Is This a Neurodivergent Thing?

Summary

The Neurodivergent Experience

Episode: Is This a Neurodivergent Thing?
Hosts: Simon Scott & Sophie James
Date: July 22, 2026

---

Episode Overview

The episode centers on candid discussions about common (and uncommon) neurodivergent experiences, especially as seen in online forums like Reddit. Simon and Sophie explore lived realities around diagnosis, masking, friendship dynamics, and the complex relationship between medication and caffeine. Drawing on listener stories from Reddit’s neurodivergent and ADHD communities, they share personal reflections, witty banter, and practical advice, fostering a sense of connection for listeners questioning, “Is this a neurodivergent thing?”

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

---

1. Lived Experience vs. Clinical Research

Timestamps: 02:33–05:25

• Simon and Sophie reflect on the value of lived experience over clinical research, using Reddit as a “gold mine” for genuine, diverse neurodivergent stories.
• Simon: "Reddit is very similar to reading through my book... sneak peeks into people's lives... affected negatively [or] positively by their neurodivergent traits."
• They note a recent shift in their podcast towards casual, lived-reality conversations, diverging from purely research-based episodes.

Memorable Moment

• Simon (04:34): “Reading through Reddit is very similar to reading through my book, you know, the Autistic.”

---

2. Feelings of Not Belonging – Stuck Between Worlds

Timestamps: 10:09–15:15

Reddit Story: “Not normal enough for the normies, but not neurodivergent enough for the neurodivergents”

• Summary of Redditor's experience: A listener recounts frustrations after a "subclinical" ASD diagnosis—struggling socially, high masking, feeling neither “enough” for neurotypicals nor fully accepted by the autistic community.
• Simon and Sophie strongly reaffirm belonging: The neurodivergent community is inclusive, regardless of diagnostic labels.
  • Simon (12:12): “100%. And this is my problem with the whole this is the autistic community, this is the ADHD community... It should just be the neurodivergent community.”
  • Sophie (13:44): “Bless you, OP. ...I find it really hard when you’re alexithymic or burnt out... just struggling to connect... [but] the big game changer was not trying to fit myself into a community and just embracing one.”

Diagnosis Bias

• Simon points out gender and diagnostic bias:
  • Simon (16:38): “I guarantee you... If this was a 33-year-old male, he's diagnosed autistic... But because this is a 33-year-old female, it’s: you’re on the edge of it.”
• Family dynamics and masking complicate diagnosis—families may minimize “strange” behaviors if they're normalized in the household.

---

3. Community Support and Finding One’s People

Timestamps: 18:11–23:04

• Reddit commenters overwhelmingly support the OP, suggesting re-evaluation with a clinician familiar with high-masking women.
• Sophie (22:50): “So much of my understanding... before I was diagnosed... I was rigid... as soon as I realized there was another way... that’s when the unmasking process happened.”
• Special interests as a key to connection: Deep friendships often emerge from shared passions, not merely sharing neurodivergence.
  • Simon (23:02): “It isn’t just about finding a neurodivergent community. It’s about finding the neurodivergent community that has the same special interest as you.”

---

4. Friendship Patterns: Vanishing Acts & Social Guilt

Timestamps: 25:37–39:10

Reddit Story: "Can ADHD really cause you to disappear like that?"

• OP complains friends with ADHD vanish mid-text/conversation, wondering if this is normal.
• Simon (27:32): “Maybe one of the reasons why your friends are ignoring you is because you’re gaslighting them and maybe not believing them.”
• Simon and Sophie explain object permanence and communication fatigue: ADHDers often “disappear” due to hyperfocus, burnout, or simply being overwhelmed.
• Tactics for better digital friendships:
  • Sign-off etiquette: “I’ll chat later/I’m busy” helps prevent miscommunication.
  • Voice notes favored for ease and clarity.
  • Sophie (31:04): “I just leave it... then I go, oh, it’s been two weeks. This person thinks that I hate them now. I can never reply again.”
• Friendship culling: As neurodivergent folks unmask, they often prune unsupportive relationships, even with family.
  • Simon (36:27): “You can cull your family. I did. Best thing I ever did. Now the only family members I have are the ones that accept me...”
  • Sophie (37:13): “Honestly, Nan, that was one of the things that I experienced... when I started to unmask is I just went through my phone book and just started deleting numbers.”
• Optimal friendship numbers: Both agree that sustaining deep friendships with a small circle is optimal, warning against both overextending and overreliance on a single friend.

---

5. ADHD, Medication, and Coffee: Do They Mix?

Timestamps: 42:41–55:33

Reddit Story: “Doc Was Right: Meds Do Work Better Without Coffee”

• Poster notes that ADHD meds work better without coffee; plans caffeine detox for summer.
• Simon and Sophie diverge in caffeine habits:
  • Simon (44:00): “I’m basically 90% coffee and 10% water.”
  • Sophie prefers energy drinks but gets jittery from caffeine.
• Advice from doctors, but also lived experience: Many clinicians recommend avoiding caffeine with stimulant meds as both raise blood pressure and heart rate, but individual responses vary.
  • Simon (47:08): “So the black lid one is for nighttime, and that’s a decaf coffee... which is what I would recommend...”
• Diet & absorption effects:
  • Redditors debate if acidity or food type (e.g. bananas, almonds) impacts medication absorption.
  • Sophie reads: “Coffee, soda, energy drinks, citrus... will make your medication feel ineffective.”
• Interactions with other meds (e.g., Ozempic/Mounjaro) also impact ADHD med effectiveness and should be discussed carefully with a doctor.
  • Simon (53:56): “I do know about the link between ADHD meds and, like, Manjaro... they’ve been recommended you don’t mix the two.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Simon (03:00): “We could literally just do Reddit from now on. Let us know if you want us just to change the entire makeup of the podcast.”
• Sophie (13:28): “Here is a mushroom I found. I would like to share it with the Internet. Thanks.”
• Simon (15:15): “It’s an age-old tale... you’re not neurodivergent enough to be taken seriously as neurodivergent. But you’re also definitely not neurotypical.”
• Sophie (38:18): “If your max is 10 [friends]... almost need to not only lower your thing to 10 friends, you’ve got to lower it to five to fill up the spaces with people that actually give you energy.”
• Simon (39:10): “Neurodivergent friendship groups are probably like the worst idea ever... too many people in the room at the same time.”
• Simon (50:38, on coffee): “If you put enough syrup in anything, it doesn’t it? Yeah, it just tastes of syrup.”

---

Episode Structure & Flow

• Intro/banter (02:19–05:25): Banter on changing show format, “Reddit goldmine,” and Simon’s family news.
• Reddit story 1 – Belonging & subclinical diagnosis (10:09–23:04): Read, reflect, and relate, tackling feelings of exclusion.
• Reddit story 2 – Friendship disappearances (27:07–39:10): Breakdown of ADHD social withdrawal, culling unhealthy connections, and communication styles.
• Reddit story 3 – Coffee & ADHD meds (42:41–55:33): How caffeine interacts with meds, personal stories, and Reddit “science.”
• Wrap-up (57:14–58:22): Reflections on discussing Reddit stories and plans for future episodes.

