Hi to all of you.

I just wanted to introduce myself to this community. I am 52 years old (feel 25 & look 45 - lucky me!), post menopausal (still have the sweats), retired from my intense career in IT and currently finishing pre-requisites in order to start a PhD. in Biology and Genetics. Sounds great right?!

Does this sound familiar --> as soon as I lost all the structure in my life, my ability to start and/or complete tasks has failed me. I have always had a terrible memory and now the amount of time I must study for an exam ( 20 - 30 hours) is really unreasonable.

ADHD has run in my family for many years. Two of my nephews have been diagnosed with it. My family is sure that my mother, youngest brother and niece are also ADD. Hence my diagnosis comes as no surprise. What was shocking was that I have finally hit a brick wall. No matter how much time, effort and concentration I throw at my studies, the result is the same.

My friendships are suffering as well. I tend to say things without thinking 1st and, apparently according to my friends, this has gotten worse. I am making them fell like they must defend themselves.

I am currently working my way up on Focalin XR. After 5 days on 5 mg, I am on my 2nd day of 10mg. I'm not sure if it is doing anything but, then again, I am on Christmas break right now.

After being evaluated, I was told that I most likely have ADD but I don't "fit" (within certain guidelines of questionaire-type testing). Nothing surprising there since I have never "fit" throughout my entire life!

Anyway, I wanted to introduce myself and I would appreciate any insight that any of you can give me.

Thanks!

I think I can relate. I'm 49 and diagnosed about 6 months ago. I too am post-menopausal (a couple of years), and I might never have realized I had ADD until certain symptoms started to become an issue.

Actually I was treated for 'recurrent major depressive disorder' for years...but was able to get an MBA (when I was 26), raise a child alone (after a divorce), and manage/oversee the finance, HR and IT operations in a couple of medium size businesses. I always had problems with memory, motivation, concentration, focus, and details, but always managed to get by, one way or another.

Of course, I never felt real good about my performance, or real confident (that I hadn't forgotten something critical, or made some careless error), and I always had problems with bosses who seemed to have specific things they wanted me to do (imagine!), or simply had a need for a level of control that I fought tooth and nail.

Anyway, a lot of these problems have gotten worse, particularly the lack of motivation and focus. I can focus well on whatever catches my attention....but when I try to focus on something specific that I SHOULD be doing, that isn't engaging, it's nearly impossible. I had entertained of entering a program to become a Physician Assistant, but when it came to taking Organic Chem pre-req, I balked. For one thing, I couldn't remember a thing from General Chem (like I'd never heard of a lewis structure). I dropped the course and decided I need to do more research on my direction.

I'm unemployed now, and have practically no self discipline. I try to schedule things, so I don't get too sluggish, but I don't like to be 'going' all the time either.

I am not sure exactly what to do next about work, but I'm feeling very...ok, fearful...about succeeding in a stressful situation requiring organization skills (and memory...and motivation), and working with yet another control-freak boss....

I am looking to apply for State funded services for (gulp) Adults with Disabilities. I've tried to find someone privately who can help me navigate towards a suitable career accomodating these 'issues'...but can't seem to find anyone competent (after throwing $250 at the problem)...and the State programs seem designed to do just what I'm looking for. We'll see. If I can bring myself to tell NYS that I have 'issues'.

I've been a bit long-winded. Hope you at least feel you've got some company!

I'm a "younger" woman with ADD, but I definitely feel what both of you are saying. How is it that we can accomplish so much in the workplace and still feel like complete frauds, like we're one millimeter away from making a terrible mistake that will cost us our careers?

Right now I'm working as a stay at home mom (the pay isn't great :), but it's nice after my own share of control-freak bosses) and I have some issues with not being able to function without a lot of structure. I had a crying jag today because a friend of mine got a great job, and I was trying to explain to her how hard it is to have ADD, to feel like you have all this talent and a great brain, while you struggle with the little things that other people just do without a whole lot of drama. I said it's like having this great, lifechanging gift in a locked box, and you can't find the key to fit it to get it open.

Sometimes people with ADD do really well running their own businesses if they are doing what they feel passionately about, as long as they have a partner or associate who can do the boring detail scutwork --

I compare ADDers and "normals" in a metaphor with the different roles of the Americans and Japanese in making cars -- the Americans create the design, the ideas, the innovations, and the Japanese take those ideas and put in the details and the fine tuning to make them work really well.

If you aren't sure if your medication is making a difference, ask those who know you well if they notice a difference. We with ADD tend to be notoriously poor self-observers.

Welcome to our "club"!!

I can relate to the studying --- I have recently returned to school to try and finish my degree (15 years and counting). The amount of time I spend on homework and studying for tests is obscene. Everything in my life is suffering even more than before.

Don't underestimate menopause's effects on the brain. Estrogen has over 300 actions in the brain and body. (So does Testosterone.)

True brain effects. True blood vessel effects. (Hot flashes are actual blood vessels undergoing vaso-motor widening/tightening!)

Even the genito-urinary tract (bladder/vagina) get "atrophy" from loss of hormones. This is part of why old ladies get incontinent!

