April 25, 2024Women with ADHD can continue using the stimulant medication dexamphetamine and the painkiller acetaminophen (brand name: Tylenol) during pregnancy, according to two recent studies that refute a long-standing medical consensus.An observational study published in the Archives of Women’s Health found that use of dexamphetamine (DEX), the main ingredient in brand-name ADHD medications such as Adderall, Dexedrine, Zenzedi, and ProCentra, does not put women or their babies at increased health risks.
However, women who ceased using DEX during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to have a threatened abortion (mild to moderate bleeding during the first trimester) compared to those who continued DEX or who did not use the stimulant during pregnancy.1“This could indicate a possible association with DEX withdrawal,” the study’s authors wrote. “However, this is something that requires further investigation due to the small sample size, difficulties examining timing, and the inability to examine spontaneous abortion.”The researchers analyzed a cohort of 1,688 women diagnosed with ADHD who gave birth in Western Australia between 2003 and 2018.
Of the participants, 65% (547) ‘continuers’ took dexamphetamine throughout their pregnancy; 35% (297) ‘ceasers’ stopped using DEX before the end of the second trimester.
Read more on additudemag.com