---

Recommendations & Takeaways

• Reddit is a valuable hub for neurodivergent lived experiences and support.
• Diagnosis does not define community membership: If you relate, you belong—regardless of labels or paperwork.
• Identify and keep the relationships that are energy-giving: Cull those who diminish or criticize your authentic self, regardless of family/friend history.
• Medication tips: If you’re taking ADHD meds, be aware of caffeine’s interactive effects and always consult your doctor, especially if taking other medications.
• Find your 'neurotribe' not just through diagnosis, but also through shared interests and genuine support.

---

For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode

This episode is a warm, witty, and affirming exploration of what it’s like living with neurodivergent traits in a world that rarely understands. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, somewhere on the “subclinical” spectrum, or supporting someone else, Simon and Sophie’s blend of research skepticism, peer advice, and real-life stories offers both comfort and practical wisdom. They champion a vision of the neurodivergent community based on inclusivity and self-acceptance—one Reddit thread at a time.

---

For feedback or topic suggestions, contact the hosts—or just lurk on Reddit and know you’re not alone.

Transcript

[Ashley Dupuis]

The autistic culture podcast network the sound of autistic culture. Everyone treats summer like it owes you happiness. Long days, pool parties, your best life on a loop. So what does it mean when you feel worse? The summer blues are real. It's why summer is one of the busiest stretches of the year for people starting therapy. Grow Therapy is here for all the moments when you decide you want more. More support, more clarity, more tools. Grow connects you with thousands of high quality licensed therapists across the US Offering both virtual and in person sessions, nights and weekends. The therapist you want takes your insurance on. Grow grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit GrowTherapy do start now today to get started. That's growtherapy.com startnow growtherapee.com startnow availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

[Kat and Nat]

That refresh you've been putting off until the right deal came along. It's here. Wayfair's Black Friday in July sale is happening now so you can finally get the style you've been waiting for for less. Get up to 80% off area rugs and up to 60% off outdoor and bedroom furniture. Shop Wayfair's huge selection of styles and find the pie to fit your style, budget and space, plus free shipping. Black Friday in July ends July 27. Shop today at Wayfair.com Wayfair Every style,

[Ashley Dupuis]

every Home this year's girls trip to Telluride was the best. We one upped ourselves with my Sapphire Preferred card and with 5 times points on Chase Travel, plus 3 times points on vacation homes with top brands. We got this incredible cabin. It was a mansion and with three times the points on dining. We ordered a wagyu steak dinner and that pistachio gelato was too good. So where should we go next? Next year? I've got ideas. Chase Sapphire preferred the card that's preferred for a reason. Cards issued by JP Morgan, Chase bank and a member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.

[Simon]

We're back baby.

[Sophie James]

Oh, hello. Always throws me when you do a little bit of a different intro, but hello everybody. How's it going? Hope you're having a good day.

[Simon]

We're back. We're back. Redditing.

[Sophie James]

I cannot believe how many people online are on Reddit. You know, dude, like talking about adhd,

[Simon]

there's at least seven.

[Sophie James]

At least the same seven people, but now genuinely again, just like comments. I was looking on the ADHD and Neurodivergent Reddit threads and people are posting like every hour. It's not like every day, it is every hour.

[Simon]

Gold mine of freaking content for this podcast.

[Sophie James]

Thank you very much everybody.

[Simon]

We could literally just do Reddit from now on. Let us know if you want us to do that. Let us know if you want us just to change the entire makeup of the podcast. But to be honest, we have, we have talked about pretty much everything that we talk about, which is why lately our episodes are being a lot more sort of fluid and like we're just sort of chatting and it's more of like, oh, this is the stuff we, that happened to us this week rather than this is a particular subject that we're going to like deep dive and do loads of research on. Because also I don't want to do research that sounds boring.

[Sophie James]

Yeah, I mean, that's, that's fair enough. And I also find as well, like with a lot of podcasts or like YouTube or everything, it, we can only go off the research that like scientists are doing. And a lot of the time I read it and I go, why are you researching that? And a little bit. So I'm just in, I'm a lot more interested in, in the lived experience element of it. And Reddit is an absolute gold mine for that because there are conversations that are happening on there that you and I have daily. But then there's also discussions that we don't have that we can sort of reflect on that may relate to you, the listener. So, yeah, let us know if you enjoyed the Reddit episodes. We'll do more of them because I really enjoy doing them. I find them really interesting to see what people are talking about. Cuz a lot of the time it's things that I just think are unique to me. So it's, it's always very helpful for me personally to hear and read some of these stories.

[Simon]

I have to admit it's. Reading through Reddit is very similar to reading through my book, you know, the Autistic.

[Sophie James]

Yeah, exactly.

[Simon]

Yeah, yeah, it's, it's just like little, little like sneak peeks into people's lives and how they are affected negatively, positively by their neurodivergent, you know, traits and behaviors and brain and so on and so forth. So yeah, I think it's great also because I'm on Reddit, I get to do like little comments and I'm like. But then I'm like, I don't want to get into the social media.

[Sophie James]

Yeah. Sometimes I like to just be the person pressed up against the glass, breathing heavy.

[Simon]

What's going on over there?

[Sophie James]

But before we get into Reddit, we've said that these episodes are becoming more of just sort of what's happening in our lives. And there's some pretty big news happening in your life, my friend. Would you like to share?

[Simon]

Yeah. I'm getting a new tattoo.

[Sophie James]

No, not that.

[Simon]

We were talking about that.

[Sophie James]

We've talked about that.

[Simon]

But I want to talk. Oh, yeah. My daughters going to get married to Chris.

[Sophie James]

Going to the chapel and they give.

[Simon]

Ah, this would have been better for the par. Like parenting was last week. Apologies for all the swearing, by the way. Hopefully by this point we've taken a bit of that out.

[Sophie James]

I'll try, I'll try my best.

[Simon]

We're going to try and swear less. So anybody that's like, oh, they do swear a lot. You are correct. I don't know why I seem to become some sort of London gangster lately. I'm just gonna put that down to being tired and very, very adhd. Just, just all of the adhd. But yeah, my daughter's getting married. It's amazing. Don't know when. Probably a couple of years. Who knows?

[Sophie James]

As long as it's not over three years. Because she'll go back to being a girlfriend.

[Simon]

That's right. As we have discussed on, on your engagement episode, there's a three year sell by date. Anything after that doesn't count.

[Sophie James]

Just your girlfriend again, gotta do the whole. Gotta do it all over.

[Simon]

You can't call someone your fiance if you've been engaged to them for four years. That doesn't count. Get on with it, you flipping Lucy. I didn't swear.

[Sophie James]

He's tailored himself.

