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Women w/ ADHD Inattentive Type – anyone out there?

Women w/ ADHD Inattentive Type – anyone out there?2011-02-27T16:00:57+00:00

The Forums › Forums › I Just Found Out! › I Have a Diagnosis, Now What? › Women w/ ADHD Inattentive Type – anyone out there?

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  • February 27, 2011 at 4:00 pm #89214

    Anonymous
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    February 27, 2011 at 4:00 pm
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    Just this week I was diagnosed with ADHD, Inattentive Type. I’m interested in talking to other women who also have ADHD, of any type. I’m in the learning stages and will begin medication in the next week or so. I saw a Psychopharmacologist last week to see about changing my anti-depressant medication, as we thought it had simply stopped working after being on it for 10 years. News flash – I’m NOT DEPRESSED!! Whoo hoo!! Best news EVER!! Right up there with finally having a name for the mindstorm I’ve been experiencing for the past 34 years. The Dr loaned me a book called “Women with Attention Deficit Disorder'” by Sari Solden – have you read it? The Table of Contents alone made me feel better, knowing I’m not alone. It’s so good to know that there are other women out there who experience what I experience and who feel the same things I feel. Are you one of them?? What’s been helpful for you in understanding ADHD? Has medication helped?

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    February 27, 2011 at 5:37 pm #101320

    Anonymous
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    February 27, 2011 at 5:37 pm
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    I’m 49 and I’ve been diagnosed in march 2010. I’m on Concerta 27 mg right now. Should be switching to 36 mg this week. No difference yet for ADD symptoms but I think it messes with my anxiety a bit. I’m pretty sure women with ADD have more of a problem when menopause comes along. I’m premenopausal I think, and I’ve been having a harder time with everything for the last 2 or 3 years. I’ll look up that book you mentionned.

    As far as being helpful for me understanding ADD… its been an eye opener! I’ve always thought that something was wrong with me. That I lacked something that others had. But now I understand. It’s a neurological problem and there’s help out there. And most of all, there are others going through the same thing. Welcome to this site MyInattentiveADHD! You’ll find a lot a people sharing the same ups and downs.

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    February 27, 2011 at 6:29 pm #101321

    Anonymous
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    February 27, 2011 at 6:29 pm
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    Thanks so much Moka!! The book has been a real blessing – there’s not a whole lot of info readily available on the internet that details ADHD in women and this book is ALL about it. I hope you find it helpful :-)

    Have you tried a support group or seeing an ADHD Coach? I’ve been looking online and have yet to find either in my area. Just wondered if anyone else has found either to be helpful.

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    February 27, 2011 at 6:57 pm #101322

    Adrienne508
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    February 27, 2011 at 6:57 pm
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    Hi MyInattentiveADHD!

    Congratulations on your diagnosis! It really is an eye-opener and a relief to understand what has felt “wrong” all your life. I was diagnosed in December of 2009 (at age 38) and suddenly all my challenges made sense. They didn’t go away, of course, but it just felt great having an explanation. I am more forgiving of myself now and can move past some things that used to stop me in my tracks. I currently take 20mg Adderall daily and that helps. I stopped the med for most of last year when I found out I was pregnant! Our baby boy was born 1/2/11 and I just resumed taking Adderall last week. It definitely makes a difference!

    Thanks for the book suggestion – I will look for that one! There aren’t any ADHD support groups in my area either, so forums like this are a nice resource. I too was anxious to find as much info as possible after my diagnosis and was delighted to see ADD and Loving It on PBS!! What an awesome program!! I’d love to chat with you more and share the ADHD experience!

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    February 27, 2011 at 10:04 pm #101323

    Anonymous
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    February 27, 2011 at 10:04 pm
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    My employer gave me the help of a coach last autumn for a few weeks. She helped me mostly with my anxiety which was the most problematic for me at work. Now if the Concerta can kick in, to smooth out the rest of my quirks at the office :)

    As for a support group to go to, I’d love that very much but I can’t find one in my region at the moment. But with ADHD gaining in momentum (hey there’s a bunch of us out there and we make our needs known lol) I’m confident to eventually find one. If you didn’t already, you can go through the info about coaching on the blog section of this site.

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    February 28, 2011 at 12:49 am #101324

    Anonymous
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    February 28, 2011 at 12:49 am
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    Hey my inattentiveADHD, congrats on the diagnosis! You asked about medication in your first post. I started ritalin in high school. Worked well for me till after college, marriage and 1st child. After my 2nd child, I was diagnosed with narcolepsy and the medication I am now on for that works great for my ADD also. Most of my family (sibs, dad-who also had narcolepsy-nieces and nephews and my own kids) have done well with Ritalin or Concerta. Only one of my kids is on medication right now. The other is doing well without it since we all got tested for food allergies. Amazing what a difference taking out foods you’re allergic to can do!

    Thanks for the great book suggestion, too!

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    February 28, 2011 at 1:57 am #101325

    Anonymous
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    February 28, 2011 at 1:57 am
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    I was diagnosed in sept at the age of 30. I am also in the inattentive subtype.

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    February 28, 2011 at 2:05 am #101326

    Anonymous
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    February 28, 2011 at 2:05 am
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    Moka, you mean your boss actually understodd enough to get you some coaching? Can you tell us some more about it, please

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    February 28, 2011 at 1:40 pm #101327

    Anonymous
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    February 28, 2011 at 1:40 pm
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    I just turned 33 and suspect that this is me. I can’t believe I never made the connection before, as I’m an information addict and I have always searched for answers about the way I am. I haven’t felt “depressed” in a long time, just frustrated that I’ve always been intelligent yet have never felt in control of my life. Something has always been “wrong”. If this is not it then I will be shocked.