My Mom has refused to fully ditch her HRT -- instead, she takes 1/4 or 1/2 doses of Estrogen (the human-mimicking kind; not the Horse-Premarin-kind) and Testosterone (Andriol).

Estrogen consists of 3 Estrogens, really. And the RATIO of the three must be correct, or it is not the same as what REAL Human bodies make.

This is what is LIKELY happening when Women say that their HRT/Estrogen isn't "working".

There is a patch out too, called EstraTest which combines Estrogen and Testosterone.
(Docs don't know, but most patches - nicotine, etc - can be cut into smaller pieces. The Drug Companies do not want you to know that. Makes quitting smoking a LOT CHEAPER!!)

Anywho -- She was able to get Testosterone (Andriol) by finding a Doctor who practices "INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE". Sorta like what Dr. Andrew Weil does.

She takes 8/month of those, i think.

When I was a student, i had to do a teaching module on Menopause -- and I really really liked reading Gail Sheehy's book on menopause -- "The Silent Passage".

HTH & ofcourse, YMMV,


Emma
:)

well my dear, the part of Gail's book regarding how teeny tiny the vagina gets when it's not getting hormonal support wasn't too thrilling.

Hmm. Is a teeny tiny vagina a problem?

yes if it can't even accomodate a finger due to shortening and thinning and other aspects of degeneration.

Ah. Thanks for clarifying! I never knew that could happen; I thought that some kind of lubricant would be all one needed, but yep, that would be a problem.

Yup. The GU tract (genital/urinary) atrophies (shrivels/dries) w/o hormones. This causes bladder problems (incontinence) and vaginal problems (irritation/dryness/atrophy of tissues).

The sad thing is, middle aged men are getting Viagra Rx's at that age... and it is really creating problems for women. They can crack and bleed, etc. Yeesh. (Dr. Gifford-Jones wrote a good article on it.)

Anyway -- better to know, than not!

I have always joked that i'd buy my HRT and testosterone however i could, if my Doctor denied me hormones, once i am menopausal. ;)

Emma

Well now- this has been very enlightening. I understood there could be drieness and thinning- but I was unaware of just how serious this could get... my spouse (diabetic and ADHD) went to alot of trouble to have a penial implant. I probably ought to discuss this with my gyn at length- since I've been in menopause for several years now. Thanks for everyone's openness.

Okay, I am going to change the subject-I am blushing so much, but I am not getting too much support for my ADD either, I am scared to death to mention it to my husband, but on the other hand, feel that I need drugs and a therapist just to get through my life. I am a stay at home mom, too, and right in the thick of menopause at 45-looking at the glass half empty most of the time-but why is it that I can be so smart and yet so dumb-dumb at social stuff and reading people, smart at stuff you have to memorize. I have my special ed teaching degree-like it some prize hanging on a wall, I am not using it, but it is hard to get motivated to do so-I am in a great area, but just scared to take that first terrifying leap, you know? Afraid I won't sleep, and then get to be a mess-overthinking stuff-meditating on stuff that really doesn't matter-anyway, I don't really know what I am asking, just looking for support I guess, thanks for reading this.

re:2creative

Apparently this Viagra revolution is causeing problems for older women who aren't taking hormones.

Apparently these men's Doctors are not consulting the wive's of the men who take the Viagra being prescribed. (And the women aren't necessarily ready (physically) due to avoiding HRT, *and*, the women aren't necessarily -=interested=- in their man's newly revived attachment. <G>)

I think i read this in the Dr. Gifford Jones column.

Emma

QueensU_girl, I have enjoyed reading "Dr. W. Gifford-Jones'" column for years - until today, that is. The article published today in our small local paper is called A sign of the times and I can't believe a syndicated columnist is allowed to publish so many lies about ADHD and still be paid for the column.

Gems from the column:
" . . . Others, such as Dr. Peter R. Breggin, a renowned researcher in this field, says doctors have become "oblivious to the fact these drugs cause manic and schizophrenic-like disorder."

Quoting Dr. Colleen Clements: " . . . ADHD is a disease with "dubious scientific merit".

I won't bore you with more uninformed drivel, but I would like to find out where I can write to the good doctor.

Yup. Dr. G-J hates addicts too. He's not always the most open-minded of people.

I found that Dr. Phil has some real idiots on to talk about ADHD, too.

Dr. Breggin? Well he is known for being against use of anti-depressants. (Breggin wrote "Talking Back to Prozac", in response to Dr. Peter Kramer's "Listening to Prozac.") His views are pretty creepy too.

Funny -- most of us here have not developed Schiz. or Bipolar from Stimulant use. ;)

N,B. Glad to hear you are Dx'd. Lots of us (particularly non-hyper females) were missed as children...

has the diagnostic criteria changed? I guess I was diagnosed with ADHD in 9th grade and the only "limiting" factor mentioned was that I did not show major symptoms before age 6 and the person testing sychologist at the time thought that was necessary for diagnosis. This was thru the school system but not at school, I think it was a psychologist. Basically I was never disruptive in school until at least 7th grade, and even then was not uncontrollable for teachers.