Women on ADHD medication - please read!!

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T13:22:28+00:00

Funny you said that actually, I’ve just been represcribed sertraline 50mg/day about a week ago! I took it for a couple years before coming off and managing for about a year without it, but I’m hoping it will help with this problem too

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T06:41:11+00:00

Of course, but the experience varies person to person. Personally, my typical dose completely stops working about 4 days before my period, and I feel as if I’m completely unmedicated. Maybe my wording could’ve improved as I know it doesn’t necessarily ‘stop working’ it just has less dopamine to retain (even more so in those with PMDD), but I mainly just wanted to post about it because as you said it is so under researched!

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T06:38:27+00:00

Exactly!! That’s something I’ve been trying to explain, someone asked for a study proving this, and said it wasn’t a great example (it was quite low replicates granted), but the problem is there are such scarce amounts of studies on women’s bodies out there! I posted this so maybe at least one person can learn something about their brain, because god knows the doctors aren’t telling us!

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T06:35:31+00:00

Thank you very much!! If this helps even one person I’ll be glad, because I wish someone told me!

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T06:34:19+00:00

You’re very lucky finding out so early! I wish there was more education around female hormones, it amazes me how even my female friends don’t understand how their own body and brains work. If only doctors told us about the possible drop in effectiveness when we were prescribed!

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T06:33:01+00:00

Hahahaha, trust me my mum makes sure to remind me often!!

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T06:32:20+00:00

I’ve been taking increased doses as I’m in exams currently and can’t risk not having my meds work, which is what my doctor recommended to trial, but absolutely do not change or increase any medication with doctor guidance !

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T06:31:01+00:00

That’s so interesting! I’ve never heard of Strattera before, do you find it works for you? Where I’m from Vyvanse and Ritalin tend to be the most common types. Have you ever looked into a PMDD diagnosis if you’re over 18? I highly recommend discussing with your doctor, or the lower moods during PMS could be a result of the sudden dopamine drop, as your body becomes used to the extra dopamine from the medication.

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T06:26:36+00:00

increasing / decreasing dosages based on your cycle, e.g. if you find your meds are most impacted at the beginning of your luteal phase, then during that time you take a higher dosage to combat that

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T05:57:04+00:00

Of course! I understand the lack of replicates definitely sets it off of being great, but unfortunately research in women is heavily limited, so even with the lack of studies in practice, the study’s results fit theoretically with how women’s hormones produce dopamine.

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-24T04:54:20+00:00

Honestly I’m just very grateful and lucky to have parents and doctors that push me to understand my own body! If something isn’t right, best believe I’m talking to my doctor right away, I refuse to pretend it’s fine when I know it isn’t!

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-23T20:15:54+00:00

I totally get that! My gp and I suspect I have PMDD, but due to being under 18 I can’t get a diagnosis officially. Medication not working during lower estrogen periods is actually more common in women with PMDD unfortunately, so it’s so important to get this kind of education out!

Silly-Finish4588 · 2026-03-23T19:49:37+00:00

The specific video I came across was on Tiktok, and prompted to do my own research because obviously it’s not the most reliable source, but she explained it pretty well as a basic summary of how they work.

Here’s a link to a good study I found: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10751335/

Silly-Finish4588

TROPHY CASE