An ADHD and Menopause Toolkit: What Actually Helps with Dr. Sasha Hamdani

In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver continues her conversation with Dr. Sasha Hamdani, a board certified psychiatrist and ADHD clinical expert who wrote Self-Care for People with ADHD and the forthcoming Too Sensitive, moving from diagnosis into what to actually do once ADHD and perimenopause or menopause start colliding.

Dr. Hamdani explains how ADHD symptoms and medication effectiveness shift across the menstrual cycle, tracing the pattern back to the drop in estrogen and rise in progesterone that hits right before a period, and walks through where nonstimulant medication options fit for women who want an alternative to stimulants. She lays out her version of a menopause toolkit, prioritizing sleep, exercise, and nutrition ahead of any prescription, and explains why psychiatrists have reprioritized sleep given new data on how stimulant medication works in the brain.

The conversation moves through nutrition and appetite regulation, the role GLP1 medications can play in quieting food noise, and a candid look at which supplements, including omega 3, ferritin, and magnesium, actually have data behind them versus which are marketed with none. Dr. Hamdani connects circadian rhythm and delayed melatonin onset to the sleep struggles common in ADHD, and explains why morning light exposure functions almost like a switch for the brain.

Guest links:

Sasha Hamdani, MD

Sasha Hamdani, MD (Facebook)

Sasha Hamdani, MD (YouTube)

Sasha Hamdani, MD (Instagram)

Sasha Hamdani, MD (TikTok)

Sasha Hamdani (LinkedIn)

Books

“The New Perimenopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver

“The New Menopause"⁠ by Dr. Mary Claire Haver

“Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply,” by Dr. Sasha Hamdani

“Self Care For People With ADHD,” by Dr. Sasha Hamdani

For full show notes, please click here.