Uptick in Reproductive-Aged Women on ADHD Medications Raises Questions About Risks to Offspring

The percentage of privately insured U.S. women aged 15 to 44 who filled at least one prescription for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications increased 344% between 2003 and 2015, according todata recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“The substantial increase in the percentage of reproductive-aged women filling ADHD medication prescriptions from 2003 to 2015, across age groups and U.S. geographic regions, is of public health concern given the high percentage of unintended pregnancies and uncertainty concerning the safety of AD HD medication exposure before and during pregnancy,” Kayla N. Anderson, Ph.D., and colleagues wrote.Anderson and colleagues used the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Database to examine outpatient pharmacy prescription drug claims for ADHD medications among women aged 15 to 44 years from 2003 to 2015. (The MarketScan data reflect health service use by people with private employer-sponsored insurance and their dependents in the United States.) Outpatient pharmacy claims for ADHD medications were identified using national drug codes, irrespective of the indication for use.The final analysis included 2.3 to 6.8 million privately insured reproductive-aged women each year from 2003 to 2015. The percentage of women in the sample who filled a prescription for any ADHD medication increased from 0.9% in 2003 to 4.0% in 2015 (344%). The largest increase in ADHD prescriptions filled during this period occur...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD atomoxetine attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder lisdexamfetamin methylphenidate mixed amphetamine salts pregnancy Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Database women Source Type: research