I am a 29 year old woman diagnosed with ADHD 2 years ago.I have been in a replationship for 11 years now , and married for the last year and a half. My husband and I are thinking of having kids and are seeing a marrige counselor now to go through alot of issues before we take that big leap (eek).
But my bigest hold up in this whole process and one I have found extremly limited information about is, if I am taking Adderall (and that lack of info is not just linked to this drug), and I want to get pregnant what should I do.
My delima is, I have progressed so well on my medication inconjunction with increasing my skills in terms of coping, organizing etc that I am in a work situation where I really feel (along woth my psycologist) that I would not be able to do my job without the help of medication, I would have to go part time and give up alot of what I do, or get fired. I have tried (or forgotten to take medication on work days) and have had a really hard time. When I explained it to my husband, and it made the most sense I sdid it this way.... When you have the flu but you need to go to work you go and you do you job, but every minute is a struggle. You can't think straight, you keep forgetting what you were doing, you make mistakes but every 5 minutes you have to give youself a peptalk to keep going. That is what is feels like for me at work with ne meds. The thought of having to do that for 1= years between tring to have a baby and actually doing so is unbearable.
My Psycatrist (diffrent from my regular therapist) says that she doesn't like to prescribe it to pregnant women at all. My OBGyn says he doesn't like to unless the benefits outweigh the risks. My regular dr says I should talk to the other two. My psycologist (whom I have seen weekly for 2 years now) has also found very little information, she even said that one person told her that european OBGyn's were more likley to be OKay with perscribing a stimulant during pregnancy, but that is the best she has heard. I feel like none of them really know what to say to me because there are no studies.
When I read through forums and blogs online like this one it is just women who also don't know waht to do(http://family.go.com/parenting/) sharing what limited information they have, but having one women in Iowa who lied to her doctor and stayed on the drugs and had a healthy baby at delivery is not what I consider good data to go by.
ADD books and magazines have little to no information in them. Even the Women in Add book had only 2 paragraphs (two freaking paragraphs!) on the topic. They all say talk to you doctor.... some women have reduced symptoms during pregnancy etc... Well, my doctor and it seems most other doctors don't know either.
It is hard to imagine that there is no data outhere to help make an informed decision.
I just feel that in a marrige having kids is a huge decesion, and staying on medication is a logistical complication that ADD brings into the mix that no one seems to want to touch with a 10 foot pole.
Pregnancy and ADHD
Submitted by MelissaOrlov on
I am sorry that I haven't responded before this. We did have a similar question sent into our newsletter - can I nurse while on Adderall. Here is the exact question and answer from Dr. Paul Sorgi of the Hallowell Center:
Q: I am a nursing mother. Can I be taking Adderall while nursing?
A: According to the PDR, the prescribing handbook, nursing mothers should not take Adderall. The reason for this is that Adderall (or amphetamine) is excreted in the breast milk in significant amounts. If you nurse while taking Adderall then your baby will be ingesting a significant amount of amphetamine. This could, potentially adversly affect brain development. It could cause cardiovascular problems. If your baby has an undiagnosed cardiac problem, ti could result in sudden death for your baby. So, the prudent course of action is to not take Adderall while nursing. If you must have Adderall for your health, then it will be necessary to stop nursing.
I know that that doesn't answer the question about whether or not you can take it while pregnant, but given that answer, I'd be slow to do so. You should talk with your doctor some more about it.
Perhaps you can approach it differently. Are there things you could do, temporarily, to get you through work without the meds? For example, hire a temporary assistant who could keep you organized (if you don't already have an assistant) and work with you side by side? Exercise helps with focus. Could you schedule an hour of exercise every day (at least until you got too big), perhaps at lunch, that could get you through the afternoon? Some of the answers to these questions depend upon your specific work situation and how flexible it is...
Hope this helps a little, at least.
ADHD and having a baby
Submitted by cmousseau on
Eight years ago I was where you and your husband are and we have a beauiful 8 year old daughter today. I take 160mg of ritalin, clonidine and Luvox. We wanted to have a baby so bad eight years ago, but all my ADHD doctors told me that a womam taking 160mg of ritalin should not become pregnant at all. There was not information out there on how taking medications for ADHD could do to an unborn child. I was so upset and mad that I was ADHD. I was so mad at God and everyone. I wanted a child so bad. To make a long story short my husband and I got adviced from a OBGyn in Manchester and she looked at the fact that have a child is just part of the whole pie and most couples don't even think about what happens after the baby is born. This doctor told us that every woman takes a risk when having a baby. There is not 100% guarante that a woman will have healty baby. It is a risk that women take based on their deired to have child of their own. I wanted to be a mother so bad that I had to make that deision to take that risk. I realized that if I was to not take my medications I would destroy my marriage and that was not an options because the reason I got married to my husband was to become a family not a single mother so there was no way I was going to lose my marriage to have a child, I wanted the whole thing-mother+father+child=a family. I also know that I would endanger myself and my unborn child if I was not taking my medications because of impulsive I am. So I stayed on my ritalin only and the thing is being pregnant made me calmer and I had to learn how to pace myself in my last termerter. Being a mother is very overwheleming to someone with ADHD. I made the hardest decision of my life when I got my tubes tied because I realized that if I had anymore children I would either hurt myself or them. Trying to parent one is hard enough. I am not a doctor, just a 40 year old woman with severe ADHD that wanted to have a baby and like you I was unable to find any information on this subject, but on Apirl 14,2001 I gave birth 2 weeks early to a 8 lbs 4 ozs baby girl so it can be done. If you want more information on my story please let me know and let me know what you and your husband do. I want to help so feel free to contact me anytime. Ok Take care Christine Mousseau. You can contact here or on two other web sites www.womenwithadhd.com and www.addjourneys.com.
I am in the progress of trying to write a book on having children when you have severe ADHD. Take care Christine
PS. I did not breastfeed my daugther because of the fact that my medication could have affected her personality and for the fact that it is one thing for me to be a guinna pig but another thing for a small new born baby to be one. take care