[Simon]

Yeah, I'm learning. Oh no. Oh no, no.

[Sophie James]

We'll have to get you a little button. They have buttons in radio. They have like what they call.

[Simon]

Yeah, no, I know. That's why there's always a delay on it. But we're not talking about that. Shut up.

[Sophie James]

Back to you, door.

[Simon]

Right. Sophie. Amazing, wonderful Sophie, she's like the mini me. Everybody who's listened to her probably knows this. But Chris, Chris, who has obviously also been on the podcast, he's a fantastic guy, lovely guy. And not only do I get to call him my son or son in law, but I'm just going to call him my son because he's basically like one of my kids. Because he lives with us and we, he and I hang out all the time. I have the privilege of calling him my friend. He is my friend. He is a great guy and I. I'm just. I'm so happy that literally two of my favorite people in the world are now going to be together. And it's. It's just awesome. Like, they're so perfect for each other. They really are. They're like Sylvia and me. But if you swap the, The. The genders, just. Just swap the sexes round and. And it's Sylvia and me. It's. It's fantastic.

[Sophie James]

No, I'm really pleased, man. Congratulations to them both. I'll be dropping Sophie a message later today. It's great news. And it was up in Scotland as well, wasn't it, where they've got engaged.

[Simon]

So sweet. If you want to see the pictures, I know this is not going to be coming out for another week or so, but have a look through my Facebook page. I don't post that much, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. But also, on Sophie's Facebook page, she posted and showed some of the pictures, but it was on a Scottish beach. And amazingly, it was perfect weather, beautiful sunset. Chris did come and ask my permission before they left, which I thought was very, very sweet. I was like. He was like, can I marry Sophie? I was like, if you don't, I'll be upset. I was like, I'll marry you instead because you're perfect.

[Sophie James]

No, he's a lovely Chris. He's such a great guy.

[Simon]

You're perfect for my daughter, but you're perfect. He fits perfectly into our family as well, as does Katie with Simon. I'm hoping that, you know, that that will happen as well. Fingers crossed. And then all of them will be officially sort of my children, and then I can just be. I. I know it's like a sexualized thing nowadays, but again, I. I don't do nowadays stuff. And I actually have it tattooed on my back, which was tattooed 20 years ago. I will be like the big daddy. I will be the daddy. I have Daddy tattooed on my back. It's not a sexual thing, for God's. I hate the fact that people made it a sexual thing. I think that's horrible. Sophie calls me Daddy and everyone's like. And I'm like, oh, no.

[Sophie James]

I really never really thought that.

[Simon]

Yeah, yeah, I'm the daddy. Let's do the episode.

[Sophie James]

Let's do it. Right. Reddit story number one.

[Simon]

Here we go. Right, this is coming from the neurodivergent subreddit, and it says, not normal enough for the normies, but not neurodivergent enough for the neurodivergence.

[Ashley Dupuis]

Oh.

[Simon]

Does anyone else Ever feel stuck in the middle? I'm a 33 year old female and was recently screened for ASD earlier this year. After a lifetime of struggling socially and having no close friends, I'm chronically quiet and terrible at speaking up, struggle with verbally getting ideas across and stumble over my words. I get overstimulated, hate being touched and have a piss poor social battery. Despite generally liking people and enjoying being in the company of others, I'm the pointless person in the group who watches everyone talk and never contributes anything to the discussion. So I become part of the background. You've probably met someone like me or know what I'm talking about. Anyway, when the result of the screening came back, I was diagnosed with other specified trauma and stressor related disorder which is like a subclinical level of ptsd. An additional diagnosis of unspecified neurodevelopmental disorder with autistic features which is like a sub clinical level of autism. Barely not meeting the criteria for ASD has been frustrating for me because I feel that the resources and support from the ASD community might have been helpful and maybe would have helped me understand myself better. However, I don't feel like I belong in the community because ASD isn't my diagnosis. By the way, this is me talking. You're wrong. You absolutely are welcome in this community.

[Sophie James]

Absolutely welcome.

[Simon]

100%. And this is my problem with the whole this is the autistic community, this is the ADHD community, this is the dyslexic. Yeah, it should just be the neuro divergent community. But that, that's. If people want to specify then that's up to them. But for me I prefer the whole, the whole brain. And then she continues my oh God. Dyslexia symptomatology. My symptomatology is bad enough that it has shaped my life for the worst, but not bad enough that I actually know what it's like. That's in brackets and at the same time I'm high masking AF so everyone assumes I'm fine. Preach. I guess I'm just trying to find my people. We are your people. Just letting you know. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? And then literally there's the picture that they've shared or she shared is her hand on a giant mushroom and at the bottom she's like pick of my hand on a big mushroom. I'm sorry, all I need to know is pick of my hand on a big mushroom and I'm like welcome.

[Sophie James]

Here is a mushroom I found. I would like to share it with the Internet. Thanks.

[Simon]

The only thing that solidifies it is if she tells me what mushroom it is, whether it's poisonous or not, then every other mushroom that's related to it and also then you have to say that is a big mushroom. But after she's put her hand on it, there's not mushroom left.

[Sophie James]

Oh, what a fun guy. Anyway, it's kind of I, I, I. Bless you Op. I feel for you because you've obviously been a very high masking person your entire life and a clinician that you've been in front of probably doesn't know what a high masking female is looks

[Simon]

like of the system. Once again.

[Sophie James]

Yeah, the fact that they've put you into like subcategories and go, well, you're not enough of this, you're not enough of that. No wonder you're feeling ostracized from the community which you absolutely shouldn't be. You are so part of this community and I really, really hope that you find your people like I did. It changed my life. And yeah, I just, I, I have, I have been that person and I have spent time with that person of the sort of the, the floater in a friendship group that's just sort of the wallflower. And it's really hard when you're alexithemic or you're burnt out or just really sort of struggling to connect with people because you're either a people, you're a people pleaser or you just feel like you're the center of attention all the time and just being dramatic. It's a really hard place to find yourself. I'm, I really relate to this story from, from my past anyway. But the big game changer was not trying to fit myself into a community and just embracing one.

[Simon]

Yeah, it's, it's, it's a age old tale, isn't it? Amongst the neurodivergent community of, especially when you're, you're high masking of, you're not autistic or ADHD or just you're not enough, you're not neurodivergent enough to be taken seriously as neurodivergent. But you're also definitely not neurotypical and you're absolutely not, you know, accepted by neurotypicals as being one of the gang. You always ostracize in some way, but you also feel yourself, you feel like this doesn't feel right. These people don't get me. Why don't these people get me? And then you go, okay, well no, I actually really like relate to like all the neurodivergent people that I've been seeing online, especially the autistic ones. Like, I really feel like I match what they're saying and then you, you put your trust in a so called professional and they just let you down, they let you down over and over again. And it, I guarantee you, like, I guarantee you I'll put money on this. If this was a 33 year old male, he's diagnosed autistic.

