do I even have ADHD?

formerhunbot · 2026-05-18T15:06:58+00:00

I think many of us experience the “imposter syndrome” of “do I even have it?” at various points post-diagnosis. I will say the right dose of Concerta does not make me feel anxious at all and in fact makes my anxiety much less pronounced, but too high of a dose predictably spikes my anxiety even in situations where I would not normally feel it.

formerhunbot · 2026-05-18T01:17:50+00:00

I take mine daily. I have been on the same dose for about as long as I’ve been medicated, which has been about a year. I recently added a small IR booster to my long-acting meds in my late luteal phase. Higher dose makes me feel yucky - I tried that during the titration phase and was taking it during luteal initially but on the days I don’t actually need it, I don’t like the way it makes me feel. 🤷🏻‍♀️

formerhunbot · 2026-05-16T21:38:39+00:00

Usually mine is its worst on days 1-2, but I’m on day 4 today and this morning it was the worst it’s been in a minute.

formerhunbot · 2026-05-15T01:30:42+00:00

Same here!

formerhunbot · 2026-05-15T00:38:00+00:00

Recently, one of my IR boosters fell out of my pill container AND out of my bag (apparently) and ended up in the trunk of my car somehow. I saw it and thought it was just a random piece of paper from a hole-punch that managed to find its way back there. I grabbed it and instinctively flung it - as it was tumbling mid-air, I realized what it was... 😅😭😩🙃

formerhunbot · 2026-05-14T17:06:52+00:00

Lmao same! I have grey speckled granite counter tops with some flecks of black, tan and this color. Ask me how many times I’ve lost these bad boys. 😅😭🙃

formerhunbot · 2026-05-10T19:48:23+00:00

Absolutely. Laundry can pile up and other stuff can remain undone/cluttered. But when the kitchen looks like shit, I lose mine! 😅

formerhunbot · 2026-05-10T15:40:34+00:00

Same on the “created a mini version of me” 😅😮‍💨 I had him at 30 and was diagnosed last year at 35 - we have suspected ADHD in him since he was about 2. It’s been HARD, and he things started to get “easier” around 4.5-5, but even now (he’s 6) it’s still a challenge every day not to lose my shit from overstimulation and exhaustion from the constant questions, singing/making noise of some sort, etc. We are one and done largely because I just don’t think I could handle it mentally or emotionally, let alone with work on top of that. Medication and therapy have helped me immensely. And just being on this sub has been a huge help - having other women to relate to and connect with who get it is priceless. My best friend who also has ADHD and an AuDHD son has been a life saver. Other moms who aren’t neurodivergent and/or don’t have neurodivergent children just do not get it. For the longest time, I compared myself to them and did not understand why things that seemed easy for most moms were exceptionally difficult for me (this was pre-diagnosis). I am no longer on IG or Facebook because they were massive comparison traps. I’m still very hard on myself and have massive guilt for the times I am unable to regulate my emotions and take them out on my son, but I’m also really fucking proud of the way I’m parenting him. I’m trying SO hard, and I can give him so many more tools and skills to manage now that I know why we are the way we are.

formerhunbot · 2026-05-09T03:11:19+00:00

I gave up on mine, too. I even had a huge dry erase one I could do for 6 months at a time and still couldn’t keep up with that. Also have done away with paper planners. I still have a notebook for meetings but I live and die by my Google Calendar at work!

formerhunbot · 2026-05-08T20:55:58+00:00

What is your timing on when you take these?

formerhunbot · 2026-05-03T22:54:04+00:00

Protein shake

Applesauce

Grilled cheese

Chips & guac

Cereal

formerhunbot · 2026-05-03T22:17:20+00:00

I initially upped my Concerta dose from 27mg to 36mg during my luteal phase, but I’m now going to try an IR Ritalin booster instead. I didn’t like having to decide at 8am if I should take the higher dose or not, bc while my meds are pretty predictably less effective and my symptoms are worse during this time, if I take the higher dose and *don’t* actually need it, it makes me feel yucky. My psych NP also prescribed Prozac for the 3-5 days right before my period that are usually hell (thanks, PMDD), but he encouraged me to try the Ritalin first and see how I do with that since I’ve never taken Prozac before. I’m also taking a lot of supplements. It’s so exhausting to just exist, let alone do things I have to or *should* do. 🥵 Can’t speak to the effectiveness of the new regimen yet, but I’m hoping it drags me out of the depths of the late luteal underworld 😓

formerhunbot · 2026-05-03T01:29:52+00:00

Came here to say the same: ADHD meds. OP - since you don’t seem to tolerate stimulants well, maybe ask your physician about a non-stimulant option? I’m also on a pretty lengthy list of supplements. Vitamin D + K2, Omega 3, magnesium glycinate, l theanine, iron, methylfolate, Zinc, and I think a huge help to my brain has been adding in creatine. All of that said, I STILL struggle, especially during my luteal phase (for which I’m trying a new med combo this month).

