I recently got diagnosed with ADHD a couple of months ago. That makes me curious; since there’s a higher percentage of trans people who are autistic, would there be a higher percentage who are ADHD?

What are your experiences with being ADHD and trans?

  • cowboycrustation [he/him]OPM
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    49 months ago

    Feels like it made mine worse too, but it could be that with less depression the symptoms are easier to notice. I’m also a trans man, so there are gonna be some differences with that too. I’m curious if inattentive or hyperactive symptoms went up for you. For me, I’ve been experiencing more hyperactive ones.

    There’s a section in the gender Dysphoria Bible about ADHD and HRT, but I don’t know how scientifically valid it is.

    This is under the androgenic puberty section:

    "If you have ADHD, there may be some changes in your symptoms. Androgens amplify dopamine receptor function, so increasing testosterone can improve the activation potential for dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter in the behavior of working memory, the short-term memory of the brain. More working memory means you may become less prone to distractions and have an easier time maintaining cognitive load.

    However, estradiol encourages the production of dopamine, so as estrogen levels fall there will be less dopamine for the brain to work with. Your symptoms worsen, not improve."

    From the estrogenic puberty section:

    “There is a known problem with spironolactone hampering working memory due to its effects on mineralocorticoids. This can significantly worsen ADHD issues and make it much harder to maintain focus or be aware of your surroundings. I was involved in a car accident in 2017 that I blame on spiro fog.”

    • Ari [she/her]
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      49 months ago

      I was involved in a car accident in 2017 that I blame on spiro fog.”

      Spiro fog huh? Now that I think about it I guess spironolactone had those sorts of effects on me too, I’ve just gotten used to them by now.