In this episode, I catch up with Savannah LeJeune a Colorado-based photographer to talk about how PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder) impacts her ADHD.  Living with PMDD

She discovered she has PMDD before her diagnosis of ADHD. After leaving college, Savannah was living in LA and working in the fast-paced film industry. 

 She experienced what she describes as extreme mood swings before her period would start. After reading up about PMS Savannah felt what she experienced went beyond 'normal' PMS. 

Once a month she found couldn't cope with day-to-day tasks because she felt exhausted and unmotivated. Savannah started to see the link between the lead-up to her period and when she struggled.

Finding answers

Savannah decided to move home to Colorado and sort help from a therapist who specialized in PMDD. The therapist suggested Savannah might also have ADHD and encouraged her to see a psychiatrist. 

She found the first psychiatrist dismissive of her experience and sort a second opinion who diagnosed her with ADHD.

ADHD & PMDD - the hormonal link

Like many of my previous guests have discussed, the drop in estrogen before a period starts can make managing ADHD a lot harder. For Savannah, having PMDD means the volume has been turned up on her symptoms. 

Working with her psychiatrist, Savannah has found taking Vyvanse for her ADHD and Prozac for her PMDD has made a world of difference. She explains she feels good four weeks out of the month instead of three. 

She encourages other people to keep trying and find someone who will listen to them. 

Savannah's links

Website

About The Adulting With ADHD Podcast

It’s not just you – we aren’t talking enough about ADHD and hormones. There are so many things I wish I had known about hormones and ADHD earlier. They play such a fundamental role in the human body, deeply impacting a person’s life at all of their life stages. 

As a former journalist and current ADHD’er, I unpack this topic through patient stories, expert interviews, and personal narrative.

With new episodes biweekly on Wednesdays, The Adulting With ADHD Podcast covers a variety of ADHD hormone topics including puberty, menopause, perimenopause, PMS, PMDD, and more. Why aren’t we talking about this more? What do you do if you find yourself struggling with ADHD and hormones? We discuss this and much more. 

Need basic info about ADHD and hormones? Get the free quick guide at https://adultingwithadhd.com/hormones.

Show highlights

:59 Savannah's diagnosis story

2: 00 Symptoms of PMDD

7:45 Relationship between PMDD & ADHD

 12:00 Managing PMDD & ADHD

 

Show edited by HK Productions