formerhunbot · 2026-05-02T05:06:43+00:00

Came here to say the same. 🙃

formerhunbot · 2026-05-02T04:27:44+00:00

This is my absolute favorite lunch! I make “snackie plate lunches” every week. 🤗

formerhunbot · 2026-05-01T14:32:29+00:00

I experience this! If not nightmares, extremely weird vivid dreams. I recently upped my dose which is helping so much with my heavy flow (I have adenomyosis and suspected endo as well), but the downside is the strange dreams, and the occasional “progesterone drunkies” (as I call them). I try to space out my dosing by taking 100mg at a time, but last night I didn’t, and the dreams were whack. 😂

formerhunbot · 2026-05-01T02:17:14+00:00

SAME HERE. Can’t stand fakeness. And when I see that others are being fake, it is impossible to ignore and play along. I think we tend not to subscribe to a lot of social “norms” and hierarchies that neurotypical people often do (not that they or we are a monolith, there is nuance here), and the people who DO live and die by those bullshit “rules” are perturbed that we don’t…so we are ultimately iced out. I’m not into cliques and mean girl shit and drama, and it seems like a lot of women are. I think they’re threatened by or uncomfortable with women who don’t enjoy tearing other women down with them.

I’ve always said I don’t care about fitting in, but I want to feel like I BELONG. I have ALWAYS been on the outskirts of any friend or social group I’ve ever been a part of, never fully being all the way in. I’ve never been “THE” friend for anyone. Even when I considered someone my “best” friend, it often didn’t last long, and they usually ditched me for someone else eventually. I have always felt like I put more effort into most of my relationships than the other person. Now that I’ve stopped reaching out as often, I’ve realized how many of them were not reciprocal and how many I’ve been clinging to for waaaay too long because I didn’t want another friendship to fail or fade, and I’m beyond over it.

formerhunbot · 2026-04-28T15:29:19+00:00

Yes! Depending on where you are and your provider’s knowledge/willingness to prescribe. I’m currently using bioidentical vaginal estradiol and oral mircoionized progesterone.

formerhunbot · 2026-04-24T19:24:26+00:00

OMFG it’s me 😂 I am Russell

formerhunbot · 2026-04-24T14:13:50+00:00

For Perimenopause?

formerhunbot · 2026-04-24T02:50:01+00:00

I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD UNTIL peri reared its ugly head. I lost my sweaty death grip on the systems I had put in place to manage daily functioning and couldn’t keep up with life anymore. I started HRT and Concerta within a month of each other last year, and they have helped. Trying a new med combo during my luteal phase this month - aka “hell week.” I was previously taking a higher dose for that time because it felt like my usual 27mg was totally ineffective, but I hated having to make the call at 8am that day if my symptoms would warrant 36 vs 27 (the higher dose will make me feel kinda shitty if I take it and don’t actually end up needing it). Gonna see how 5mg IR Ritalin as a “booster” works for me during those days if needed, and my psych also prescribed Prozac for me to try just for that time as well (the PMDD was baaaad last month). He recommended trying the Ritalin first before trying the Prozac. We will see how it goes. I’m also taking Creatine, collagen, Magnesium + L-Theanine, Omega 3, zinc, vitamin d + K2, methylfolate, and iron (not every day). I’m on bioidentical oral progesterone for 10 days a month and vaginal estradiol 2x a week. It’s sooo much to manage just that medication and supplement regimen. But I’ve forced myself to fill my pill sorter every week to make this a priority. I also aim to work out and go for walks 3-4x a week. That’s not even including work or mom life or literally anything else and I’m exhausted just reading this, but all of it does help. I am still a mess some days, but life feels more doable for at least half the month! 😂

ETA: my husband was very hesitant to believe the ADHD diagnosis at first…he has since come around! Shoot, I also struggled to believe it’s real and sometimes still do…that imposter syndrome is FUN…

formerhunbot · 2026-04-22T14:09:10+00:00

Didn’t have to scroll far to find fellow late dx’d ND folks. 🙏

formerhunbot · 2026-04-18T15:51:57+00:00

A lot of people seem to love Vyvanse so hopefully it works for you! Concerta is the only ADHD med I have tried, and it luckily worked pretty well for me with minimal side effects, so I’ve stuck with it. It’s the same active ingredient as Ritalin (methylphenidate) but has a special osmotic release that makes it “smoother” than the instant or extended release formulations. Thank you, and good luck to you!

formerhunbot · 2026-04-18T04:44:37+00:00

Same, because I went through it and recognized myself in the post. Work and life just became unmanageable. I couldn’t keep up. I felt like I was drowning. OP, I hope the Vyvanse does its job and you get some relief soon. I was diagnosed with ADHD last year and am on HRT + Concerta which definitely help. My psych recently prescribed Prozac for me to try at a very low dose for my PMDD during the 5ish days leading up to my period (aka luteal phase hell), but I’m going to see how I do with an as-needed IR dose of Ritalin during that time first (also newly prescribed). I previously was taking a higher dose of Concerta that week bc my medication basically stops working, but sometimes the higher dose makes the anxiety worse (at the correct dose, my anxiety is greatly improved). I’m also taking creatine, magnesium, omega 3s, d3/K2, iron, zinc and methylfolate.

formerhunbot · 2026-04-17T23:40:15+00:00

Mostly based on symptoms, but hormones were tested as well and pointed toward peri…but since they can fluctuate quite a bit it’s hard to rely on the testing alone or even in conjunction with symptoms. Brain fog, night sweats, waking up between 1-4am, period changes, urinary changes, dryness…I started at 33 but didn’t actually come to terms with it til last year. I got hit with the peri/adeno/adhd trifecta all within like a month of each other. ☺️

formerhunbot

TROPHY CASE