[Sophie James]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Simon]

Because he's like, that's weird behavior for a, a, a, a man to be quiet and in the corner.

[Sophie James]

You're not hanging out with the fellas on a Saturday night.

[Simon]

Yeah, yeah. You're not trying to like, you know, chat up the girls and, and make yourself.

[Sophie James]

You're gonna delete some.

[Simon]

Yes. But because this is a 33 year old female, it's, well, you're on the edge of it. You're on the edge of it and

[Sophie James]

it's like pissed by it.

[Kat and Nat]

Yeah.

[Simon]

The sprin got the sprinkle of autism. It's a sprinkle little, little, it's like, just like a little sprinkle of salt on your chips. You can't really taste it, but you know it's there. Well, it's, it's nonsense. She's clearly neurodivergent. I mean, I, I don't know what else to say. It's, it's, it's just, it just keeps happening and it shouldn't be happening. And I think that what, what I like about this is there's, there's like 21 or so comments, but there are people, you know, comments, and they're all, they're all for her, they're all supporting her. So what I feel like is her making this post on Reddit, which is what's so great about Reddit. I feel like that she's actually just found her community because other people are like, I mean, this top comment. I feel like you may need to be reevaluated by someone experienced with high masking autism in women.

[Sophie James]

Yep.

[Simon]

You know, totally agree. And then someone else says, I have been thinking about getting a second opinion. Part of the evaluation was a family survey thing and I think that part may have been botched at it. Let me start again. Family survey thing. And I think that part may have botched it. I love my family members, but they don't know me like they think they do. Like, I kind of think the way I was raised, a lot to do with, is to do with the why I'M high masking to begin with. So flipping true. Like, so true. Because. Oh, no, my apologies. That person answering that comment is the person that made the. Made the post. I'm cool and I know what I'm talking about. So. Yeah, so that's. That's the same girl. It. Yeah, absolutely. If you are brought up in a household that continuously tells you no, you're just dramatic. No, you're not neurodivergent. No, you don't fit in. We're all like that. That just sounds like everyone. Well, that's because your parents are also. At least. At least one of them, if not both, are also neurodivering. Your siblings absolutely are also neurodivergent. So when they're filling out a form saying, oh, are there any strange behaviors that you might have? They're like, absolutely not. She's exactly like the rest of us.

[Sophie James]

That. That's not strange.

[Simon]

Exactly.

[Sophie James]

We all line up our toy cars on the shelf like friends.

[Simon]

Yeah. We all collect 57 million things. We just all collect them differently.

[Sophie James]

What, you don't like stamps?

[Simon]

Yeah, literally.

[Sophie James]

Yeah.

[Simon]

And it sucks. And I don't mean the family sucks because the family just doesn't understand. What sucks is the person evaluating them, doesn't recognize that, can't see through that. And a lot of this does seem to be this whole cognitive dissonance that autism is caused, that there is a causation, that there's something went wrong, something did, something happened, something went bad, like smoking during pregnancy or like giving birth too early and all this crap. It's genetic. It's only genetic. Live with it. Right. And you can leave that swearing in. Live with it. It's genetic. And the fact that especially I don't know if this is in the States, I can't.

[Sophie James]

I might always assume it is though, don't you?

[Simon]

You do. Because of the ASD language.

[Sophie James]

Yeah. That's what give it away for me.

[Simon]

Tend to see that as much in. In the uk, but again, have no idea. They could be from Turkey for all we know. But the fact is, is that she's being let down. But that's the best thing about Community is the fact that in my experience there's not a lot of neurodivergent communities that. That will be like, you don't belong here. But I. I also understand that it. Sometimes it's important to have that piece of paper because I know it was for. For Sylvia.

[Sophie James]

Oh, yeah.

[Simon]

She wasn't even looking to be.

[Sophie James]

Yeah. Some people need it. They really need it. And obviously there's the medical supports like medication and everything like that that come with that. But there are some people that, that need that black and white answer and then they can't really move forward until they've got it. I've just been sort of scrolling through some of the comments while listening to you, and there's some really supportive people in this, in these comments, with my favorite comment being at the bottom where he says, me, clicks on the post to read it. My brain, whoa, that mushroom is huge. But yeah, I really hope that, that this person can break the mold. Because so much of my understanding of who I was before I was diagnosed and before I started unmasking was. I was rigid. I, I wasn't flexible in my thinking or in who I could be. And as soon as I realized that there was another way to live and to experience the world, that's when the unmasking process happened and my special interests started to form. And that's what I would say to this person. I go, what are you into? What are you interested in? Find, maybe try and find other people that like the same things. If you are an absolute fun guy and love mushrooms, go and find cult.

[Simon]

Yeah, because it's not. You are so right. You are so spot on. It isn't just about finding a neurodivergent community. It's about finding the neurodivergent community that has the same special interest as you.

[Sophie James]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Simon]

I've always found that I can, I can get on with neurodivergent people, but I don't think I'll ever have like a friendship or feel like an attachment to someone if, if they don't like the things that I like. Because we are so specific that what we like is what we like. And that hyper focus that if you can't meet me on at least one of my interests because I'm fortunate enough to have like multiple special interests. If you can't match one of them, what the flip are we going to talk about?

[Sophie James]

Yeah, it is really hard to, to build a deep connection if you don't have a deep connection, you know.

[Simon]

Turtle fin, Are we going to talk about. Oh, my alternative words.

[Sophie James]

I'm really enjoying you. I'm gonna see how far you can take this. But we'll, we'll take a break here and when we come back, we'll come back with some more ready stories.

[Simon]

Yeah. Stop being a car park.

[Ashley Dupuis]

Everyone treats summer like it owes you happiness. Long days, pool parties, your best life on a loop. So what does it mean when you feel worse. The summer blues are real. It's why summer is one of the busiest stretches of the year for people starting therapy. Grow Therapy is here for all the moments when you decide you want more. More support, more clarity, more tools. GROW connects you with thousands of high quality licensed therapists across the US offering both virtual and in person sessions, nights and weekends. The therapist you want takes your insurance on Grow grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com startnow today to get started. That's growtherapee.com startnow growtherapee.com start now availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

[Kat and Nat]

That refresh you've been putting off until the right deal came along. It's here. Wayfair's Black Friday in July sale is happening now so you can finally get the style you've been waiting for for less. Get up to 80% off area rugs and up to 60% off outdoor and bedroom furniture. Shop Wayfair's huge selection of styles and find the piece to fit your style, budget and space, plus free shipping. Black Friday in July ends July 27. Shop today at Wayfair.com Wayfair Every style,

[Ashley Dupuis]

every Home

[Sophie James]

hi, I'm Sophie James, a neurodivergent mentor with four years of experience supporting neurodivergent individuals. As an autistic and ADHD woman myself, I know firsthand what it's like growing up in a neurotypical world and trying to navigate spaces that weren't built with our brains and mind. Whether you're neurodivergent yourself or supporting a neurodivergent child or teen, I offer experience led peer mentoring grounded in understanding, connection and neuro affirming support. Together we explore strength, build confidence, and develop practical ways to navigate life while embracing who you are. If you'd like to learn more about my mentoring work, visit sophiejamesndmentoring.com. Welcome back to the neurodivergent Experience. I'm out of the car park, wherever that was meant to supposed to be, and we're discussing Reddit stories and I've got a really interesting one here. Dude, we've just been talking about somebody who has felt slightly ostracized from the neurotypical and the neurodivergent community, not knowing where they are. But I thought this was interesting from a social perspective. This is in the ADHD subreddit and the original poster says can ADHD really cause you to disappear like that. I do not have adhd, but I am friends with people who claim to have it already.

