Unmasked: ADHD, Estrogen and the Female Hormone Connection

Ep 14 ADHD and Hormones

[00:00:00] Randi: 1, 2, 3, 4. Hi friends. It's Randy and Jess, and we're gonna cut the bullshit and let's get 

[00:00:08] Jess: into women's mental health.

Welcome to the podcast, to unapologetically all over the place with Randy and Jess, where we talk about women's mental health issues and how it's all normal. This time we wanna talk about how ADHD in your hormones are frenemies. We'll explore the four times in our life or our hormone shift, um, and how our ADHD changes when those hormones shift and how to manage our hormones, how to manage the ADHD more.

So kinda what the triggers 

[00:00:38] Randi: are. Yeah. And like how that plays a part in maybe our adhd, like manifesting, because since I wasn't diagnosed until later, it was probably because of like the hormone shift too that became, it became like so much more apparent that I did have it. 

[00:00:52] Jess: There's four times in our life where as women, we shift hormones.

Mm-hmm. , 

[00:00:57] Randi: we're talking Yeah. Four major times. Puberty. Every other. Every month. every month. That, Well, there's four major cycles. Yeah. 

[00:01:04] Jess: There's puberty, there's, When we become adults, Uhhuh, there's, when we have children. Mm-hmm. and then hormones, menopause, Oh my gosh. Perimenopause. I'm all over it right now. 

[00:01:14] Randi: And I'm headed on that train.

Right? The train. It's like a runaway train that you can't control. . 

[00:01:20] Jess: Yeah. It's it's doing its thing, man. 

[00:01:22] Randi: Oh, okay. So have you ever had these 

[00:01:24] Jess: thoughts. Your symptoms. Oh my God, why is my ADHD so much worse right now? Mm-hmm. right before you start your period. 

[00:01:32] Randi: Yeah. Do you think things are a little bit fuzzier, like off kilter at specific points in like your hormonal cycle, or 

[00:01:40] Jess: why do I feel the need to super organize?

Right now, or why am I out of control? Mm-hmm. with my organization and I keep losing stuff during certain times of your month or certain Right. Cycles of your 

[00:01:52] Randi: life. Yeah. Or like why am I only hyper focused during this? Time of the month or like during this phase of my life, Right. That's 

[00:02:02] Jess: where I like to start new projects.

Mm-hmm. , right? When my hormones go crazy. Yeah. Is when I'm like, Let's go get a puppy. Right. Cause that sounds like a good idea. . 

[00:02:11] Randi: Yeah. So it's like looking back and thinking like, Wow. Like these things were kind of like really triggering at these certain cycles or points in my life. Like they were like, there was like a much more higher influx than others.

[00:02:23] Jess: So women with adhd, which is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mm-hmm. , we experienced symptoms differently, uh, depending upon how our hormones are, which I thought was really interesting, right? Mm-hmm. , um, both of us being women, obviously and, and having ADHD and both being diagnosed late in. The average is what?

[00:02:45] Randi: 36 to 38 is the average for late diagnosis? I was diagnosed at 40. Yeah, I think I was 42 or actually 41. 

[00:02:53] Jess: Yeah, 42 when I finally figured it out. 

[00:02:56] Randi: Yeah. And um, if you guys want a little bit more information about being diagnosed with adhd, listening to our other podcast, we have. Explaining that because I think a lot of times people don't understand that it can also mean like inattentive or like there's different layers to it.

Yeah. It doesn't just mean like bouncing off the walls like 24 7 and it can be like, you know, there's varying degrees of it. So listen into 

[00:03:18] Jess: that and like Randy's talking about is that prior to being diagnosed latent life, most women are diagnosed as a mood disorder. Mm-hmm. or they're anxiety. Yeah. Or depression.

[00:03:29] Randi: Yeah. Which was what they did to me. And I was like, why does none of. Medication work for me is like, it was the wrong medication. That's why, Right? 

[00:03:35] Jess: Why does it only get 

[00:03:36] Randi: me so far? Because a lot of, um, medical physicians don't always look at the correlation between, um, women hormones and adhd always playing a part.

