I have bipolar II and am now begining to wonder if I have adult adhd or are these symptoms from myBP

I also am a BPII, and have been treated for Adult ADD for the last 5 years.  I am female, and as you said, it presents differently in girls than boys.  Girls don't tend to get the Hyper part, more of a daydreaming, distracted reaction.  I was a "B-Average student, who would get great grades if I really liked the teacher or the subject, and just barely pull C's if I didn'.

While I managed to pick up some community college credits as we moved around during my hubby's 25 years in the service, I never stayed in one place long enough to finish my AA.

Now at 52 I am in College and have it 3/4 finished, am on the proper meds that are balanced with my BP/Migraine/Thyroid meds.  And am happier than I have been in years.

I started with the NON-stimulant meds first, and as they became less effective I finally started on a stimulant one.  It was the right move for ME!  I have a great Dr. that really checks all the interactions, and balances the types of each med so I am on the best combo, at the lowest doses.

Be sure to address this with your Psych.  As it can affect work, and it does become more pronounced as we get older.

I've read that ADHD (or ADD--just went to a conference & apparently all use ADHD now even if hyperactivity is not a symptom--which it is not in my case; maybe a professional can tell me if that is true or just something local here {using ADHD in all cases & not using ADD anymore})--anyway, is very common for people with bipolar (bipolar 1 in my case) to have ADHD as well.  I do take a stimulant (Concerta) & find it essential to my functioning.

I was an A student in courses I was interested & barely passed the others but dropped out of college my jr year due to not being able to handle the stress.  I was untreated for bipolar & ADHD back then (54 years old now) & had very STRANGE studying techniques--had to type notes over & over again to learn them; something about the physical typing in conjunction with the reading helped me remember things; drove my college room-mate crazy as this was before computers & the typewriter was noisy & I would type all night long.  She moved in with her boyfriend.

I also highlighted practically the whole textbook.  I couldn't figure out what was important.  It all seemed important so I just memorized the whole chapter by brute force without really understanding the concepts (especially math & science).

I would definitely have your psychiatrist do a screening for ADHD.

It is my understanding that ADHD and bipolar are related to or are on the same gene.  It is very common to go together.  Racing thoughts and depression can also cause ADHD symptoms as well.  You really should have your doctor screen.  Hopefully you have one who knows his (or her) stuff.  If you do decide to try a stimulant med for ADHD make sure they start you at a low dose, it can cause a manic episode.  A side line to this is that OCD also goes alone with bipolar as well.  Like we don't have enough to deal with!!!

Yes, it is possible for someone with ADD/ADHD to have good grades.  A colleague of mine has a PhD in mathematics, and he is ADHD.  His wife told me that many successful people suffer from ADHD/ADD or BP or OCD.  The ADHD allows some people to focus on something that they like to the exclusion of all else, however, they have no attention span when it comes to something that they aren't interested in.  BP mania/hypermania can also produce the same symptoms as ADHD.  This is not to say that you could not have both.  I know a doctor who once said that it is best to treat the BP first, and if the ADHD symptoms are still there after the BP is being properly treated, then it is time to consider that as a secondary diagnosis.  Only a medical doctor can properly test, diagnose, and treat you.  Be sure to find a doctor that you can communicate with and who will take your concerns seriously. 

I suffered for 15 years with dr.s telling me iam depressed then it was manic.i have taken every antidepresent only to make it worse and real manic,i now have been diganosed with bipolar II and adult ADD,i have no consentration,restless bored etc,iam now just starting lamictal we have not addressed the add yet i get really frustraied and cant wait to think clearly again