ADHD drug use spikes among women of child-bearing age

[Star Tribune, January 19, 2018] A spike in the number of women taking stimulants for attention disorders is raising concern among doctors about the potential impact on pregnancy. Federal health officials on Thursday reported a 344 percent increase since 2003 in women between the ages of 15 and 44 who filled prescriptions for stimulants and other medications to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

“This was not something we saw very commonly among pregnant women 10 years ago,” said Dr. Elizabeth Baldwin, a maternal-fetal specialist with Minnesota Perinatal Physicians.

Minnesota doctors said that increase has translated into more patients who are pregnant and have ADHD, which has been challenging because there is no clear medical guidance on whether to keep them on the drugs or not. Read the full story at www.startribune.com.