ADHD meds and contraceptives

[LeafInTheSchnauzerBeard]

Hi. DD is on Elvanse and during her period the effectiveness plummets. She’s worried about her exams in the summer - has anyone ever used contraceptives in this way to stop a period so their other meds work?

which pills would be best to take with Elvanse?

obviously going to speak to the doctor but the first one we spoke to seemed to think her hormones impacting the Elvanse was nonsense

Bump

I'm on ADHD meds and they don't work at all on my period. I just sweat a lot.

Might also be worth looking at extra vitamin supplementation and nutrition just before period. Bodys need for nutrients increases at that time. Need 100-200 more calories a day in week before. Zinc is good for focus. B6 is good for anxiety.

Thank you! She has started taking zinc.

I guess she’s worried about the six week exam period rather than doing something permanent

seems like it’s an under researched area!!

MAAM – Measuring Adult ADHD and Menstruation Study | King's College London Point the GP to this current high profile research study.

A bit more about the study and ADHD and women here: ADHD and periods: Are my hormones making my symptoms worse? - BBC News

And another bit of research for your GP A Review of Sex and Gender Factors in Stimulant Treatment for ADHD: Knowledge Gaps and Future Directions - PMC

Medical misogyny is real.

Hope your daughter gets the support and treatment she deserves x

Thanks. That’s really interesting!

My 16 year old DD has a contraceptive implant (takes concerta for ADHD) and it has completely stopped her periods

has she noticed any difference with the meds

My (male) prescriber tells me every appointment that my Elvanse won’t work in the week before and week of a period. I’m post-menopausal so it’s not relevant to me although I do think my hormones still fluctuate and I have times, like last week, where it didn’t feel effective. This week I feel a bit jittery like I’ve only just started on it.
In terms of vitamins don’t supplement with vitamin C as it speeds up the excretion of the Elvanse.
From my own experience and especially with 11 year old DS, eating enough protein makes a big difference so on exam days making sure she has a good amount of protein at breakfast and lunch is a good idea. We don’t eat high protein foods but will drink a bottle of milkshake and get the protein in that way. He takes babybels to school to have at break times to give the meds a boost and he says it helps. If he’s not had much protein it’s as though he hasn’t had the Elvanse at all.

As long as there are no contraindications for her taking the combined pill I would take her to a sexual health clinic rather than the misogynistic and ignorant GP. Run the pill packs together with no break for the 3 month exam period so that there’s no withdrawal bleed. I’d avoid the implant as it’s notorious for breakthrough bleeding especially in teenagers. I used to work as a nurse in this area. My 17 yo dd is on the implant and has had so much breakthrough bleeding and she never knows when it will happen but it seems to be a couple of times a month and drives her nuts. She also has (as yet undiagnosed ADHD) and doesn’t remember to take the combined pill daily. She has had to take the combined pill to try and control the breakthrough bleeding but she’s so inconsistent with it.
It’s a while since I was working but we used to give Microgynon or its generic equivalent as a first line option.
Wishing your dd all the best for her exams.

Thanks. The daily pill taking is a bit of a concern but I guess the implant is the only option against that