[Simon]

You're a bit of a dick.

[Sophie James]

Yep. But it's an interesting, interesting conversation. Both have a tendency to vanish mid text, mid question, mid everything, and fall off the face of the earth for days, weeks, and sometimes months while another friend would receive feedback from them daily. Is this how it really is Sometimes? If so, that explains a lot. I find it rather curious.

[Simon]

Yeah, I mean, like, I don't like the way they've written. It's a little pretty. Definitely. It definitely sounds like. I think maybe one of the reasons why your friends are ignoring you is because you're gaslighting them and maybe not believing them and you've said that they might not be adhd and that might. I mean, it is a very common trait. We have discussed it before about just, just like object permanence.

[Sophie James]

Just by.

[Simon]

Yeah, exactly. And we, we, especially when we're in a hyper focus. I mean, I've had it when I've had messages from people that aren't like, in my closed circle, you know, on the outside of the circle, but who I still love and adore, but they're not like, you know, it's not my kids and it's not you and it's not, you know, family. I will look at the message and I'll go, okay, I'm gonna deal with that later. Currently there is one sitting from a friend of mine in America and I want to, to do. I want to chat with him, but I know if I message him, he'll message me back, and I message him and message me back. And I, at the moment, mentally, I'm not in there because messages, in a weird way for a lot of people have become like full conversations and, and it's like picking up the phone and having to talk to someone. That's how it is for me. So if I'm messaging with Pickle, we. We tend to sign off of the message rather than just disappear on each other. So Pick will be like, I've got to go, I've got a meeting. We can chat later. And that's like something someone would say over the phone, but he's saying it over messenger. Yeah, that's. That's interesting though, because he knows that if he just disappears from the messenger, then I might think, oh, what's happened to you? Why have you not replied to my message? So he tells me, I'm not going to be replying to message right now. I'll speak to you later. And that's what I've done with a friend of mine. He messaged me when I was up on a mountain and I said, look, I'm up on a mountain. When I get down I'll have a look and I'll get back to you. And that was it. And he was like, thumbs up. Thumbs up is also a good way to end the conversation. I'm like, cool, bye now.

[Sophie James]

Yeah, love a good thumbs up. Yeah, no, I've experienced this as well. I've got friends that live across the world, I've got a buddy who lives in Thailand and I've become really good friends with a guy in the US And I, I have felt guilty doing this and I like your signing off thing. That's not something that I've thought of before. But voice notes really prominent in a lot of people. Like, I find it a lot easier to just send a two minute voice note than send a really long text, like explaining something that's going on or like catching up with somebody or whatever. But I find a lot of the time with friends that are abroad because of the time zone difference, they normally are either messaging me or responding to me in the middle of their day and it's late for me. So if I get a voice note at like half nine, ten o', clock, I go, oh, I'm not really going to listen to that right now. And then I'll just not listen to it for days. And I'm aware of it. I'm very much present in that. I'm walking around and going, oh, my friend sent me that voice note. I really should listen to that and

[Simon]

reply, but demand a voice. But I just don't, yeah, demand.

[Sophie James]

And then I just leave it. And then I go, oh, it's been two weeks. This person thinks that I hate them now. I can never reply again.

[Simon]

That's the end of that friendship.

[Sophie James]

That's the end of the friendship. But it's not. I do try and be more proactive with it, but I think I've never really thought it's so simple, but I've never thought of that, of just signing off on messages because I do do it. I do disappear from people's lives. And sometimes, and I would say this to the OP just to sort of maybe have some self awareness. There have been times where people have been a little bit shitty with me about not replying to messages and then my instant response is, well, boogie, then I ain't gonna send you any messages. And I just ghost them for a bit because I'M like, I'm not up for having a relationship where you nitpick at me and then when I do it in return, it causes an argument. It's like sometimes I have noticed in the past, especially before I got diagnosed and before people had a. Not necessarily I had a label for me, but they had a label that they could comprehend and go, oh, that makes sense. Especially with adhd. I tell people that I've got ADHD and they go, yeah, that makes sense. But I've had friendships where people have commented on my behavior a lot. Whether it's like, oh, you're doing that weird thing again, Simon. Oh, you're doing this, you're doing that. Oh, you, you've not replied to me in a while, or oh, you're sending loads of messages all at once. It's, it's a bit overwhelming. It's not endearing. It doesn't make you want to have a friendship with people when you're constantly reminded of what they, you know, the energy that they give you is, oh, you've got something wrong with you.

[Simon]

It's not a nice mother in law.

[Sophie James]

It's not a nice environment to be in. Like, if you're messaging people and trying to organize a date to meet up with them and they go, oh, you know, you, you're always pieing me off, or you're always doing this, you're doing that. It's not good energy and it's not endearing. It doesn't make you want to continue to have friendships with people. It's why I have found, as I've gotten older and I've got unmasked, all of my friends are neurodivergent because I don't have to explain it, they get it because they are exactly the same. And it's very freeing to have friends that I don't have to message every single day. Might not speak to them. Like sometimes you and I might not speak for four or five days, sometimes even a week, but when we speak to each other, it's like we literally have just seen each other. I love that energy. It's so rewarding. But what I find hard is where I've had friendships, where people go, oh, I've not heard from you a while and oh, you didn't respond to my message and you didn't do this. But then other people do it to me and I don't care. Like, it's not that big of a deal for me. I'm not a fan of being friends with people that are critical of you. All of the time, when nine times out of 10, they cannot hear it themselves. Like, they don't. They don't want to hear anything about what they do.

[Simon]

That is not a friend.

[Sophie James]

Yeah, yeah.

[Simon]

That is someone who thinks they're your coach. Oh, I can improve. You don't need it. Don't need your improvement. But also, that is a massive neurodivergent trait of, like, I'm seeing this, and I think I can make this better. So a lot of it might just be undiagnosed neurodivergence in them trying to be critical of you because they're projecting, because they see those flaws in themselves and they're like, I'd like to fix these flaws in myself, but instead of facing that, I'll make sure that Scotty knows that those are flaws and then he can fix them. And then if he can fix them, then maybe there's a chance for me to be able to fix them.

