ADHD meds and pregnancy

[Macey2025]

Hi Guys,

I’m wondering if anyone can help me. I’m 5+4 weeks pregnant. This is my first pregnancy with difficulty conceiving due to fertility issues. I have recently been prescribed Ritalin for ADHD, so I will be starting it whilst pregnant as a pose to conceiving whilst already on the meds. Has anybody had a similar experience/taken Ritalin whilst pregnant? If so was there any complications during pregnancy/birth defects? I have looked into it but there isn’t enough research to say whether or not it’s safe, it mainly says personal discretion and if it’s unsafe to stop then continue to do so as the risks of stopping may outweigh the benefits.

Thankyou. :)

I think you should ask your doctor! Anecdotally, whilst I have heard that it’s “officially” safe to take - none of my friends with ADHD have taken their meds during pregnancy and I didn’t either. It is a struggle and everyone is having difficulty at work etc but at the end of the day, Ritalin and drugs like that are in the amphetamine family and we weren’t comfortable with exposing our developing babies to this.

I got through pregnancy with strategic use of haribo and dark chocolate when I needed to focus. Still not great to expose baby to high levels of sugar but I felt it was better than amphetamines and needed to maintain a minimum level of function at work!

Additionally, pregnancy hormones do change you - my adhd symptoms were better during pregnancy as the progesterone made me a lot more even-keel and calmer.

During pregnancy you also need to rest a lot and eat a lot - a side effect of Ritalin is giving you more energy and reducing your appetite, especially when you first start.

So if you begin in your first trimester you’ll end up being really alert and struggling to eat a lot - basically the opposite of what you should be doing to nourish your body and growing baby.

If I were you I wouldn’t start Ritalin while pregnant - no way. You’ve made it this far in life without the meds so you can last another 8 months!

However, if you’ve been prescribed the meds and by not getting the prescription you end up “timing out” and needing to start the long process of diagnosis again, I would be quite tempted to just pretend I was taking it and stockpile during pregnancy… or at least have a chat with your prescriber and ask how they manage this - can you “pause” things while pregnant and start where you left off after the birth?

When Ritalin will come in handy is once you have the new baby, you will definitely need your meds to function properly then!! As so much more to organise once you have a baby and so much less sleep - basically the ADHD nightmare 😅

You need to speak to your prescribing doctor before you start taking it. It is quite likely they will say don't start taking it while pregnant.

The problem is that the safety of ADHD medication during pregnancy isn't well documented. As such they tend to treat it on a basis of harm reduction. If the harm to you/your baby would be greater by being unmedicated because your unmedicated behaviour is very harmful (e.g. risky behaviour, drug abuse, severe issues with diet etc) then they would look to continue medication perhaps with a lowered dose during pregnancy, and taper down towards the end because you don't want the baby to be born with an addiction.

But it doesn't make sense to start a new medication when pregnant because the risk of the medication is greater in that case.

I would be quite tempted to just pretend I was taking it and stockpile during pregnancy

This seems like a spectacularly bad idea - don't do this. Aside from anything else OP has not yet begun titration so it would be complete guesswork and how would you explain this later on if you didn't turn out to get on with the first medication given?

Sorry I know it sucks if you have been waiting a long time for ADHD medication. I was actually in the same situation - fertility issues meaning I had been TTC for several years, I got pregnant the week after getting my ADHD diagnosis, although then had a miscarriage (touch wood this won't happen to you!) but I informed them (perhaps unwisely!) that I would be continuing to TTC. They then said in that case, we won't pursue medication at this time but after you've had the baby, this is what to do.

It was actually about 7 years in total between my diagnosis and getting medication partially for this reason, partially because it took a while to conceive again, partially because I didn't get around to sorting the new appointment. It was still helpful to have had the diagnosis within that time, it meant I could research and join support groups and so on.

I came off my meds when I found out I was pregnant at 4 weeks. I’m now 9 weeks and I have restarted Elvanse at a low dose. This is due to my ADHD being unmanageable and severely effecting my mental health. I struggle mostly with emotional regulation a hyperactive mind that can’t shut up and was filled with irrational negative thoughts etc.

I was pregnant 7 years ago and felt the same (wasn’t diagnosed then ) I just thought I was a psycho🤦‍♀️

you have to weigh up the benefits/risks for yourself too. I have researched as much as I can along with specialists and the risk is more towards the end for withdrawal effects on baby etc.

so my decision was based on keeping myself mentally stable now as I know my brain and mind can’t handle pregnancy

do what is best for you

Yes apologies OP I forgot about titration so that is stupid advice from me! Also most providers make you have at least a 6 month check in so would be completely daft to pretend you’re taking meds when you are not. Not sure where I was going with that to be honest. 😅