Like it can be also told, like, you just have like PMs or you just have like pm, d d and same thing. Like you kind of need to figure out like the whole picture, like what's really going on. Is it just during. You know, cycle or is it like all 

[00:04:02] Jess: the time and they're finally starting to figure out, and they're starting to do more studies that show thank God, Right.

How hormones play such a huge role in regulating the communication between our brain cells. Mm-hmm. , which obviously if there's miscommunication or dysregulation, there goes are executive functioning, which. What ADHD is all 

[00:04:22] Randi: about, right? Yeah. Like, you just can't, you don't function normally. You don't think normally like other people.

It disrupts like the way you process things. And so you're not crazy. And it's because of those hormone fluctuations with estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, um, that changes that. And also there's things, you know, in our environment and our foods and stuff too, that. That too, not just our own body cycles.

[00:04:46] Jess: Right? And it kind of feels like a big dumb moment. Like why are we not looking at, why are they not looking at more of how our hormones actually address it, 

[00:04:55] Randi: right? They regulate our bodies, they regulate our emotions. There's so many things. Why aren't we like learning like the root and like where this is coming from?

So let's kind of go back to puberty and like how that looks with ADHD and hormones. 

[00:05:10] Jess: Increased levels of estrogen and progesterone can cause ADHD medications to be less effective. Mm, Right. They're saying that like estrogen can enhance amphetamine medication, which is, you know, 97% probably of, of adhd, of ADHD medication, but progesterone can lessen it.

Which I was like, Oh, that made so much sense when you start looking at, you know, your cycles and how it goes. 

[00:05:38] Randi: Right? Yeah, because I do feel that too, like even being perimenopausal and stuff sometimes during the month, my ADHD medications don't seem to help. Did I even take it? Right? I'm like lost and fuzzy and I'm like, why am I like so off track?

And it's like, because of my hormones fluctuating and stuff, it's less effective 

[00:05:58] Jess: when our kids are going through puberty. Yeah. If they're taking ADHD medications. The typical response for boys, and I feel very lucky that, um, my daughter being a girl has a female doctor to give medication mm-hmm. and brought this to my attention.

Yeah. Right. So boys, they just upped the dose. Right. And they're like, They need more help. We'll, just up it. Yeah. For girls, it, they can't just up the dose. Mm-hmm. , it doesn't work anymore. They have to change it up. Which I was like, I didn't know that. Even as a therapist, 

[00:06:27] Randi: did you know that? No, I didn't know that.

Because like our hormone runs are ever changing. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And like also, um, when girls hit puberty, they start metabolizing their medications faster in their system and so therefore they can also become less 

[00:06:43] Jess: effective. Right. And different than boys. Mm-hmm. . Let's go over, I wanna go over like an adhd puberty for girls versus say neurotypical.

Neurotypical is somebody who does not have adhd. Mm-hmm. , it is the proper name for normal ADHD girls tend to have, uh, increased problems academically. Mm-hmm. , the focus, the studying, Did you actually even do it? More aggressive behavior. Holy crap. That's what we had. Some of that just like bra. 

[00:07:12] Randi: I mean, that goes along with being like a teenager too, but Yeah.

Oh, it's like so bad around their hormones when they start their period and stuff like that. Um, earlier signs of substance related problems, you know, if they're trying to like self-medicate mm-hmm. because they feel, you know, out of control with their emotional and physical like body regulations and, um, higher rates of depression too, which is like what I thought I had most of my life.

Right. And very 

[00:07:35] Jess: normal for an ADHD girl. Going through puberty to feel more depressed than a 

[00:07:41] Randi: neurotypical girl. Yeah. And typical of girls we internalize versus a boy who is gonna like let it out and spew out like, that's my son. You know, with adhd it's like, ah. Like you see it, you physically see him like spewing everywhere, where it's like me and my daughter, we internalize it and push it down into a deep, dark hole and then it 

[00:08:01] Jess: will pop up.

And then when it blows up, Yeah. The 

whole 

[00:08:03] Randi: thing just goes. Yeah, so what are some things that we can like help our kids going through puberty then with adhd? 

[00:08:11] Jess: One of the big ones we use, and I talk about this, is putting it on a calendar. 

[00:08:16] Randi: Understanding the cycle. Yeah, I 

[00:08:17] Jess: talk about that. Understanding it. Yeah.

