MENOPAUSE

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Permalink Reply by Karen L on May 3, 2009 at 11:33pm

I have had PMS since I was 17. I am now approaching age 47 and last year I tried Yasmin for almost an entire year to help moderate my hormonal changes during my period times. Well, during April 2009, without the Yasmin, I noticed a return of the PMS symptoms. I am not sure, but I think I might be peri-menopausal or even pre-menopausal. I notice similar symptoms of memory problems and I still have trouble with detail. And I'm on generic Adderall. But I've noticed that my meds are not working anymore after just a few weeks. I don't know if this helps you at all but you aren't going nuts or anything! :)

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Permalink Reply by Darlene on May 12, 2009 at 6:47pm

Hi Karen
I have never had pms. I'm one of those that hardly noticed that time of the month. I was wondering if anyone's symptoms got worse after their hormones stopped. I don't do hormone replacement but I'm thinking about it now. I am fifty nine and and the old hormones completely stopped I guess a year ago and man can I tell the difference. The only problem with adderall now is that it wires me up. my Doc and I are working on an counter-balance. In the meantime I feel like my brain has been fried.

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Permalink Reply by Her Lateness on May 13, 2009 at 12:23am

If you have not read Sari Solden's book, "Women with Attention Deficit Disorder", you should try to get it. She talks about how hormones affect ADD. It is a great book and it is what we as women face, not lumping it all in a pile. I just got it about three weeks ago and I need to read it again, there is so much info. I feel like I have been peri-menopausal for a couple of years, I'll be 43 next week. It actually makes me a little nervous to think that I would get myself better and have to start all over again in a few years. But each person is different so I'm sure going to try not to waste worry on it and just do what I need to do now.
Keep us updated on how things go!

Darlene said:

Hi Karen
I have never had pms. I'm one of those that hardly noticed that time of the month. I was wondering if anyone's symptoms got worse after their hormones stopped. I don't do hormone replacement but I'm thinking about it now. I am fifty nine and and the old hormones completely stopped I guess a year ago and man can I tell the difference. The only problem with adderall now is that it wires me up. my Doc and I are working on an counter-balance. In the meantime I feel like my brain has been fried.

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Permalink Reply by Jenna on May 13, 2009 at 10:00am

hello darlene,
i can so relate to what you are going threw. I was diagnosed with having polycystic ovaries in Dec of 08, and i have had them removed in Jan of 09. but before that when i was ready to menstrate, my ADHD was so out of control. However, the surgery didnt really help my ADHD symptoms as I thought it was going to... My doctor put me on provera to help me with my horomone levels..
jenna

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Permalink Reply by Darlene on May 18, 2009 at 7:44am

Hey jenna,
Did the provera help you any? I had just noticed that when my hormone levels went down my add symptoms went up.
darlene

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Permalink Reply by Conny on May 18, 2009 at 9:10am

oh gawd yes.....and i still don't know if it is ADHD or getting older= lower level of hormones.
Just now, i press on button to post a reply, and then i can't remember what the witty thing was i wanted to tell you.... Have you heard of the Minnie Pauz website? Lots of funny cartoons and stories about menopause there: http://www.minniepauz.com/cartoons1

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Permalink Reply by Conny on May 18, 2009 at 9:44am

I have this in my humour files and would like to share with you all:

Why women get crabby:
We started to "bud" in our blouses at 10 years old only to find that anything that came in contact with those tender buds hurt so bad it brought us to tears. So came the ridiculously uncomfortable training bra contraption that the boys in school would snap until we had calluses on our backs. Next, we start to menstruate in our early to mid-teens. We're bloated, we're cramped, PMS, had to wear little mattresses between our legs or insert tubular, packed cotton rods in places we didn't even know we had.
Our next rite of passage was having sex for the 1st time which was about as much fun as having a ramrod push your uterus through your nostrils (IF he did it right and didn't end up with his little cart before his horse), leaving us to wonder what all the fuss was about.
Then off to Motherhood where we learned to live on dry crackers & water for a few months so we didn't spend the entire day leaning over the toilet. Of course, amazing creatures that we are, we learned to live with the growing little angels inside us steadily kicking our innards night & day making us wonder if we were preparing to have Rosemary's Baby.
Our once flat bellies looked like we swallowed a whole watermelon & we wet our pants every time we sneezed. When the big moment arrived, the dam invariably burst right in the middle of the mall and we had to waddle, with our big cartoon feet, moaning in pain all the way to the ER.
Then it was huff and puff and beg to die while the OB says, "Please stop screaming and push. "Just one more good push" (more like 10), warranting a strong, well-deserved impulse to punch the %$#*@* hubby & hit doctor square in the nose for making us cram a wiggling, mushroom-headed 10 pound bowling ball through a keyhole.
Then time to raise those angels only to find that when all that "cute" wears off, the beautiful little darlings morphed into walking, jabbering, wet, gooey, snot-blowing, little poop machines. Then come the Teen Years. Need I say more?
When the kids are almost grown, we hit our voracious sexual prime while hubby had his somewhere around his 19th.
So we progress into the grand finale: Menopause, the Grandmother of all womanhood. It's either take HRT and chance cancer or sweat like a hog in July, wash your sheets + pillowcases daily and bite the head off anything that moves.
Now, you ask WHY women seem to be more spiteful than men, when men get off so easy, INCLUDING the icing on life's cake: Being able to pee in the woods without soaking their socks.
So, while I love being a woman, "Womanhood" would make the Great Gandhi crabby too.

