Post by gc7 on Sept 25, 2018 20:44:46 GMT
Back for an update after some months. I had to stop taking the Bupropion as I had quite a severe allergic reaction to it. I woke up one day with a 3 inch long blistering welt on my arm. I stopped taking the medicine, as I had previously had some skin rashes with the Bupropion, but this time blister was really alarming. Some months later I have a small scar from where it has healed.
Sadly, since I stopped taking it, all the ADHD stuff has returned. The internal chatter is back, along with the feelings of restlessness and all the other undesirable 'symptoms'. I'm doing my best to manage the traits (I prefer to call them traits rather than symptoms, as I still don't see ADHD as a disorder, despite that being what the D stands for!). I miss the feeling of wellbeing and calm that the Bupropion gave me.
I've decided to give up on trying to find a medication to manage the ADHD. The two experiences of side effects I've had were not nice.
I also feel that my ADHD has been very negatively impacted by symptoms of menopause. It's difficult (if not impossible) to find any information on how the menopause affects women with adult ADHD, but if anyone in the medical profession reads this, it could be an interesting area to research. My own experience is that ADHD makes it much more difficult to manage the emotional rollercoaster that is menopause and I'm sure I can't be alone in feeling that. Looking back, I think it was a major factor in why I really struggled (and ultimately walked out of) my last job. My type of ADHD means that one of the areas I struggle most with is managing emotions and with hormonal mood swings thrown into the mix, it's a recipe for disaster.
Sadly, menopause is another area of healthcare that is greatly overlooked. There isn't much help out there for women who can't afford to seek private consultation. Most GPs seem to be undereducated in terms of current treatments and have no idea about body-identical hormones. Personally, I'm not keen on being prescribed equine derived oestrogen and synthetic progestogen (which is molecularly different to the progesterone our bodies make). Body identical hormones are actually available via the NHS, it's just that most GPs are not well-informed enough to offer them. Also, try asking your GP for testosterone treatment as a woman (this is known to be beneficial for many women in small doses, as both men and women have testosterone in their bodies and it declines massively after menopause), you'll probably be laughed out of the surgery.
Also, private consultants offer individually tailored HRT, with doses measured to replace the hormones you are deficient in. The NHS version is pretty much 'one size fits all', which carries more risks of side effects and risks to health.
In an ideal world there would be a consultant-led menopause clinic held at every GP Health Centre (and an adult ADHD clinic too!). With the NHS crippled by underfunding, that's just not going to happen. It's a great pity that so many women suffer in silence. Like mental health, menopause has stigma attached.
Believe it or not, NICE only published its first guidelines for treatment of menopausal symptoms in 2015! Sadly, looking through those guidelines, one of their recommendations is the use of cognitive behavioural therapy for menopause related depression/anxiety, etc. Bloody CBT (and most of the 'therapists' administering it) - about as much use as a chocolate fireguard! It should stand for Clinician Barely Trained.
Currently I'm waiting to go back and see a GP about the HRT, so that may prove to be helpful. I'm not convinced though, as the last time I went to ask a GP about that I got short shrift and had a good cry when I got home. Hopefully they won't suggest that I try CBT.....
Sadly, since I stopped taking it, all the ADHD stuff has returned. The internal chatter is back, along with the feelings of restlessness and all the other undesirable 'symptoms'. I'm doing my best to manage the traits (I prefer to call them traits rather than symptoms, as I still don't see ADHD as a disorder, despite that being what the D stands for!). I miss the feeling of wellbeing and calm that the Bupropion gave me.
I've decided to give up on trying to find a medication to manage the ADHD. The two experiences of side effects I've had were not nice.
I also feel that my ADHD has been very negatively impacted by symptoms of menopause. It's difficult (if not impossible) to find any information on how the menopause affects women with adult ADHD, but if anyone in the medical profession reads this, it could be an interesting area to research. My own experience is that ADHD makes it much more difficult to manage the emotional rollercoaster that is menopause and I'm sure I can't be alone in feeling that. Looking back, I think it was a major factor in why I really struggled (and ultimately walked out of) my last job. My type of ADHD means that one of the areas I struggle most with is managing emotions and with hormonal mood swings thrown into the mix, it's a recipe for disaster.
Sadly, menopause is another area of healthcare that is greatly overlooked. There isn't much help out there for women who can't afford to seek private consultation. Most GPs seem to be undereducated in terms of current treatments and have no idea about body-identical hormones. Personally, I'm not keen on being prescribed equine derived oestrogen and synthetic progestogen (which is molecularly different to the progesterone our bodies make). Body identical hormones are actually available via the NHS, it's just that most GPs are not well-informed enough to offer them. Also, try asking your GP for testosterone treatment as a woman (this is known to be beneficial for many women in small doses, as both men and women have testosterone in their bodies and it declines massively after menopause), you'll probably be laughed out of the surgery.
Also, private consultants offer individually tailored HRT, with doses measured to replace the hormones you are deficient in. The NHS version is pretty much 'one size fits all', which carries more risks of side effects and risks to health.
In an ideal world there would be a consultant-led menopause clinic held at every GP Health Centre (and an adult ADHD clinic too!). With the NHS crippled by underfunding, that's just not going to happen. It's a great pity that so many women suffer in silence. Like mental health, menopause has stigma attached.
Believe it or not, NICE only published its first guidelines for treatment of menopausal symptoms in 2015! Sadly, looking through those guidelines, one of their recommendations is the use of cognitive behavioural therapy for menopause related depression/anxiety, etc. Bloody CBT (and most of the 'therapists' administering it) - about as much use as a chocolate fireguard! It should stand for Clinician Barely Trained.
Currently I'm waiting to go back and see a GP about the HRT, so that may prove to be helpful. I'm not convinced though, as the last time I went to ask a GP about that I got short shrift and had a good cry when I got home. Hopefully they won't suggest that I try CBT.....