ADHD OR RAGING HORMONES?

[flyingmama94]

So since having my baby over a year ago - I can’t seem to regulate my emotions or keep on track with my thoughts . At first I thought it was my hormones all over the place but now Im thinking and after going down a rabbit hole I believe I have ADHD symptoms. It’s not the typical type where you cant sit still and constantly fidgeting. I find myself doom scrolling in my down time and feeling riddled with guilt that Im being lazy.
It has just become more apparent recently where my capacity bucket is at an all time high and I can often seem spaced out. Im not sure why Im posting on here just to see if anyone has had the symptoms unmasked since entering motherhood? Or similar situations. I wouldn’t even know where to start with getting a diagnosis as an adult. Thanks in advance

How old are you? Having my second baby triggered me to stay peri menopause. Have you considered PND or just been pissed off your life stage and/or partner?

Im coming up for 31. I wouldn’t say its PND as Im quite upbeat and positive with life in general but its more of an overwhelm and not being able to regulate and quite a short fuse.

Perhaps you are lacking sleep, vitamins, iron. Have you checked your blood pressure? I was like this and it was high blood pressure.

A lot of people notice they have adhd symptoms once they have a less structured life - school, college/uni, work, with hobbies and time set aside for chores, seeing friends etc can be very helpful for people with adhd. Then they stop working, maybe to have a baby, and it kind of unravels as the structure isn't there.

Had quite alot of blood tests but nothing showing up abnormal. Tried all different hormonal balance vitamins and nothing makes me feel better

pregnacy rewrites your brain in my opinion!

If you went for an ADHD assessment they would be asking all about your childhood/school life as it would need to have been clearly present then and causing impairment for a formal diagnosis.

Having a baby is chemically and lifestyle altering and it’s not surprising there are some pretty profound changes. I agree with @Arran2024 that a less structure life can be challenging for anyone but particularly people with ADHD. Whilst it’s unstructured it’s also restrictive and the sense of responsibility constant along with a lack of sleep and none of that should be underestimated when considering what might be going on. Do you see others and socialise? Are you returning to work and concerned about that?

A diagnosis is usually with a psychiatrist which you can do privately (not sure what it costs these days, low thousands) or you could join the NHS queue for an adult assessment which could well happen before your child is about eight years old (depends where you live etc!).

Op, welcome to my life. Except when I had my babies ADHD wasn’t in the press like it is now.
in fact. Perimenopause and Covid lockdowns is what kicked my journey off. And my first born being diagnosed at 7yo in that period too.

if you can afford it I recommend dr jones she practices at various hospitals and is also part of the hormone clinic. She is a psychiatrist who can help balance your hormones.

there are not many out there that look at life events through the lens of neurodivergence and hormones.

So I got diagnosed in my late 30s.

I did notice symptoms worsen as I got older however, my problems have been there my whole life.

I submitted my school reports from primary school to high school. It was clear even back then that I had it.

I think if you haven't noticed anything until now then it's likely post pregnancy, perhaps PND related. I would speak to your doctor about how you are feeling.

I would try and set timers to how long you are on your phone and turn off notifications on apps on your phone like insta or tiktok.

Some of these apps are made to get you addicted. We all want dopamine and short videos and doom scrolling feeds it. Try having slower pace of life. Less bombarded by news and media. See how you feel. ND or not, it helps you mentally believe me.

It never crossed my mind that I might have ADHD until DC2 was having their ADHD assessment and the psychiatrist strongly implied that I probably had it too.

This was a few months ago. I am late 50s. I was diagnosed this year.

I spent about 2 months thinking about it. I did not recognize myself in the diagnostic criteria.

I then did the ASRS screener (OP i'd recommend doing this - you'll find it online) . The result of that strongly suggested ADHD.

I then had a formal assessment and was told, it was obvious that I had ADHD. I am now on the medication and I feel so much better.

Google PMDD. I am not long diagnosed but going back through the years there were red flags, but it wasn’t well known then, or even recognised.

After my baby nearly 10 years ago I went from bad to worse. I’m in chemical menopause now and I’ve had the best few months of my life mood wise in a very long time. It is common with ADHD too.

https://www.iapmd.org/