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Methylphenidate during pregnancy linked to small risk of cardiac malformations

BMJ 2017; 359 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j5768 (Published 13 December 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;359:j5768
  1. Jacqui Wise
  1. London

Women who take methylphenidate during early pregnancy have a small increased risk of delivering an infant with cardiac malformations. However, the large cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry found no increase in cardiac malformations related to amphetamine exposure and neither drug was associated with an increased risk for malformations overall.1

Stimulants, including methylphenidate and amphetamines, are considered first line drugs for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In recent years, use of these drugs in adults, including women of reproductive age, has increased substantially.

For the primary analysis, the researchers used Medicaid data to …

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