehicles ( re up take vehicles/ which Hormones they use etc.) to be effective?

Specifically- the issue I am having around the 14th day of my cycle- (supposedly when my estrogen drops my ADD meds seem to not work at all). I am looking to try a new medication that doesn’t use estrogen as a reuptake vehicle.

(1) Are you familiar with some of these other types of meds? If not, who can I call or talk to to see which ADD Med would be best?

My communication and comprehension/ ability to even get words out on these days is proving to be horrible in my marriage and family. I meet with my psychologist tomorrow for a review and really would love to ask for a new option.

[Layline]

Hi.

I have ADHD and also started going through perimenopause a few years ago (which I didn't realise at the time). My understanding is that oestrogen affects neurotransmitters in our brains. Less oestrogen = less neurotransmitters. It means that ADHD feels like it becomes worse during perimenopause with hormone fluctuations.

I've had to treat both the hormones and the ADHD. I'm already on the combined contraceptive pill. I had additional screenings via my GP and we agreed that I can take my pill more continuously with a break of a week every 3 months (instead of every 3 weeks).

I'm also adjusting the levels of my ADHD meds with my ADHD specialist now. I'm on atomoxetine (non-stimulant). We're trying to get as much benefit as we can without side effects for these.

Some other things have been changed too. I started taking a specific women's supplement rather than an A-Z. It contains evening primrose oil and starflower oil. It's worth noting that I've been told evening primrose oil can interfere with conceiving a baby, but I'm not trying to conceive. My vitamin D levels were low a few years ago, so the GP helped me get to a maintenance level for that.