[Kat and Nat]

It's.

[Simon]

It's like almost like projection and using you as a guinea pig of like, oh, I don't think I can do it, but maybe he can. I don't know. Psychologically, yeah, it's an absolute poop show.

[Sophie James]

And I find as well. And I've experienced this. I'm sure you have as well, in the. People are not afraid to be critical of you and hurt your feelings when their feelings have been hurt. That's the bit that I find hard. It's like, yeah, I might not message somebody back for two days, and I understand RSD and everything like that, but a lot of the time when I've gone quiet on something or I've been distracted or I've got high anxiety and I don't respond to a message, it's never about how I'm feeling. It's about how I've made other people feel. And that's something that I've always found frustrating in that I could be really busy with something or struggling with burnout. And I go, I'm not going to come to your 30th birthday party because I'm feeling really ill and I'm feeling really run down. And they go, I can't believe you've done this again. It's like, this friendship's not gonna work. It's just.

[Simon]

I was gonna say you have, like. I mean, just talk about your engagement a few weeks ago and. And the family putting pressure on who to invite to a wedding that you haven't even began planning. I. I just think your life just. And I said at the time, seems so much more complicated than mine because you have too many people in your

[Sophie James]

life, but I don't anymore.

[Simon]

Yeah.

[Sophie James]

I mean, I'm really bringing it down. Like, there are a lot of people I had in my life that put a lot of pressure on me that I've just. I'm not friends with anymore.

[Simon]

I'm. I'm gonna turn a coin term. A coin coin. A phrase. I'm gonna turn my coin phrase. I'm gonna coin a phrase, and maybe it exists, but I'm going to call it the neurodivergent culling. But when. When you. When you figure out your neurodivergent and you figure out that you're different and you start accepting yourself and then unmasking, then you start culling all of your friends, all of your family. And I know that's. Oh, you can't call your fat. You can.

[Sophie James]

You can.

[Simon]

Sorry.

[Sophie James]

Yeah.

[Simon]

You smeaking can. You can cull your family. I did. Best thing I ever did. Now the only family members I have are ones that accept me, the ones that love me, and the ones that I actually want to have a conversation with. With. Just because someone's family doesn't mean you have to be around them or talk to them or. I agree with their bollocks. I don't. Right. And just because someone's. Oh, we've been friends since we were kids. I don't care. I don't care. Because if you. We were friends since kids and you're still an. Then you have not.

[Sophie James]

Yeah. If we've been friends for 20 years and you're still questioning and reminding me of my quirks that you find embarrassing or difficult. Difficult to be around.

[Simon]

Bye. Bye. You are part of the culling.

[Sophie James]

Yeah. Yeah. Honestly, Nan, that was one of the things that I experienced in a big way when I started to unmask is I just went through my phone book and just started deleting numbers.

[Simon]

Yeah.

[Sophie James]

And it might start deleting people off Instagram and Facebook. I was like, I had one conversation with you five years ago. Why'd you follow me on Instagram? Bye.

[Simon]

But it might be that you end up with absolutely no one in your life. And that is something that a lot of people are afraid of, but you shouldn't be, because this is the thing about the community, is once you really know who you are, then you can go out and start meeting people and making friends and finding people who actually accept you. So it. In a weird way, it's like if your cat's full of knots, you shave all its hair off and you start again and then your cat, and then your cat can, you know, his fur can grow much better.

[Sophie James]

So I would say this right. If I am somebody who only has the Energy to have 10 close friends, like any friends. Any. But that's, that's my personal max is 10 and before that I had more than that.

[Simon]

Yeah.

[Sophie James]

But the thing is if Your max is 10 and you have 20 people in your life that you're constantly trying to be friends with, it's not going to work. And you almost need to not only lower your thing to 10 friends, you've got to lower it to five to fill up the spaces with people that actually give you energy make feel good about yourself.

[Simon]

On the flip side, it's also really bad just to have one friend because then especially if you got become very

[Sophie James]

codependent on one person's not healthy focus, it's not good.

[Simon]

Most of that M.O. probably that friend has other friends. And then RSD, oh, it's such a feeling. You need at least, at least three to five friends. And in my personal experience, they don't need to know each other, they don't have to have groups.

[Sophie James]

That's great advice. Group friendship groups for me don't work, don't.

[Simon]

If neurodivergent friendship groups are probably like the worst idea ever because yeah, it's, I don't think it's gonna work. Too many people in the room at the same time. But yeah, my advice to the the poster is maybe just go and have a conversation about this and stop judging the other person. And by the way, yes, it is a very typical ADHD thing. It is demand avoidance, it is distraction. And I think the very fact that you have to go on a Reddit to ask that means that you haven't done the research. And if you haven't done the research, you're not being a very good friend. Having a break.

[Sophie James]

All right, we'll have a break then. Bye everyone. We'll be right back.

[Kat and Nat]

ATPM

[Ashley Dupuis]

Everyone treats summer like it owes you happiness. Long days, pool parties, your best life on a loop. So what does it mean when you feel worse? The summer blues are real. It's why summer is one of the busiest stretches of the year for people starting therapy. Grow Therapy is here for all the moments when you decide you want more. More support, more clarity, more. More tools. Grow connects you with thousands of high quality licensed therapists across the US offering both virtual and in person sessions, nights and weekends. The therapist you want takes your insurance on Grow grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com startnow today to get started. That's growtherapy.com startnow growtherapee.com start now. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

[Kat and Nat]

That refresh you've been putting off until the right deal came along. It's here. Wayfair's Black Friday in July sale is happening now, so you can finally get the style you've been waiting for for less. Get up to 80% off area rugs and up to 60% off outdoor and bedroom furniture. Shop Wayfair's huge selection of styles and find the piece to fit your style, budget and space, plus free shipping. Black Friday in July ends July 27. Shop today at Wayfair.com Wayfair Every style,

[Ashley Dupuis]

every home hi everyone, it's Ashley Dupuis here, the in house therapist on the neurodivergent Experience and host of Mindful Mondays. And if you've been listening to these podcasts and thinking, gosh, I'd love to explore this work more deeply, I'd love to let you know about what's coming next. This September I'll be opening a small group coaching cohort, a gentle, supportive space to explore the kind of work we've been doing here together. So if you've been resonating with the From Mask to Map series or with the deeper themes we've been exploring on Mindful Mondays, this will be a chance to take that work further in community with guidance, reflection and practical tools to help you understand yourself more clearly and move through life with more ease. So if that speaks to something in you, I'd love to hear from you. You can register your interests by emailing [e-mail] and you can also keep an eye out on integrativeiom.co.uk where I'll be sharing more details over the coming weeks.

[Kat and Nat]

Foreign.

