Adhd and menopause
The way ADHD and menopause collide can feel like a full-body, full-life explosion of symptoms.
ADHD already makes things like focus, organization, memory, and regulation tricky. Then menopause comes in with brain fog, hot flashes, sleep disruption, anxiety, mood swings, and hormone drops — which directly impact dopamine and estrogen. Those are the very chemicals that help buffer ADHD. So when they tank, it’s like pulling the last Jenga block out of the tower — everything topples.
It can feel like:
Memory loss on steroids — you walk into a room, forget why, and then forget what you were just thinking about, all while forgetting you already forgot.
Sleep sabotage — hot flashes wake you, restless legs kick in, ADHD brain starts racing, and suddenly it’s 4am.
Emotions everywhere — rage, tears, overstimulation, then guilt for reacting.
No anchor in time — forgetting dates, deadlines, conversations, and where you put your damn keys (again). ask me how many times…ugghhhhhh
A sense of failure — like you should be handling it better, but your body and brain are teaming up against you.
The awful part isn’t just the symptoms — it’s that you start questioning your identity. Am I losing myself? Is this dementia? Am I lazy? Broken? Past repair? And the shame spirals hit just as hard as the symptoms.
The truth: it’s not weakness, it’s biology. ADHD brains already rely on dopamine and estrogen for regulation. Menopause strips those resources away. Of course it feels like an explosion…. Becauseit absolutely is one — neurochemically, hormonally, and emotionally.
Stay alive. Keep advocating for yourself. You are not broken. You are menopausal.
Love you friend,
Kim
