HIGHS & LOWS OF THE WEEK: Sleeplessness, Studies, & Setting Boundaries

Two ADHD mums trade real highs and lows: the joy of studying from bed during recovery, the frustration of losing access to melatonin in the UK, and the courage to set new boundaries around oversharing. We share a plan to move personal stories to a pay-what-you-can Patreon while keeping info-rich episodes public.

• UK melatonin access tightening and workarounds
• Comparing sedative sleep meds with melatonin and white noise
• Returning to a counseling course from bed for stimulation
• ADHD, TMI, and setting safer sharing boundaries
• Moving personal highs and lows to Patreon
• Pay-what-you-can for first hundred supporters
• Info sheets and references as Patreon perks
• EHCP assessment progress for a child
• Invitation for listener voice notes and questions

“Don’t forget you can call us and share your stuff on the phone number that we don’t have on us right this minute. I’ll add that in at the end, a little sting.”

Transcript

Open And Highs-And-Lows Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:00

ADHD Moms. It's the high the low, it's the high the low. It's the high and low and low Highs and Lows of the Week.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

We're the ADHD mums. I'm Claire and I'm Jen. And we're here to do highs and lows, aren't we?

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Yeah, the first highs and lows of our January 2026 babe.

Melatonin Journey And UK Access Issues

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Oh yeah. Um My life is fairly unexciting at the moment. You're messing, aren't you? You've got me in your bed. Yeah, that's true. That's true. But I've still got some highs and lows. Um low for me this week. I was telling you yesterday. Now I have to use melatonin to sleep, guys.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Oh my god, true. This is bad.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Um a couple years ago I discovered it and it like changed my life because I am insomniac, can't sleep at night, it's terrible for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Can I ask, what was why why did that work as opposed to cause you're insomnia, you were on some form of meds for it that would knock you out.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

You are?

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Why not just sleeping tablets as we know it?

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Uh because they make you groggy in the morning. They're like they just sedative on these sleeping tablets make you more sedate so you go to sleep. But the thing with melatonin is it affects your sort of hormones that when it's normal people when it's dark outside, the circadian rhythm. Yeah, they start to feel sleepy because that's like how humans work. But for people like me, unhuman people, unhuman people, vampires. Um that just doesn't happen. So the minute my head hits the pillow, even though I'm exhausted, I go, waaaa! I'm gonna get a big like kick of adrenaline.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Yeah, and just in case anyone's listening, go me too, me too, and they haven't tried this. Yeah, what changed that for me was white noise, but anyway, it doesn't work for everyone.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Uh, different things work for different people, don't they? Um anyway, I was in Spain and I went and I was like, I need something to help me sleep, you know, expect and like to get like night all or something. And they gave me melatone and then I tried it and I've never like got to sleep so easily. And woke up. Stayed asleep and woke up non-gruggy. Yeah. Um so I'd done research and I found out you can't buy it in the UK.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

And what reasons do they give? Do we know?

SPEAKER_01 2:47

I think it's lack of research in the UK and concerns because it affects a hormone. Right. The concerns about hormones or something. Disruption. Yeah, you can actually have it prescribed for children with ADHD in the UK. Oh, can you really? Yeah. But it has to be prescribed by a psychiatrist or something like that. Um But then I found what you can do is you can buy it from America.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

So she gave me that link. I bought my own, it is delicious. Yeah, for the past couple of years, that's what I've been doing. Every month I put my order into this site piping rock, it's called, which sounds a bit dodgy, but yeah, it's all fine. And um I went on the other day to buy me Melatune, and and every time I tried to click on Melaton, it was just disappearing off the screen and all that. Oh and I was like, what's going on? So I will like I went on to Reddit, and apparently, like in the past couple of weeks, they've just clamped down and now you can't buy it at all. Um so I went into the UK. Yeah. Well, like from America though, like where you could previously.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Which would it which would explain that it's on the screen, but then it just goes. It's kind of like it does exist on the website, but there's an action where you can't if you live in the UK.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

And it was like even if you go on a VPN and pretend you don't live in the UK, if you go to the when you get to the ordering bit and you put UK in, it doesn't work.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Oh my word.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

So there's just no way of doing it. And they literally sell this.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

So if you'll have to go on holiday to Spain.

Studying From Bed And Finding Stimulation

SPEAKER_01 4:28

I know. Well, when I was in Spain, they literally have it like a vending machine in the hotel. The in the rest of Europe, Australia, America, it's just a standard, like you can buy in the chemist thing, you don't need a prescription and all that. So so frustrating, I managed to f find some and buy it from Romania. But it's gonna take ages to get here.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

So I've got some left, you know.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Oh, have you?

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Yeah, I'll have to give you some.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Last night I had my first night without any melatonin, and I I woke up, I couldn't get to sleep for ages. Um so I was still awake about two, and then I woke up at four o'clock and I couldn't get back to sleep.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

Um till about six o'clock. Um so I've only had a few hours sleep last night. So that's allow, and that's and it fucking annoys me that you can't buy it in this country.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

I know.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Um, but for hi Jenny's got some she can give you. Yeah, oh yes, yay! Um, I started back on my counselling course this week. Woo whoop, and I was just thinking like how lucky to live in this time where you are recovering from surgery in bed, but you can still be studying and attending a course, and you know I'm gonna be able to achieve that just from my bed.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

It is an incredible babe. Yeah, it's great to like yeah, notice that.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Um and I started I'd start I've I've started to feel a bit crazy, you know, like not stimulated enough. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

Um so actually having like something to stimulate my brain and having your assignments and your course mates, you're getting to like just know off the screen. Yeah, yeah, it made me feel good. I'm so pleased, babe, and proud of you. Thank you, babe. I was gonna say you're a powerhouse, but then the words coming out were about to be you're a battle axe.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Well, that's true. What about you, babe?

