I related to this article a little too much. I, too, began to collapse under stress in my mid-40s.
I totally relate to being caught on the backfoot by sudden loss of competence. For me the loss of competence feels like a loss of value. And oof the overwhelm at simple to-do lists. I absolutely lost my shit yesterday, about how life is just doing tasks until you die.
Does someone in your family have ADHD? Might seem odd to ask but something most people don’t know is that the symptoms of ADHD tend to get worse with menopause. Estrogen help to keep ADHD in check but when it drops so does the symptoms get worse.
Same thing can be noted before starting menstruation so women with ADHD might need a higher dose of their meds during that time.
It’s not odd to ask at all! I am late-diagnosed with ADHD and ASD, and yes, my symptoms did get worse with menopause. It was actually the worsening of my symptoms that led me to seek diagnosis.
I feel like I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown and I know it’s because of my ADHD and peri menopause; not to sound dramatic but I honestly have been feeling like I might not make it out of this and will be another statistic, I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I was once hospitalized after a miscarriage for this same feeling; of course I was sad about the miscarriage but this and that is a different kind of feeling, it’s not a sad because of loss feeling; I feel empty inside, can’t sleep (for over 10 years), I can’t function, feel hollow inside, brain fog that is almost inexplainable, joint pain, you name it. I now know this is hormones but doesn’t stop me from wishing to not wake up; I have been dealing with these hormone issues my whole life and add the ADHD to it and I honestly feel like, game over, I’m done, someone please take me out.
Hey friend, I hear you. I have had a number of moments over the years, including the last few days, of not being able to take it anymore. So much joint pain, so much insomnia, so much sadness, so much shit! I cannot find relief from these debilitating symptoms, and many times, it just feels like too much. I’m turning 45 next week, I’ve been experiencing terrible peri symptoms since I was 37, and it all feels so unfair. When will it end? Why does it have to be so bad? Why is there so little help out there for us? I just want you to know you are not alone, and this shit is the worst. Hugs!
