ADHD Medications During Pregnancy Do Not Cause Pediatric NDs

Worldwide, expectant mothers who took medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can now sigh with relief. According to new research conducted by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and Aarhus University in Denmark and published on February 9 in Molecular Psychiatry, there are no differences in rates of neurodevelopmental disorders between children who were exposed to stimulant medication in-utero and those who were not. Basically, ADHD medications during pregnancy are absolutely safe for the fetus.

The first investigation into the long-term neurodevelopment following prenatal stimulant exposure is this study on ADHD medication during pregnancy. Over a million Danish children born between 1998 and 2015 were evaluated by researchers from Icahn Mount Sinai and Aarhus University’s Center for Register Research, who continued their work through 2018.

They identified over 900 children whose mothers either started taking ADHD medication during pregnancy or continued treatment throughout, and 1270 children whose mothers quit taking ADHD medication prior to becoming pregnant. They discovered no differences between children exposed to ADHD medication during their mothers’ pregnancies and controls in the chance of acquiring a neurodevelopmental condition.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4% of American women between the ages of 15 and 44 report using an ADHD medication, putting these drugs among the most often prescribed during pregnancy. There are currently no clinical recommendations regarding the use of ADHD medications during pregnancy, which creates a challenge for psychiatrists, family doctors, midwives, nurses, and other healthcare providers who are responsible for counseling women before conception or throughout pregnancy.

The researchers looked into the development of neurological developmental abnormalities in the study participants, such as autism, ADHD, impaired vision or hearing, epilepsy, febrile seizures, or growth retardation.

Centrally stimulating medications, such as methylphenidate and amphetamine, which are the most commonly prescribed for ADHD, can transfer to the fetus and have negative effects, according to previous animal studies and research on illicit drug use in people. It is crucial to understand that prenatal exposure to therapeutic dosages of prescription stimulants did not result in any long-term negative consequences in human beings, which is reassuring.

The research team also underlines that given that using ADHD medication during pregnancy may be linked to outcomes other than neurodevelopmental, this study should be followed up by further research, including an investigation into short-term outcomes.

Veerle Bergink, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Reproductive Science and Director of the Women’s Mental Health Program at Icahn Mount Sinai, says, “We can see that the number of women of childbearing age who are medicated for ADHD is rapidly increasing, and therefore it is very important to garner more knowledge to be able to counsel these women. We know that there is an increased risk of accidents or losing a job when women do not take ADHD medication when it is indicated. There are still unknowns, but these results may contribute to women making informed decisions about using ADHD medication during pregnancy.”

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