[Sophie James]

Welcome back to the neurodivergent Experience. Back out the car park again after our impromptu second little break there. And just to finish off with another one from the ADHD subreddit, this one stood out to me. Dude, I was like huh, interesting. Not thought of this. And it's titled Doc was right. Meds do work better without coffee and the the OP has written I hate that my psych is right. Yesterday I was out of coffee so I just took my meds instead of my normal routine of drinking coffee, waiting an hour and then taking them. I Felt like my meds worked better and last longer. I'm a teacher on summer break, so I have the luxury of not having to wake up early for work during the school year. I normally drink a cup in the morning and another in the afternoon. I've tried cutting down on caffeine during the school year and it's always a disaster. I feel so groggy and have no motivation to do anything after work. But yesterday I felt great without coffee. Guess I'm doing gonna do a caffeine detox over the summer even though I love my delicious coffee. You drink coffee? Did you experience this?

[Simon]

Yeah, I mean just, I'll just open my veins up and pump it in. I'm, I'm basically 90 coffee and 10 water.

[Sophie James]

You love a coffee like your big old sports direct dad mug. Come on.

[Simon]

It's not a sports to it. It looks like it's the size of that. It's the size.

[Sophie James]

Very niche English reference that for any American listeners. Look up a sports direct mug.

[Simon]

Giant mug. But my one says warning made. Start talking about basketball.

[Sophie James]

Yeah.

[Simon]

Which I thought was quite funny. But yeah, I also, I got loads of like, like dad boss related mugs because I'm a dad and a boss. Yeah. I love a big mug. When I see people have a coffee like one of those little tiny cups and I'm like, that's, yeah, you're drinking coffee.

[Sophie James]

Because I like an espresso. That's. Yes.

[Simon]

But I'm like an espresso for a Sylvanian family or a Smurf.

[Sophie James]

But I get real jittery if I have too much like, I mean, I like sugar free energy drinks. That's more my thing than a coffee if I'm honest. Because I like the flavors.

[Simon]

Yeah. See I, I use coffee syrup. So I, I, I go to, I don't go, I go start again. I go to TK Maxx or Ticky Mickey as Sylvia.

[Sophie James]

TJ Maxx is the Yankee Doodles.

[Simon]

Call it. I like Tiki Mickey. We got a Ticky Mickey. Sylvia's funny. And they've got syrups in there. Like 5 pound for massive bottle of syrup. And there's loads of different flavors. My latest one is banoffee pie flavor which is flipping delicious.

[Sophie James]

Sounds sickly. Oh, it's absolutely somebody who's allergic to bananas. Doesn't sound my, it's not my thing. But it sounds nice.

[Simon]

It doesn't taste bananas, just tastes a banoffee pie. Toffee. It's basically toffee but with a banana hint. I don't know, whatever. It tastes lovely. We like caramel. I like pecan, pistachio, vanilla. Boring. Anyway, syrups in coffee. Yeah, I like. I love a coffee, but it has to be sweet. Coffee on its own is gross to me.

[Sophie James]

I like a black coffee. I like just a double shot of espresso. I like a flat white. I'll occasionally have a cappuccino, but I've never been one of those sorts of people that's like, I have to have a coffee. Coffee. Like, I've got a buddy who's done a show on the network called Collecting Fish, a guy called James. Awesome dude. But he always jokes he needs to get to cruising altitude. He needs at least two coffees before he feels normal. And I know a lot of people that are like that. They're like, I don't talk to me until I've had my morning coffee. Whereas I'm just like, don't talk to me before midday. In general. That would be great.

[Simon]

I'm just like, don't talk to me.

[Sophie James]

That as well. But it's just interesting how it's talking about the combination of coffee and the ADHD meds, because when I got my tritation, one of the things that they said to me is, avoid caffeine.

[Simon]

Yeah. And I do keep saying this, and sorry to. Quickly. Sophie absolutely cannot, cannot have caffeine. So we have decat because we got a coffee machine, and it's got, like, an interchangeable blender on the top of it.

[Sophie James]

Yeah, yeah.

[Simon]

And it's got different color lids. So one of the lids is. Is black. One of the lids is cream, and we use the black one for decaf. So it's like black for nighttime and then cream for daytime.

[Sophie James]

Nighttime.

[Simon]

So. Yeah, exactly. So the black lid one is for nighttime, and that's a D calf coffee beans. So Sophie could still have a coffee. So enjoy the coffee. But it's. It's decaf, which is what I would recommend to anyone who really enjoys coffee. And I definitely think it's worth a try, because, you know, trial and error, you never know. If you're finding the ADHD meds aren't working for you or you're finding that, you know, they're not having the desired effect, or you're finding yourself even more jittery and even more hyperactive than you normally would be. It could be caffeine absolutely on top of the ADHD meds, because it is a double whammy. But I do believe that I have the most ADHD in the world.

[Sophie James]

84K.

[Simon]

Yeah. 88. 88K. Oh, yeah, 88.

[Sophie James]

Big boy.

[Simon]

So I could have literally two coffees, my ADHD meds, and probably a shot of heroin for just, for the hell.

[Sophie James]

Just, just, Just go to Brown Town, just. Yeah, casually on a Tuesday, cocaine a lot.

[Simon]

And I'll be like, chill.

[Sophie James]

Well, that's the thing, man. He's like, it's somebody who has. Has done party drugs in the past. It always amazed me how I would be doing them and how chill I would be and everybody else would be like, I don't think this works for me. But, like, I'll have, like a monster energy that's a zero sugar. I love them, love the flavors. I'm one of the. Yeah, I'm so American in that way.

[Simon]

But I like a monster.

[Sophie James]

I just know these bad guava ones. Outrageously good. And the lemonade one as well. So, like crack. It's crave it.

[Simon]

I absolutely. I mean, both of us during the, the ADHD crisis, the, the med crisis, just after covered, wasn't it, like, it was like, really, really difficult to get meds.

[Sophie James]

Just as I started getting them, I had them for, like, two months, and then the crisis hit me and I just didn't have them for, like, nearly a year.

[Simon]

But I, I, when that happened, I just, I lived on caffeine tablets and monsters and coffee.

[Sophie James]

Oh, the shares in Red Bull went up just because of me. Like, I was drinking maybe two of them a day at least.

[Simon]

Yeah, yeah. Sylvia gets by on the Red Bull. But we, we love coffee. We have those, like, really cliche things up on the wall, you know, oh, it's Coffee Tam Cafe. I didn't buy them, by the way. Sylvia did. But I do approve. I think they're really funky. Or this is a coffee house, that sort of nonsense. But we love it. I even bought Sylvia a hoodie that says time for coffee. And it's got, like, two different cups of coffee on it in cartoon form. We're. We're a coffee house. I think the idea of, like, just cutting out coffee to help with the ADHD meds is satanic. I, I just, I cannot even imagine my life without. Without a coffee. But again, you know, if I am feeling like, oh, you know, maybe I'm a bit jittery, which has never happened yet. I'm just, Just me. Always. Yeah, decaf. Just, Just go. I mean, if you can get decent decaf. I've never had a decent decaf in my life, but I'm sure it exists. But if you put enough syrup in anything, it doesn't it? Yeah, it just tastes of syrup.