Cuz like, I don't know, last week, all of a sudden she just was like, and I was like, Go check your calendar, it's time. And she was like, What? Go 

[00:08:27] Randi: check your account. But I feel like that's so good because it empowers them with knowledge, you know? Mm-hmm. , instead of feeling outta control, you're like, Okay, this is the reasoning for this.

Mm-hmm. , and like, nobody can be like, You're acting crazy or you're acting drama. You know, like, nobody's gonna guess me. Like this is what's happening. I love focusing on their strengths. Like not what's causing challenges and issues right now, but like what's going good for them through that, you know, cycle and period.

You know, cuz they're struggling, usually emotionally 

[00:08:57] Jess: praising for what they are doing. Hey, thank you for remembering to do that. Even if she did just bite my head off two seconds ago. Right. Hey, I appreciate you, you know, doing this. I love that you thought about this. Thank you 

[00:09:09] Randi: for. Yeah, and working on time management skills and organizational skills.

I mean, I still struggle with that. 

[00:09:16] Jess: Part of it is cutting your kid a break. Right. I knew she was struggling and I needed to make sure that she was gonna start her period. She's being a little cranky. Yeah, that's fine. I wanted to make sure she had a good lunch and so I made her lunch. I prepped it for the week and I was like, Okay, we're gonna, This is your lunch.

You're gonna have some protein, you're gonna have some healthy, I didn't want just Cheetos. Well, and 

[00:09:38] Randi: that's the way I tell. Her dad too. Like, listen, you know, this is gonna be a little bit tougher week. Like Yeah, be aware, like be a little bit more sensitive and understanding. You know, it's the same thing, like when the kids are back to school, I'm like, You need understand, this is like, they're both gonna have meltdowns when they come home, even though one seven and one 16 because it's, they're been home all summer and now they're sitting in class eight hours a day.

Like it's gonna be meltdown central for a few weeks. Like, okay, like don't tell him to suck it up. . 

[00:10:04] Jess: Right? And, and so the other. She was just having kind of meltdowns and I was like, Hey. I was like, I didn't make dinner yet. Why don't we just go pick something up? Mm-hmm. . And so what I really wanted was her to be in the car ride with me.

I could have ordered something and had Yeah, but I was taking time. Right. I took the time, we took the puppy, we went on a ride. I had to pick something up. Right. I'm doing air quotes. Yeah. Cuz I just needed more car time with her. 

[00:10:31] Randi: Yeah. Just that focus time. And that's so funny. And my daughter sent me a TikTok the other day and it's like your friend saying like, Don't spill the tea, Don't tell anybody.

And it's like you get in the car with your mom and you're like, all . And like tell her it's like the car ride. It's like the cone of like silence. And I'm like, also like who am I gonna tell? But it's like, you know, just 

[00:10:51] Jess: you podcaster people, right? Just nobody knows. Yeah. Yeah. We got home and she said we were putting away stuff and she says, Hey, thanks mom, for earlier, I feel better.

Mm-hmm. . And I was like, Oh. Yeah. Okay, 

[00:11:03] Randi: cool. Oh yeah, like I didn't plan that whole thing. I'm so glad that one works. Right. . So moving on then to adulthood. What are some things you're a young adult to like that can help you with your cycle with ADHD and your hormones? 

[00:11:17] Jess: The average. Menstrual cycle is 28 

[00:11:20] Randi: days.

Mm. And that comes back to learning how to track it and with a calendar that can help you. We talked 

[00:11:25] Jess: about earlier, and I may have miss misspoke, but estrogen increases the effectiveness of ADHD medications. Right? Right. And 

[00:11:32] Randi: you said before progesterone decreases the effectiveness. 

[00:11:35] Jess: Right. And so the first two weeks of your period, the first two weeks of your cycle mm-hmm.

right? This is after, you know, what is it, uh, from the start of your period. Ovulate. Okay. Uh, your estrogen levels are high. 

[00:11:49] Randi: So that's your folic vicular F is that how you say it? I don't know. You guys tell us how you're supposed to say that, right? 

[00:11:57] Jess: So it's the follicular phrase, can't. 

[00:11:59] Randi: Yeah. I still have no idea.

