Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jan 19;67(2):66-70.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6702a3.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Prescription Claims Among Privately Insured Women Aged 15-44 Years - United States, 2003-2015

Kayla N Anderson, Elizabeth C Ailes, Melissa Danielson, Jennifer N Lind, Sherry L Farr, Cheryl S Broussard, Sarah C Tinker

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Prescription Claims Among Privately Insured Women Aged 15-44 Years - United States, 2003-2015

Kayla N Anderson et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. .

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects individuals across the lifespan. ADHD medication use among pregnant women is increasing (1), but consensus about the safety of ADHD medication use during pregnancy is lacking. Given that nearly half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended (2), and early pregnancy is a critical period for fetal development, examining trends in ADHD medication prescriptions among reproductive-aged women is important to quantify the population at risk for potential exposure. CDC used the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Database* for the period 2003-2015 to estimate the percentage of women aged 15-44 years with private employer-sponsored insurance who filled prescriptions for ADHD medications each year. The percentage of reproductive-aged women who filled at least one ADHD medication prescription increased 344% from 2003 (0.9% of women) to 2015 (4.0% of women). In 2015, the most frequently filled medications were mixed amphetamine salts, lisdexamfetamine, and methylphenidate. Prescribing ADHD medications to reproductive-aged women is increasingly common; additional research on ADHD medication safety during pregnancy is warranted to inform women and their health care providers about any potential risks associated with ADHD medication exposure before and during pregnancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No conflicts of interest were reported.

Figures

FIGURE
FIGURE
Percentage of women aged 15–44 years with private employer-sponsored insurance who filled one or more prescriptions for an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, by medication class — United States, 2003–2015
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Louik C, Kerr S, Kelley KE, Mitchell AA. Increasing use of ADHD medications in pregnancy. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2015;24:218–20. 10.1002/pds.3742 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Branum AM, Ahrens KA. Trends in timing of pregnancy awareness among US women. Matern Child Health J 2017;21:715–26. 10.1007/s10995-016-2155-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Besag FMC. ADHD treatment and pregnancy. Drug Saf 2014;37:397–408. 10.1007/s40264-014-0168-5 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Huybrechts KF, Bröms G, Christensen LB, et al. Association between methylphenidate and amphetamine use in pregnancy and risk of congenital malformations: a cohort study from the International Pregnancy Safety Study consortium. JAMA Psychiatry 2017. Epub December 13, 2017. 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.3644 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Haervig KB, Mortensen LH, Hansen AV, Strandberg-Larsen K. Use of ADHD medication during pregnancy from 1999 to 2010: a Danish register-based study. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2014;23:526–33. 10.1002/pds.3600 - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances