A study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, examined the use of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medications during early pregnancy and whether it leads to birth defects in infants.
Researchers used data from 1.8 million pregnancies in the U.S. Of the pregnancies studies, 2,700 women filled a prescription for methylphenidate and more than 5,500 filled one for amphetamines during their first trimester. The researchers validated their findings using data from 2.5 million pregnancies taken from Nordic registries.
Researchers found that first-trimester exposure to methylphenidate was associated with a 28 percent jump in risk of heart malformations. However, they did not find a link between methylphenidate and congenital birth defects overall as well as amphetamine use and any congenital or heart defect.
"This information may be important to patients and their physicians as they weigh the risks and benefits of alternative treatment strategies for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," said Krista Huybrechts, PhD, of Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital's division of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics as well as corresponding author of the study.