I don't, I have no idea what that means. Anyway, so just before you ovulate from the start of your period, until you ovulate, your levels are high for 

[00:12:07] Jess: estrogen. And your progesterone is low. 

[00:12:11] Randi: Right. And so that is decreasing the effectiveness of your ADHD medication. No, 

[00:12:18] Jess: no. That is increasing. Yeah, increasing.

No, no, no. It's okay. That's increasing the effectiveness. This is confusing even for us, right? Yeah. Right. It's like 

[00:12:26] Randi: we need a, I need to like draw out a visual and like put it up on the website like 

[00:12:30] Jess: this. I did that when I was doing, we were going through, I had, Well I don't have one for y'all, but I was drawing something.

Yeah. Cause I was like to understand it. Estrogen promotes the release of what? Like our field goods. Right? Like our serotonin. 

[00:12:43] Randi: Serotonin. And I don't have enough serotonin for this shit sweatshirt. I have, oh my 

[00:12:47] Jess: God, I love my serotonin sweatshirt. The serotonin and the dopamine. Right. And we've talked about how us ADHDers like to chase dopamine.

Mm-hmm. . That's why it's better for us and our me. It increases the medication. If you're not on medication, you're getting the extra feel goods. And so you're 

[00:13:04] Randi: ADHD is good when I'm on my, I can notice when my period is, you know, coming because I get like super high, uh, like focused and I'm like, Yeah, life is great.

And then all of a sudden like crash and burn. But yeah, cuz then we're moving into the next cycle. . Okay. So let's 

[00:13:19] Jess: see if we can butcher this name. Okay. The Lule, is it little. I 

[00:13:22] Randi: think it's Lule. 

[00:13:23] Jess: Okay. So the Lule phase, which is where, what our estrogen gets 

[00:13:27] Randi: lower down, 

[00:13:29] Jess: and this is where our PMs symptoms show up.

Mm-hmm. because our estrogen is 

[00:13:34] Randi: low. Yeah. And a lot of people get migraines because of that. My daughter does. She's very triggered. She, and both her and I, um, also get like very nauseous and dizzy. So those are some things that I can realize, like, ooh, Like she'll be like, I don't feel good. Like, I'm feeling dizzy, my head hurts.

I. Calendar. Yes. 

[00:13:53] Jess: Calendar. Yeah. Well, and that's why we chase chocolate. Chocolate is a dopamine food. Mm-hmm. , right? If you look at like what they call the dopamine diet. Yeah. That's bananas. No bananas, um, cheese. Oh yeah. I love cheese. String cheese and, and dark chocolate. Oh, girl. I'm in. Those are some of the dopamine 

[00:14:13] Randi: food and so those that are more neuro divergent or have ADHD are more likely to experience PMs symptoms.

Girl 

[00:14:23] Jess: I have had, I mean, I'm better now that I'm actually not having my period, right? Mm-hmm. as I'm moving into the next phase of life. Yeah. But like I always PMs so bad. Pmdd, pre menial disorder. That's what Yeah. Right. Where everybody knew I was gonna start my period cuz I was a 

[00:14:40] Randi: hot mess. Well, and that's another thing we'll talk about too, is like when you move on from the adult stage into the, you know, Your hormones totally shift out of whack.

Again, like I feel like I'm on the, like I said earlier, runaway train, right? So, um, a lot of times, uh, they will kind of pair that with giving you like a low dose of antidepressant medication. Like if you're struggling with your PMs symptoms right about 

[00:15:06] Jess: two to five days before, um, a lot of people like pa uh, Prozac, mm-hmm.

it'll give you that quick up. Um, it'll make you feel better, make you, like we've talked about before, not wanna 

[00:15:16] Randi: kill your husband. Some birth control can help. Um, you know, you need to be careful of that too and like look at all the side effects. But for some people like that really works. I started getting like, lumps on my breast, so I was like, I can't use that.

So I had to find, you know, other options. But that's the thing, everybody's bodies and hormones are different. , there's no one's. Size fit all. So sometimes you have to try like different things to find out what works. 

[00:15:40] Jess: And with the birth control, they really want you to go with like the three weeks of estrogen.

With the one week of ProRes progesterone. I can never say that alone. Mm-hmm. , right? Um, what's the other one? Increasing. Sometimes they'll increase your ADHD meds right beforehand. You get an extra booster if, Well, 

[00:15:58] Randi: and sometimes too, like, um, you know, women, you're like, testosterone can be off too. Like a lot of men suffer from like low testosterone.

Sometimes we can have too much, sometimes we can have too little, you know, too. So there's just, there needs to be more research. Mm-hmm. on it and more testing. But I'm glad that they're starting to do more and more. They 

[00:16:17] Jess: are. And so if you feel like any of this sounds like you, right. We always say educate yourself.

Mm-hmm. , look it up. Figure out what the follicular stage is. Yeah. And how to say it and, and talk to your doctor. Find an OB that understands it. Talk to a psych who understands it. Yeah. I mean, I've always felt that you should have somebody who understands it and doesn't tell you you're 

[00:16:37] Randi: crazy. Right. And, you know, reach out to multiple sources.

A therapist, you know, a psychiatrist, a doctor, a friend. Different, varying, you know, viewpoints. And then do your own research too, and kind of feel out like, what is the direction I need to move in? And then as you move from, you know, young adulthood and if, if you decide to move into becoming a parent, that's a whole other ballpark too, with your hormone shifting.

[00:17:03] Jess: Right. And we're talking basically just during the pregnancy. Mm-hmm. , we're not talking. Five years after parenting. That's a whole other, Oh, no. Bowel game, right? Yeah. Your hormones, we all know your hormones go at whack. Your estrogen goes up. Mood swing, mood swings, the progesterone, the testosterone, the ball 

[00:17:20] Randi: that compounded.

Yeah. 

[00:17:23] Jess: All of that to grow your, your, your favorite little one. Mm-hmm. or 

[00:17:26] Randi: favorites. Right? Right. And then you give birth and then your hormones dip again, which is like why a lot of people can fall into depression too. And if 

[00:17:36] Jess: you're adhd, you have a higher. Higher risk of having postpartum or perinatal mood disorders.

Mm-hmm. , not saying those who aren't adhd can't get postpartum depression, but you have a higher risk of it because of being adhd. Yeah. So it's good to be 

[00:17:51] Randi: aware of that, that that could be something that you or your partner need to be on the lookout for, because sometimes you can't recognize those symptoms or you think like I'll be able.

To pull myself out of it. Or I've had, you know, clients and friends too that have been like, Well, this is my third kid, like, and I never had it before, so why it can't be that again. And it's like, it can, you're, you're older now. Things have shifted. Things have changed. Your hormones are different. Like that is a possibility.

[00:18:21] Jess: Even with, um, bipolar, going just a little sidetracked here. Mm-hmm. for people who are a bipolar who are undiagnosed, there is a one in four chance that they could have a, like a bipolar, disillusional kind of break. Mm-hmm. , um, you know, so that means it could be your fourth child. Right. That all of us.

Sudden it triggers, Yeah, you're triggered and you are having a manic episode. Mm-hmm. , where you're like, I didn't even know I was bipolar. Right. And so it's the hormones and how everything works. And that's 

[00:18:49] Randi: like for anything, like a lot of, um, stressful situations and stuff can trigger other medical issues.

My mom, after she had me, her rheumatoid arthritis was triggered from like the stress and it laid dormant until then. And it's like, then all of a sudden, like your body change, hormones change everything shift, and it becomes like this active disease like out of nowhere. So it's not just like mental health too, it can be like so.

Things as your body changes, you are not in the same body as you were. Like, you're not the same person you were. You're not in the same body either. Like we're always growing and evolving and changing. 

[00:19:27] Jess: Also wanna note a couple things, is that women who have postpartum depression, their spouses, even though they're men, they didn't go through the mm-hmm.

they didn't give birth. There's a 50% chance your spouse, your partner, has postpartum depression. Oh yeah. And I used to think it was only women because of our hormones. Right. Right. , but the, the depression also can go through the house. Mm-hmm. and, and it's a hard thing. And when we talk about, it's 

[00:19:53] Randi: a huge shift and a huge change, adding in, you know, a child, even if you're feel like you're a seasoned parent, you know too.

Yeah. 

[00:20:00] Jess: Even if you're adding in a second or third, you're like, I've done this. Right. You haven't added in that child. Right. Right. We haven't added in that, that part. Mm. And when you're pregnant and if you're adhd, they talk about how the first two weeks or the first, the first half, right? What is that? The first 20 weeks, 22 weeks is You don't make me do math.

[00:20:18] Randi: Yeah. I was like, Don't ask me to math. I'm 

[00:20:21] Jess: all four. Let's call it 40. Okay. The first part of your pregnancy is the hardest. Mm-hmm. , not just cuz of morning sickness because the hormones are messing with your adhd. Yeah. Most ADHD women find. Their symptoms kind of mellow out. Mm-hmm. and they enjoy and they do better the last half.

Yeah. 

[00:20:40] Randi: Because ADHD say that, like with both of my pregnancies were definitely more stable. Like the second half, you know, when I was undiagnosed adhd, so I thought, I was like, whoa. Like what is happening, you know, with all these. Hormones and wanting to run away from like every situation , you know, 

[00:20:56] Jess: like, I think I did I tell you, I actually ran away.

Yeah, we talked about it. Yeah. Yeah. I actually ran away. I, I, I packed up my food, I packed up my stuff, I packed up my food and asked you hear that packed up, my 

[00:21:06] Randi: food, packed, everything, The most essential item. 

[00:21:08] Jess: I got my food and I ran in my way to my mama's cuz I was like, I'm out. 

[00:21:12] Randi: Yeah, I'm out. No. Um, I was, uh, we were planning our wedding and I got.

I remember, like I went to go pick up my wedding dress and then we got in like a big fight and I'm like literally like telling him like stop on the side of the road and like trying to rip the wedding dress out of the car, telling him the wedding's off, like leave me alone. I did take off to my mom's too.

I was like, Bye, this is over. And then he was like, followed me like three hours up to my mom's house. I was like, Okay, are you done? And I was like, Now I'm done. But like then I was like, I'm pregnant, . 

[00:21:45] Jess: I knew I was pregnant. And my husband's response was, We just need to get through this pregnancy, right? We just need to get through this pregnancy.

And it was like, what are you saying? I'm not being irrational. 

[00:21:55] Randi: Totally. And then we, you know, kind of chill out for a while. Well, I think we're just so exhausted. And then we hit, you know, per menopause. Or menopause, Like as you start to age, You said like the average age is like 51. Well, I 

[00:22:10] Jess: wanna call bullshit a little bit because I think that's actually menopause, right?

Like Right. I feel like once we get to. When I actually get there, I might say it differently, but I think it's the Perry all the way up. Mm-hmm. . 

[00:22:23] Randi: Yeah. So I would say like, I mean, I think it's happening earlier and earlier, you know how like girls are developing earlier and stuff now because of hormones and like the things we eat and like our environment, I feel like too, like women are per menopause, you know, early menopause, um, you know, earlier 

[00:22:38] Jess: sense earlier.

Makes sense. You know? I didn't think about that. Yeah. Why, why is it okay for our girls to start earlier? Because of hormones. Right. I'm air quoting, but why wouldn't we start 

[00:22:47] Randi: earlier? Cause Yeah, and that, that makes sense too because I developed early, so I guess like thinking about that maybe I would have like menopause earlier or cuz I just started, I remember like, you know, like two years ago, like I was just like having.

The worst periods, like out of like nowhere. And I went to my ob gyn and I was like, Help me. And she was like, I hate to tell you, like this is part of like, And I was like, Why One more? Why did you just add one more thing? I thought things were supposed to get easier. But yeah, it gets almost like worse before like tapers off again.

[00:23:20] Jess: And a lot of doctors will tell you that, you know, it's not menopause until you haven't had your period for a. Yeah, but Okay, fine. It's, I disagree with that, but yeah. Just Well, that's menopause when it stops. Yeah. Okay. When it stops. Yeah. All the, All the fun is the par. 

[00:23:36] Randi: Yeah. Is pre that, right? Yeah. But they don't talk about that enough.

Like I hadn't even heard the term perimenopause, and still, until I started researching. Thinking I was, I kept looking up like premenopause and then I saw this perimenopause and I was okay, like, what's what? And like doing the research because it's not like overly like talked about. 