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Permalink Reply by Karen L on May 18, 2009 at 7:16pm

Conny - That was too funny. But, I am impulsed to share what happened yesterday. I went hiking and somewhere in the middle of my 4 hour hike, I really had to pee. So, I looked to the left, looked to the right and stuck my rear out there and took care of business. Noone came by and I was better. I know that may be TMI for some but guys can just go behind a tree and they don't have to bare all! It's totally not fair and then men want to know why we're so angry, irritable, cranky, moody all the time??? Give me a flippin break! :)

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Permalink Reply by Jan Callahan on May 22, 2009 at 10:44am

I used to be organized around 20 years ago (in my 30's) but since perimenopause hit (in my early 40's) the organization abilities I had left the planet. Now in menopause (will be 56 next Tuesday) my office looks like it was hit by a tornado. We won't even discuss my house. My husband basically does all the house work. I may do some laundry every week but that's about all I can focus on after a day at a very stressful full time job.

I'm on Vyvanse and that works to some extent but there are so many distractions in my job that focusing on one task for any length of time is nearly impossible. Also, for those of you taking Adderall XR and find that it increases irritability, Vyvanse is basically the same thing but when I switched to it I noticed that the irritability wasn't so pronounced. I still get irritable and snap at coworkers and my husband from time to time only not as often or as strongly as I did on Adderall.

I did try the Vivelle (HRT) patch for a while and that helped with focusing at work and increase energy levels, but finances being what they are, I just can't afford another medication with a higher co-pay. Apparently research discovered that menopausal women with ADHD focus better when given Estrogen. It's true for me. I hope they come up with a generic version of the Vivelle Dot so I can afford it.

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Permalink Reply by Darlene on May 22, 2009 at 4:34pm

Jan,
So what your saying is hormone replacement helps? Have you tried it at anytime?
darlene

Jan Callahan said:

I used to be organized around 20 years ago (in my 30's) but since perimenopause hit (in my early 40's) the organization abilities I had left the planet. Now in menopause (will be 56 next Tuesday) my office looks like it was hit by a tornado. We won't even discuss my house. My husband basically does all the house work. I may do some laundry every week but that's about all I can focus on after a day at a very stressful full time job.

I'm on Vyvanse and that works to some extent but there are so many distractions in my job that focusing on one task for any length of time is nearly impossible. Also, for those of you taking Adderall XR and find that it increases irritability, Vyvanse is basically the same thing but when I switched to it I noticed that the irritability wasn't so pronounced. I still get irritable and snap at coworkers and my husband from time to time only not as often or as strongly as I did on Adderall.

I did try the Vivelle (HRT) patch for a while and that helped with focusing at work and increase energy levels, but finances being what they are, I just can't afford another medication with a higher co-pay. Apparently research discovered that menopausal women with ADHD focus better when given Estrogen. It's true for me. I hope they come up with a generic version of the Vivelle Dot so I can afford it.

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Permalink Reply by maggie on May 26, 2009 at 5:12pm

YEs indeed, right there with ya. menopause, and the brain is fried. You hear all this"the wisdom of menopause" talk, and i am wondering what they are talking about ..i feel like i am losing my mind. EVERYTHING about adhd has gotten worse since the big 'pause. out of desperation i tried HRT, but my chest blew up like a balloon. i felt like you could pop those things with a pin..it HURT! (so, if you want to increase your breast size, just do hrt! LOL)...so, i discontinued that, and am now on generic dexedrine. tried vyvanse, but it literally kept me going l9 hours a day! but, i DID get a lot done while on it (i painted a hall, a bathroom, did my taxes, four loads of laundry, went to the gym, walked the dog, cooked a meal, washed the car, organized my office, ironed...!!!!!)....

aparently it is pretty well understood now that estrogen levels, and hormone balance can affect adhd.....so, exercise, fish oil/omega 3 and 6, sleep, exercise, and do the best you can! you are NOT alone! maggie

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Permalink Reply by T. on September 4, 2009 at 5:15pm

This is great! I know I'm not alone or crazy but having some in-site to what might help is a real plus. 46 in a few months and crazy bitchy & unmotivated. I never when through that fiesty 40 phase & My husband has been no so patiently waiting for it.LOL I thought that maybe it happened in one's 50's now with 40 being the new 30 etc... Trying to keep his hope up ;) Anyway, haven't been doing much now that I am going on 3months in the post meno phase but I definitly need to look into replacement therapy. Any input on the subject is so appreciated. I take adderall short acting if that helps. I am not crabby on it but kinda bad on the back end.:(

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