Oversharing, Boundaries, And Safety

SPEAKER_00 6:42

My highs and my lows of the last week. Well, well, I've spoken to you about this a tiny bit and I and I kind of feel like I need to say it, say it to our audience. Okay. Um, that I just feel a bit uncomfortable sharing to like an open space, sharing this level now, because one of the ADHD qualities is the TMI, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

And I've got that in full force, like the open book. I think it's a cut, I think it's an intersection of being ADHD and Scouse, don't you? It's like someone says, How are you? And I'm like, I tell them exactly how I am based on why, and like blah blah blah. And um we're oversharers, aren't we? Yeah, and we were we like podcasts we've connected to are listening to oversharers, oversharing, and like getting to know someone, and and yeah, exactly. It's the authenticity of someone being real, and we always wanted to do that as a way to make our listeners feel seen in their own struggles and you know, weirdness, didn't we? Yeah, but the reality is you know, I'm I am a normal real person with a normal real life, and so there's people in my normal real life that aren't like my biggest cheerleaders or you know, are people that I don't want to I shouldn't be sharing like with on an intimate level.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

When we're recording, I'm lying on my best mate's bed or her on mine, talking to my best mate. Yeah, but the reality is we're putting it out there, and just the same as I've slowly, slowly like formed much stricter boundaries with myself about sharing on the socials and stuff, like you know, I've never like posted my kids' faces and all that stuff, feel quite strongly about all that. Um I kind of am finding myself coming to a place of like I want to keep talking to our listeners who we think we're talking to, yeah, who this is for, um, and sharing the truth with them. But I don't want anyone who wants to to be able to listen to that.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Because you find out some people are listening that you don't necessarily want to be listening and knowing your business, haven't you?

Patreon Plan And Pay-What-You-Can

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Yeah, I mean, like, don't not to make me sound like I'm some sort of like like gangster with like there's people out for me. One person, like an ex-that's the reality. An ex told me they listen, and I was like, whoa, like it was it felt really weird because I was like, I have not been talking to him when I've been sharing all this. Like this is not at him, yeah. And ever since I've felt like quite clipped on what I want to say about me me private life in many areas, yeah. Um and we don't want to. And again, if you're listening, no shade to you. You know, if you want to hear me voice, that's on you. But like I just, yeah. So I've been asking Claire to have a little brainstorm with me about ways we can get around this, and we think it's time for us to level up in general anyway.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:59

And we think we're gonna finally um set up the Patreon um and put the more personal stuff, which again we know that some of our listeners are not listening for that. Yeah. I've got a friend, a male friend who I've told you on I've told you on it, listens and says, Oh, I love the episodes, and was kind of specific about the info-based episodes. Like some people are here for them. Um, so we're gonna like put it behind a paywall, the more personal content. The highs and lows of the week are gonna go off the main grid and go behind a paywall, but you've come up with something, haven't you, for us not like excluding.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

I don't want people who've been listening to us all along to suddenly have to start paying, like if they can't afford it and stuff, don't want to exclude anyone. So I was saying we'll just do it pay as you can't want. We didn't know what it's called, pay as you choose, pay however you're feeling. So, like if you can't afford to pay, you can still join and pay nothing, sort of thing.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Yeah, and let us say with that, seeing as we're we're British, we're not saying this in a way that we're actually gonna be offended if you pay zero. We mean it like don't pay at all if you don't want, but join. Please join.

SPEAKER_01 11:18

You can still be part of it with us, but we don't want to charge you. And like we'll probably said for the first hundred, haven't we?

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Yeah, we'll do that for like the first hundred, like the people that are our OGs have been with us from the beginning and that, and then as we go along, um those people will probably get like privileges of being members as well, like discounted things and free things and yeah, these for the so that for clarity, these first a hundred, if you come on over when whenever we've done this and announce it properly, um, because we're just riffing you, aren't we? Trying to find a solution to this. But the first hundred we'll do pay what you want, and you'll be like the VIP sisterhood or brotherhood, you know, men can join in.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Um sorry about the banger.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

We can't help that banging.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

It's just people doing work somewhere in my belly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:16

Um, and we're talking about little info sheets, aren't we? Yes. Um, as a perk for joining the Patreon so that every like info episode we do, which we'd still be aiming for that weekly, we'll produce like a little free download, you know, info sheet for that app.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Tips and references, yeah. Yeah, so so hopefully that'll be all positive.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

A little Jan 26 level up for us.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Yeah, and then Jen can tell us all the intimate details.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

I'll save it all up. Yeah, it's gonna be juicy Lucy.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah, and I'll just be like, yeah, and I'm still just lying in bed.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

Oh well, yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Yeah, and you know, yeah, like I say, no bad vibes, peace and love to every listener. May you live your life in happiness and joy. But I'm not telling you all my secrets no more.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

In and in that vein, tell us your secrets.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

Yes, don't forget to uh message no you come out. You actually want me highs and lows.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

Yeah, that's what the episode is, but like it don't have to be no, not an intimate love.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

Babe, but I I I live an intimate little life, everything I do. Okay, I'll condense it then. Highs. Um I am getting somewhere with the EHCP process for my child. We're now into the assessment phase, so that's that's going places. Yes. Um and lows. Oh, we're ending on a low there. Yes, yeah, and that's not the way we're gonna. Let's take my discomfort with sharing on the highs and lows as the low that I started with. So let's give it that. Um don't forget you can call us and share your stuff on the uh phone number that we don't have on us right this minute.

Listener Voice Notes And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Um I'll add that in at the end, a little sting for the for the call us. I can't even remember what the section's called. Voice notes found the edge. Voice notes found the edge. All right, raise a fist and say it with us. Sisters in chaos.