[00:23:56] Jess: Well, and that's why I started doing the, One of the things I'm gonna do is I'm gonna put out a workbook for perimenopause.

There's so much crap that happens to you, right? Yeah. 

[00:24:06] Randi: So it's good to like notate it, like write it down, like understand like your symptoms more and stuff, and like your feet hurt. Yeah, yeah. Know that your cycle is happening, Right. And that's why your hormones are shifting. Like that's why an understanding.

So you do feel more empowered and you do feel more in control because it was like, I was feeling so outta control and I was like, What? This isn't normal. My ADHD is managed. So it's like, what's causing this spike like outta nowhere? And 

[00:24:31] Jess: then, Well, and I'm wondering, that's about the time that I got the ADHD diagnosis, right?

Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And so what happens is that same, it kicks up mm-hmm. , your ADHD gets worse, right? Right. Um, and so you start to notice that more while we started to manage my adhd. Made room for the hormonal stuff to start happening. Mm-hmm. . Right. And I had a dude, doctor, I'm sure there's dude doctors that are great

This one wasn't, we had a small town of like one doctor. Yeah. And he was like, There's nothing I can do for you. You're fine. And I was like, But I'm not fine. Mm-hmm. , this isn't fine. You know? And it took me doing a lot of research. Yeah. Which is why I wanna 

[00:25:10] Randi: write that workbook because, well, Yeah, and I can't wait until we release your workbook and stuff because I feel it'll help so many people, but there's so much to absorb and I feel like that is a barrier to care because mm-hmm.

Jess and I are used to doing research. Yes. Like that's what we've been trained to do is research, but the average woman is not, and there can be so much overwhelming and convoluted information that's not correct. It's like, how do you know? So it's overwhelming. And then sometimes people are just like, No, I just can't even get through all this 

[00:25:43] Jess: information.

And that was when I started having plantar fasciitis. Mm-hmm. , right? Mm-hmm. . Like I was fine, and then all of a sudden I wasn't. Yeah, I had a female podiatrist. Never said it was anything about hormones. Until I was actually here where we are now. Yeah. I had a male one go. Yeah. You know that's a sign of para menopause.

That's so 

[00:26:03] Randi: interesting. And so many things can be interlinked like 

[00:26:06] Jess: that. Yeah. And he went, Did you know that? And I was like, I did not. I'm gonna add that. That's so random. My list. And thank you for telling me that. Mm-hmm. , because I, you know, I always say that, you know, dudes don't know, but this dude did.

Yeah. 

[00:26:20] Randi: Which was cool. Which I mean, he probably had some experience with some, you know, a female in his life and you know, did some research on it and found like there was a correlation. 

[00:26:28] Jess: Yeah. You know, So basically what happens when you go through perimenopause that happens, they say 50, and we're gonna call it early forties for a lot of people.

Some people it's late thirties. 

[00:26:39] Randi: Don't quote us, but that's what we're gonna say. It's our opinion, , 

[00:26:42] Jess: right? It's our opinion. Um, what happens is that the estrogen decreases. All the good stuff that made us happy for the first two weeks of be of our cycle. Mm-hmm. , it's now decreasing. Yeah. It's like P, which decreases serotonin and dopamine, right?

Mm-hmm. . And we know it's 

[00:26:58] Randi: adhd. So then everything is crashing and 

[00:27:01] Jess: learning, right? And ADHD chases dopamine, right? Mm-hmm. . And so that's what we like, is that dopamine. Yeah. And so that doesn't work for us anymore. 

[00:27:10] Randi: Right? So what are some things that we can do to kind of like counteract. 

[00:27:13] Jess: The big one people will say is hormone replacement therapy.

That doesn't work for a lot of women, especially like in my case, I have a maternal and paternal grandmother who got breast cancer from hormone replacement 

[00:27:28] Randi: therapy. Okay, so that's dangerous for 

[00:27:29] Jess: you, so, Right. Yeah. So I can't do any form of 

[00:27:32] Randi: hormones well, in a lot of places. It's not super regulat. I would say we live in one of those states where a lot of people, anybody can really inject you with anything.

