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Wednesday, February 18, 2015
A RIDDLE:
Me: What do menopause and ADHD have in common?
You: What do they have in common?
Me: What do what have in common?
If you are a woman (of any age), you know that hormones can affect your body and your mind in various ways. If you are a woman of "a certain age", you likely know that your changing hormone levels also affect you in many ways, most of which are not much fun.
However, what you may not know is that many perimenopausal and menopausal women experience ADHD-like symptoms, because hormonal fluctuations affect brain chemistry. Due to lowered levels of estrogen, women with ADHD often experience a worsening of their existing symptoms and new symptoms can manifest. In addition, the dropping levels of estrogen, which can be as much as 65%, can also affect both serotonin and dopamine, two of the key neurotransmitters found in the brain.
What does this mean in practical terms? Lowered levels of estrogen can cause the following: increased difficulty concentrating, memory dysfunction, word retrieval and other cognitive problems, and less mental clarity, or 'brain fog'.
It's difficult enough being a woman with ADHD, but if you are in perimenopause or menopause, your symptoms are often exacerbated, and according to Dr. Patricia Quinn, M.D., a developmental pediatrician and director of the National Center for Girls and Women with AD/HD, "for some women, the decline is sudden and dramatic."
This cartoon probably looks familiar to most women, (and men) with ADD*. I'm sure this kind of thing happens to everyone once in a while, but for those of us with "ADDed" gifts, it can be a way of life. For women who are not used to experiencing these occurrences, I imagine it can be extremely frustrating, if not downright scary to feel that your memory is not working as well as it used to. If you are a woman with ADHD, it's probably not at all frightening and likely even commonplace, to walk intently into a room and then promptly forget why you are there. And, this can occur a few (or more) times per day and not just occasionally. It's also not particularly scary, though it is frustrating, to be in the middle of a sentence and completely forget the word we were about to use, or even what we were talking about! Sometimes, we find things in really weird places and demand to know who put them there, although it's a bit more difficult to shift the blame if you happen to be the only one at home. (Um, yeah, I once found the masking tape in the fridge.) For real.
Even if you've become accustomed to some of these occurrences, they can still be exasperating, especially if they've now increased in number and frequency. Some women find what were once speed bumps are now roadblocks.
In addition to notable cognitive differences, many women experience an onset or increase in feelings of fatigue, low energy, brain fogginess and apathy or even depression. If you are a woman with ADD, these symptoms may not be new, but again, they could worsen and if you're on medication for your ADD, you may find that the meds don't appear to be working as well to control your symptoms.
What is paramount, as with new or worsening symptoms of any kind, is to see a doctor to determine the cause and get treatment options. If you suspect that you could be entering menopause or perimenopause, see your gynecologist to confirm this diagnosis. If you already have ADHD and your symptoms appear to be getting worse, you will likely need to see your gynecologist and your ADD specialist, especially if you are currently on medication for the ADD. If you are not currently treating with a professional for your ADD, The National Resource Center of ADHD advises to visit a specialist who is familiar with ADHD in adult women.
However, what you may not know is that many perimenopausal and menopausal women experience ADHD-like symptoms, because hormonal fluctuations affect brain chemistry. Due to lowered levels of estrogen, women with ADHD often experience a worsening of their existing symptoms and new symptoms can manifest. In addition, the dropping levels of estrogen, which can be as much as 65%, can also affect both serotonin and dopamine, two of the key neurotransmitters found in the brain.
What does this mean in practical terms? Lowered levels of estrogen can cause the following: increased difficulty concentrating, memory dysfunction, word retrieval and other cognitive problems, and less mental clarity, or 'brain fog'.
This cartoon probably looks familiar to most women, (and men) with ADD*. I'm sure this kind of thing happens to everyone once in a while, but for those of us with "ADDed" gifts, it can be a way of life. For women who are not used to experiencing these occurrences, I imagine it can be extremely frustrating, if not downright scary to feel that your memory is not working as well as it used to. If you are a woman with ADHD, it's probably not at all frightening and likely even commonplace, to walk intently into a room and then promptly forget why you are there. And, this can occur a few (or more) times per day and not just occasionally. It's also not particularly scary, though it is frustrating, to be in the middle of a sentence and completely forget the word we were about to use, or even what we were talking about! Sometimes, we find things in really weird places and demand to know who put them there, although it's a bit more difficult to shift the blame if you happen to be the only one at home. (Um, yeah, I once found the masking tape in the fridge.) For real.
Even if you've become accustomed to some of these occurrences, they can still be exasperating, especially if they've now increased in number and frequency. Some women find what were once speed bumps are now roadblocks.
In addition to notable cognitive differences, many women experience an onset or increase in feelings of fatigue, low energy, brain fogginess and apathy or even depression. If you are a woman with ADD, these symptoms may not be new, but again, they could worsen and if you're on medication for your ADD, you may find that the meds don't appear to be working as well to control your symptoms.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
What is paramount, as with new or worsening symptoms of any kind, is to see a doctor to determine the cause and get treatment options. If you suspect that you could be entering menopause or perimenopause, see your gynecologist to confirm this diagnosis. If you already have ADHD and your symptoms appear to be getting worse, you will likely need to see your gynecologist and your ADD specialist, especially if you are currently on medication for the ADD. If you are not currently treating with a professional for your ADD, The National Resource Center of ADHD advises to visit a specialist who is familiar with ADHD in adult women.
If you are a woman in your 40s or 50s, have had some brain fog and other ADD-like symptoms for all or most of your life, but now they just feel out of control and unmanageable, it's possible that you have undiagnosed ADD, and the lowered levels of estrogen now make it much harder to cope. Physicians often diagnose ADD/ADHD in women who are in perimenopause or menopause. If you are are menopausal and also have ADD (whether just diagnosed or not), it's important for your gynecologist and your ADD specialist to communicate with each other about diagnosis and treatment.
Although it's normal to experience symptoms from your altered brain function, whether due to menopause, normal aging and/or ADD, there are ways to improve your brain's performance:
- Brain training exercises;
- Getting the right kinds of exercise;
- Eating brain healthy foods;
- Some form of meditative practice;
- Actively socializing;
- Learning new tasks;
- Increased self-care, and my own favorite and self-prescribed treatment,
- Laugh, laugh, laugh, cry and laugh! Often.
* Please note that I use the terms ADD & ADHD interchangeably.
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3 Comments:
This is me! Thanks Amy!
Amy, reading this makes me feel a lot better, and puts my life right now in a better perspective.
Thanks for the comments and so very glad it helped! It's not a topic that gets a ton of promotion, so hoping the little bit of knowledge serves people somehow. Wait, what was I saying? ;-)
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