First of, I never took ADHD meds. I have lived with mine for so long that I have a system to my chaos. I can still achieve my goals, with meticulous planning and execution – but no meds – I have reached a satisfactory mediocre level of daily performance which could be outstanding if I took meds for ADHD I am told (as ADHD medicines are central nervous stimulants that improve focus and reduce impulsivity by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain). I am usually against unnecessary medication if it can be avoided (note: I do not claim that ADHD meds are unnecessary, please do not stop taking them based on my opinions and experiences). I am always made aware of medicinal side-effects and I’ve read that ADHD meds can be a contributing factor to birth-defects, anxiety, and dependencies (to name a few) – so I was always skeptical about them.
Hence it was quite obvious when I noticed a difference with my pregnancy. Every woman experiences pregnancy differently – as I mentioned earlier – I never had any morning sickness, and my food intake went significantly up. But there’s another thing…. Since I got pregnant, my attention issues, and symptoms such as rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) diminished significantly.
As curious as I am, I started to look it up. And here’s what I found… It seems that with pregnancy our estrogen level increases, which causes ADHD symptoms to reduce. This is only temporary though. For after a baby is born, estrogen may plummet and ADHD symptoms could return, sometimes with vengeance!
My biggest fear perhaps is the return of my sensitivity towards rejection. Worst case are with those who use adult bullying as a tactic to show dominance or double meaning/snide comments as a tactic to cause rejection sensitive individuals feel overwhelmed. You can imagine how hard this can be for an individual working in design industry! Rejection is a part of our daily game. And worst is – some of those who use tactics to cause ADHD people to feel overwhelmed, are often neurodivergent individuals themselves! They know how it works.
Here’s hoping that my RSD doesn’t return and ADHD remains contained. But if it does, this time I am considering medication.
ANTHROPOLOGY OF LOVE 