Oh 

[00:27:42] Jess: yeah. They can stick though Bioidentical. Yeah. Hormone pellets in your ass. Right. And then like, And so it's like 

[00:27:49] Randi: be be careful with that 

[00:27:51] Jess: stuff. Yeah. And even the bioidentical can cause issues. pH 

[00:27:55] Randi: fake DUP version. Yeah. It's a of like a real, I would call it a dup, you know, manufactured like hormone.

[00:28:01] Jess: Right. That still can cause problems. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Um, you can do birth control. I've had clients that I'm like, Mm, I think your perimenopausal, Let's go talk to your 

[00:28:11] Randi: doc. I can't do birth control either. Like you can't do hormone replacement. I can't because it's like the, that hormone shift mess with me too.

So it's like, cuz I'm like very sensitive to that. So it's like, that's the same thing you gotta try. Yeah. And see what does and doesn't work. 

[00:28:26] Jess: And, and what they'll do a lot of times for the birth control idea is they'll do estrogen alone for like three to four months. Yeah. And then they'll do like 10 days of progesterone.

Yeah. And then three to four months. And that's kind of how they'll work that out. The other route that I went, cuz you know, you can take the ashwanga route and you can do Yeah. You know, 

[00:28:47] Randi: I, I do the, Yeah, the Ashwaganda, is that how you say it? I don't know. your guess as good as mine. We're just giving different variations of how you could possibly Yeah.

Whatever that root is. Um, I do like the Epson salt one too, and like soak in that when I'm like, I need a chill 

[00:29:03] Jess: out . Oh, I've heard of people putting like yam cream. On their hands. There's a lot 

[00:29:07] Randi: of different things too. You need to be careful with some of those creams too, because a lot of 'em can come from random sources.

Yeah. You know, I've heard people getting like skin burns and stuff. It's like so, you know, make sure it's coming from a reputable source. But other things that you can use besides creams and potions, . 

[00:29:25] Jess: Well, what some people don't realize, and this is what I do, is that you can take an S in. I, Right. So SSRIs are your basic antidepressants?

Mm-hmm. and s. S? No, an S S N A selective Neuro Uptake inhibitor. 

[00:29:44] Randi: Okay. Anyway, so SNRI versus an ssri. So, An 

[00:29:50] Jess: s nri, like Paxil and Effexor. Mm-hmm. , they're the ones that will reduce hot flashes. 

[00:29:55] Randi: Okay. So if you're having like a lot of physical symptoms Right. 

[00:29:59] Jess: They will make it so your moods are a little bit more easier.

Mm-hmm. , So like I don't get hot flashes anymore. I'm not getting any of like, you know, the night 

[00:30:08] Randi: sweats. Yeah. Well, because a lot of those physical symptoms can disrupt your sleep, which then disrupts your emotional 

[00:30:15] Jess: regulation. . So the other options are that you can take an sri mm-hmm. , you know, um, there are a lot of people, like I said, that take the Ashwanga route and they take some other things.

Yeah. Or 

[00:30:26] Randi: they do an SSRI too, you know. Yeah. Like the Prozac or whatever. So it's like kind of figure out like what works for you and. Get some support behind you as you're going through this, because you're not alone in it. No. 

[00:30:38] Jess: And, and just know that your hormones do affect your 

[00:30:42] Randi: symptoms. Yeah. They affect your life, your relationship, how you think about things, where you're at.

[00:30:48] Jess: Right? And so if you're trying to work with your doctor, work with your provider to manage your ADHD symptoms and to manage your. Hormonal symptoms. Yeah. I just thought it was interesting that I didn't realize how much our hormones really mess up our adhd. 

[00:31:04] Randi: Yeah. They affect so many areas of your life that we just downplay a lot.

And so it's important to, you know, understand that and take control of it and take a look into it. So we hope that you guys have felt a little bit more empowered with some knowledge today and. It's all normal and it's all bullshit. Right? We'll talk to you guys next week. 

[00:31:24] Jess: Bye bye. 1, 

[00:31:25] Randi: 2, 3, 4. Thanks for listening and normalizing mental health with us.

[00:31:30] Jess: Don't free to check out our free resources and favorites on our website, unapologetically, randy and jess.com 

[00:31:37] Randi: like and share this episode and tune in next week.