ADHD Medication During Pregnancy Everyday Health
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ADHD Medication During Pregnancy
By Dr. Sam GoldsteinReviewed: February 19, 2007Fact-CheckedQ1. My husband and I are ready to start a family. I currently take 25 milligrams of Adderall XR twice a day, and I’m not sure if I need to stop. One doctor told me that I didn't have to stop taking Adderall, but that the baby might have symptoms of withdrawal at birth. Another told me that nobody really knows what the effects would be on a baby. Should I continue to take my meds and wait until I actually get pregnant to decide about stopping? I’m worried that the first several weeks are when the meds could do the most harm. You ask a very good question. To my knowledge, there is no research on Adderall (amphetamine-dextroamphetamine) and pregnancy. For that reason, most physicians would take a cautious approach and suggest that you consider stopping it during the course of the pregnancy, since the Adderall is potentially addictive and flows through your baby’s bloodstream. This medicine, however, has not been associated with significant harm to the fetus at low doses in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Q2. My daughter, who takes ADHD medication, recently became pregnant. Is it safe for her to continue taking her medication? Will it affect the baby? — Jennifer, Georgia This is an issue that needs to be discussed by your daughter and her gynecologist. As far as I am aware, there is no research suggesting that therapeutic doses of stimulants taken during pregnancy for ADHD will have a significant or dramatic adverse effect on the fetus. However, physicians’ decisions about which medications their patients should or should not take are based not only on research but also on the physicians' experience. It's therefore important for your daughter to speak with her doctor. Q3. I am an adult who was diagnosed with ADD in 2002. My medications worked very well, and then in 2005 I stopped them while I was pregnant. Now that I have been back on them for seven months (the same dosage as I was on prior to pregnancy) they are not nearly as effective. Is it common for medication or dosages to change after pregnancy? A new psychiatrist that I am seeing (I moved to a different state) is unwilling to change dosage of current meds and insists that I have a mood disorder and not ADD, which was diagnosed by three other psychiatrists. First, you should find another psychiatrist. Contact a local CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) or ADDA (Attention Deficit Disorder Association) chapter and inquire about recommended professionals. As far as I am aware, there is no research suggesting that there are postpartum changes in sensitivity to psychiatric medications. However, with that said, it is certainly possible that this can occur for some women. Typically, most physicians would increase the dosage in your situation. Since your physician is unwilling to do so and experience tells you that you are not depressed but rather that you are not responding as well to the same dose of medication, find another physician. You might also consider whether the recent changes in your life – caring for a new child and increased levels of stress, demands and distractions – might be the reason why you don’t feel the medication is as effective as it used to be. If this is the case, strategic interventions and support would probably be just as helpful as increasing your medication. Learn more in the Everyday Health ADD/ADHD Center.NEWSLETTERS