[Sophie James]

Blends it away. So there's a couple of really interesting comments on this thread. Somebody's poor. I've heard it's acidity. I've never tried this, but a friend of mine said he took two meds first thing in the morning. Sorry, he took two Tums. I don't know what that is. What's it?

[Simon]

Oh, Tom. Oh, it's like a Gaviscom.

[Sophie James]

Okay, so he took two Tums first thing in the morning, took his pills 20 minutes after and felt absolutely wired the whole day. Like he accidentally took two and they put an edit on this because of everyone replying to the comments. Do not do this. The way it was explained to me, the more acidic basic your stomach is during absorption affects the way your body absorbs it. Things like antacids can lead to adverse effects. But eating more alkaline based foods in the morning, like almonds, bananas are good choices. Can help the medicine without being overpowering. Coffee, soda, energy drinks, citrus and things like that will make your medication feel. Feel ineffective.

[Simon]

Oh, you know what, that makes sense. But it, it's kind of weird because like it's. It with, with Sophie, it's not just ineffective. It. It makes her more hyperactive. So it has like a counterproductive. Yeah, exactly. So the ADHD medication is supposed to calm her down, supposed to chill her out, you know, so she can think properly and act properly, you know, within herself. But then she has a coffee and suddenly she's her. Literally her heart is racing. Her heart is racing.

[Sophie James]

I've had a couple of those.

[Simon]

She feels ill. She's just so hyper that she just can't take it.

[Sophie James]

Oh, when I went to Disneyland Paris, dude went on Rock and Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror and genuinely I had to sit down because I thought my heart was going to come out my chest. It's like it just took me too far. It's like. Was just like. I was like, Jesus Christ. I'm absolutely like off me.

[Simon]

Not.

[Sophie James]

I couldn't believe how much it had increased like my blood pressure. And that's one of the comments that's on here that I think is really interesting. Not something that I thought about before with ADHD meds. One of the commenters has said I'm on a GLP1 which is like Ozempic Manjaro.

[Simon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sophie James]

Which greatly reduces the effectiveness of ADHD medication due to the way Adderall is what they've said is absorbed. And GLP1 makes stuff sit in your stomach longer to help with blood sugar stabilization and to feel fuller for longer. So I was barely getting any effect from my medication and it greatly affected every aspect of my life negatively I did. I decided to try offsetting the effect for the GLP1 had on my meds by taking Tums with every dose. I did that for like two to three weeks and ended up becoming seriously constant constipated. It was terrible and do not wish it upon anyone. TUMS can cause constipation when taken frequently over a long period of time. And another comment underneath this has put my understanding is that the main concern with caffeine and stimulant medications is they both increase heart rate and blood pressure and that can have a culminative effect. I've not seen anything outside of social media and dubious sources that talks about effectiveness or length of effect. Frankly, I think the dietary advice for ADHD medication is a mess. Basically nothing clear, coherent and authoritative.

[Simon]

Yeah, nice. That's a good comment. I, I, I do know about the, the link between ADHD meds and like Manjaro. I have a friend that, that's on it and they won't take ADM ADHD meds while they're on it. They've been recommended. You, you don't mix the two. So it's like one or the other and they're like, well, I need to lose weight more than I, I need to, you know, be able to concentrate on, on what I'm doing. But I don't know, it's, it's an individual thing. It's like with everything neurodivergent, everything works differently for different people. You know, if, if you do find that coffee is like over stimulating you, if it's making you ill, if it's doing bad things to you with the ADHD medication, then you know, you have a choice to make. You can stop taking the ADHD medication and a lot of people can be like, jordan, you are a big advocate for ADHD medication and you are. I am. But recently I have found something that also works. I'm not going to tell you what it is because I'm a mean bastard, but it is going to be a hot topic because this little pill, I think, has changed my life and I did not expect it. So if you want to know what that is, tune in for the hot topic and find out. What is

[Kat and Nat]

that refresh you've been putting off until the right deal came along? It's here. Wayfair's Black Friday in July sale is happening now. So you can finally get the style you've been waiting for. For less. Get up to 80% off area rugs and up to 60% off outdoor and bedroom furniture. Shop Wayfair's huge selection of styles and find the piece to fit your style, budget and space. Plus free shipping. Black Friday in July ends July 27. Shop today at Wayfair.com Wayfair Every style,

[Ashley Dupuis]

every Home this year's girls trip to Telluride was the best. We one upped ourselves with my Sapphire Preferred card and with 5 times points on Chase Travel plus 3 times points on vacation homes with top brands, we got this incredible cabin. It was a mansion. And with three times the points on dining, we ordered a wagyu steak dinner and that pistachio gelato was too good. So where should we go next year? I've got ideas.

[Kat and Nat]

Chase Sapphire preferred the card that's preferred for a reason.

[Ashley Dupuis]

Cards issued by JP Morgan, Chase bank and a member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.

[Kat and Nat]

Hi, it's Kat and Nat and this episode is sponsored by Michaels. Your destination for all things birthday parties. With seven kids between us, we're always planning a celebration. Summer is no exception. With prices Starting at just 99 cents, Michael's Party Shop has over 4, 500 party supplies across more than 60 themes for every age and every celebration. Whether your kids are into bluey, rodeos, soccer, rainbows or something totally different, you'll find everything you need in one place. Plus you can get a free free helium inflation on select balloon styles. Shop online, pick up in store or get same day delivery. Visit Michaels in store or shop online now.

[Simon]

Actually, I think better because it's a lot cheaper.

[Sophie James]

Oh yeah, we'll look forward to hearing that. And by the way, dude, there's so many posts on Reddit about coffee and ADHD meds. It's a very big discussion. So that's been our Reddit episode. If you I really enjoyed doing it this way, dude. If people like it and they're enjoying these stories and hearing them, we'll maybe align the show to do a lot more of this. Because I've really enjoyed today's episode. I think it's been a really interesting, a lot of fun.

[Simon]

Yeah, I, I've loved it. I, I think that maybe we do Reddit stories when we've got nothing to talk about and whatever we have to talk about, we'll, we'll talk about that. So a little mix and match. But you know, if every time we're like, let us know what you think. No one lets me know what they think.

[Sophie James]

Yeah. Bye everybody. We'll catch you in the next episode. Maybe. Maybe. Let us know what you think if you want to. If not, don't worry about it. It's fine. We'll just keep doing what we're doing. But that's been your neurodivergent experience for this week, doing some Reddit stories. Be kind, everybody. Be safe out there. And have a little bros through Reddit sometime. Very interesting.

[Simon]

And don't complain if you don't like it because you didn't tell us to stop nightly by.

[Sophie James]

Thanks for listening. Support Autistic led media through Autistic Culture plus and enjoy bonus content, early episodes and ad free listening. Visit autisticculture.supercast.com to learn more.