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    February 28, 2011 at 8:22 pm #101328

    Anonymous
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    February 28, 2011 at 8:22 pm
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    I”m not a woman but saw the thread yesterday and came across something in my browsing today…http://www.momswithadd.com/

    Not sure if it’s helpful but thought I’d share it.

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    February 28, 2011 at 9:34 pm #101329

    Anonymous
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    February 28, 2011 at 9:34 pm
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    WOW! We really aren’t alone in this, are we?! How great to see so many replies! Thank you for words of encouragement :-) I have a feeling that the next several weeks are going to be quite the roller coaster ride – it’s nice to have a forum like this to find support and encouragement.

    Adrienne508 – Congratulations on the birth of your son :-) What was it like being off meds for 9 months…especially 9 nine months of pregnancy hormones and emotions?

    ADD and Loving It starts on PBS tomorrow – the first showing in my area is midnight on Thursday and I can’t wait to see it! If we can’t find the positives and laugh about the way we are with ADHD, we might as well be as miserable as we were before our diagnosis – yes?

    Moka – That’s really great that you were able to get some coaching for your anxiety! Regarding a local support group, have you checked out MeetUp.com? It’s a website designed to get people together who share common interests and who live in the same general area. There isn’t a MeetUp group established in my area but it does tell me that there are 8 other people who are interested in forming an ADHD group. Might be worth looking at for your area too! Once I get the motivation, I’ll look into it more here :-) Wow, it’s really nice to not feel guilty about the lack of motivation!!

    Fidgit4 – What prompted you and your family to get tested for food allergies? I’ve read several things so far that say diet plays a big part in symptom management. Who knew, eh?!

    Hi Jennee :-) Congratulations on your diagnosis too! Are you feeling some relief now after having been diagnosed?

    OooShiny – LOVE the nickname :-) I highly recommend reading Women With Attention Deficit Disorder by Sari Solden – it’s about $15 or so at the local bookstore or online. At least you’d be able to skim it in a bookstore and see if you recognize the symptoms and signs. One of the scenarios that rang true for me referenced laundry – the stacks and stacks of laundry that either needs to be washed, folded or put away – such a daunting task and one for which I couldn’t even buy the motivation to tackle! I’ve spent years beating myself to a bloody pulp over laundry, among other things that I now see are ADHD related. After reading more, I now understand that laundry is a daunting task for many people with ADHD – once again proving that we’re not alone and no longer have to feel guilty or ashamed of ourselves. Thank goodness! Beating myself up was exhausting :-)

    Thanks redriverbluesman for the helpful link!!

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    February 28, 2011 at 10:05 pm #101330

    nellie
    Member
    February 28, 2011 at 10:05 pm
    Post count: 596

    MyInattentiveADHD,

    Couldn’t help commenting about laundry. It has always been an issue for me, and only since realizing I have ADD did it all make sense. After starting medication I’m suddenly able to get through it without so much as flinching! The sorting is what I think did me in. Actually shortly after getting diagnosed I wasn’t too sure I wanted to go the mediation route and one day I caught myself getting really anxious trying to get through sorting a couple of loads for the wash. It suddenly all made sense and seemed ridiculous at the same time! I won’t say it’s my favorite thing to do and I no longer occasionally get huge backlogs, but it no longer brings on such feelings of dread and I can get caught up pretty quickly.

    I also read Sari Solden’s book and agree it’s great. I especially love the chapter where she begins by writing that “Woman Wanted” advertisement – so true :-)

    Another great book is ADD-Friendly ways to Organize your Life by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau,PHD.

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    March 1, 2011 at 1:44 am #101331

    Adrienne508
    Member
    March 1, 2011 at 1:44 am
    Post count: 9

    Hi MyInattentiveADHD,

    Going off meds during my pregnancy was interesting, to say the least! I couldn’t always tell what was ADD or hormonal. I’d heard of “pregnancy brain” and I think compounded with my ADD I was in an extra thick fog! I was lucky that my pregnancy was smooth, but I was a slug through all of it. I don’t know how I managed being preggers, off meds, working full-time and going to grad school – it was a rough semester!! But that’s one of the strengths of ADDers – we adapt well and compensate!! I still feel sluggish most of the time now – that comes with having a newborn! :-)

    momswithadd.com looks interesting…I’ll be sure to read more on there.

    Too funny about the laundry!! I never even thought about it, but yes, that is definitely a big problem for me! I own at least a month’s worth of undies just so I don’t have to deal with doing the wash frequently. My husband washes his own clothes so he doesn’t have to wait for me to get to it…

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    March 1, 2011 at 2:51 am #101332

    Anonymous
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    March 1, 2011 at 2:51 am
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    it has been great to get a diagnosis and and start on medication, it has really made life much easier.

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    March 1, 2011 at 2:58 am #101333

    Anonymous
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    March 1, 2011 at 2:58 am
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    mrsharrypotter – (great name! I’m a Harry Potter fan myself) Actually my anxiety was quite problematic at the office. I’m a receptionnist/telephonist, and whenever I’d get an agressive caller I’d have an anxiety attack. I mean I totally lost it… crying, shaking, heart pounding, breathing difficulties,…They had to isolate me at the infirmery local for a about half an hour or so each time till I regained control of myself, calmed down, and was able to go back to my work. After my last attack last autumn, the person responsible for health and well being of the employees was so concerned about it all that she decided to put me on sick leave… but my doctor refused to sign the paper saying it was a work related problem to be solved/dealt with by the employer. So I had to go back. But my employer took me off the phone for a week or so and arranged for me to get the help of a coach for a few weeks. I really felt that the people helping me were genuinely concerned about me. I really appreciated their help and concern. Still do.

    MyInattentiveADHD – I will definitely look up the adress for a group. Thanks!

    BTW… Thanks for the emoticones Aerin! :)

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