I am 5 weeks pregnant and have been taking my prescribed dose of adderall (20mg twice daily) I talked to my doctors and did a lot of research- what I found out was that drs do not like you to take adderall because it may supress your appetite and therefor might take nutrients away from your baby. Adderall has never been conected to any birth defects and even in lab studies with rabbits, rats, and mice the animals were given ten times the normal dosage while in their gestational period and none of the offspring were born with nerological or birth defects. Low birth weights and premature births were reported but if one makes sure they are getting the proper nutrition and eats a well-balanced diet even though their urge to eat doesn't seem to be there..... Even though I have found all of these answers and even though my dr told me adderall is extremely safe in the body even though it is a massively abusive drug- I still feel deep down I should stop taking the medication but I just can't function and i really want to get a lot of things taken care of before the baby comes.......
feel free to comment and tell me what you think
kellyanne
feel free to comment and tell me what you think
kellyanne
This is my third pregnancy (minus the 5 losses I have suffered) and I am no spring chicken. I went off from week 2 - 15. My Ob said ok but regular physician does not want to prescribe a refill. I'm at 18 weeks now and haven't gained any weight at all . . . Still confused but keeping my job is quite important if we want to eat . . .
To the couple of people worried about losing their jobs without their ADD meds during their pregnancy. If your boss is a reasonable person, talk to them about the challenges you're facing for the next few months and explain the specific actions that you're taking to manage the increased ADD obstacles (i.e. scheduling time for tasks instead of just a to do list). Ask for suggestions on other coping strategies and let them know that if there is an issue, you'd welcome immediate feedback. Make it clear that you want to keep pulling your weight right up until your due date. This made a huge difference with my boss- made him comfortable giving immediate feedback so I could fix things without tensions building up.
If your boss isn't approachable, I'd recommend looking online for legal insight. I believe ADD qualifies as a disability & you can't be fired for being pregnant. If your pregnancy temporarily increases the challenges you face in managing a disability, you should be legally protected.
If your boss isn't approachable, I'd recommend looking online for legal insight. I believe ADD qualifies as a disability & you can't be fired for being pregnant. If your pregnancy temporarily increases the challenges you face in managing a disability, you should be legally protected.
FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether Adderall is harmful to an unborn baby. It could cause premature birth, low birth weight, or withdrawal symptoms in a newborn if the mother takes this medication during pregnancy. Before using this medication, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use Adderall without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
I'm also in the same boat! I've been takin adderall (30mg) once a day and have stopped cold turkey due to finding out i'm pregnant. I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced this or not, but i am the meanest most hateful person and i almost cant stand myself! Does ANYONE have any answers as to how to get over this or how to deal with not being able to take this medicine?
I also took adderall prepregnancy and for the first few weeks before I knew I was pregnant. My daughter is now 4 years old and still perfectly fine. She's a little on the small side (27 lbs and 28 inches), We had some eating issues early on. Her heart and brain are 100%. As parents we never stop worrying about our children. Then add on top of that the "guilt" of the chance that maybe something we did prepregnancy could have hurt our precious babies. Everytime Cassie has some kind of health issue I think that it might have had something to do with that. I think that as long as it is within the first 6 weeks or so that it is probably ok. I do wish that their was some tangible evidence of the effects though to reassure us moms with scientific evidence.
Ive been on generic adderall instant release (30mg x2 a day) for about 5 years. Once I found out preggo, stopped taking it and just recently started taking it again, I'm 22 weeks preggo. Doctor said take as needed and don't take if I'm going to breastfeed. Everything with my baby boy is fine. I even have a glass of red wine here and there. You have to feel a little normal throughout your pregnancy or you will just go insane and get depressed. Being on Adderal keeps me going with work, pregnancy, and my 2 other sons. (4 & 8) I feel more guilty having a sip of my husbands beer than being on my medication. I have to say that this forum was extremely helpful as well and glad there wasn't any bashing preggo women for taking adderall posts...sometimes other people have to walk in your shoes before they judge.
I am 10 weeks pregnant and I take 15mg of adderall a day. At first i cut my dose in half. And then i would occassionally not cut it in half, and then i just went back to my regular dose of 15 mg. I feel guilty every day i take it. I do lose my appetite for about 4 or 5 hours after i take adderall. But by late afternoon i am hungry and always eat a pre-dinner snack. And then i have a full dinner in the evening. And i always have a huge breakfast. For lunch i only eat a piece of fruit. I feel like a junkie sometimes, because i feel so guilty but i still won't stop taking it. Obviously i did lots of research online and i found nothing that should make me worry so much. Apparently second-hand smoke is worse for the baby than my government-prescribed crack. This forum definitely makes me feel better. I wish the FDA would do some research on this drug! Just look at all the pregnant women on it! Plenty of opportunity.
i am also pregnant and was taking 20 mg of adderall x2 a day/a few moths ago i became pregnant and ended up lossing the baby at 5 months from sevear complications ..i was at that time also taking my adderallthrough out the pregnancy..i wonder if it had some effect on me miscarring the baby, now my husband and i found out we are pregnant again..and ive stopped taking my pills, but still worried about side effects regaurdless...the only problem im having at the moment is that my efficiantcy level at work as dropped dramatically and now my job is hanging on the line because of my concentration level...i dont know what to do..so i too am looking for answers and havent found any,,
its probably not much but i did find this....
Adderall and Pregnancy Category C
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a pregnancy category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been studied in pregnant humans, but do appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies. Also, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a Pregnancy Category C rating.
Adderall was given a pregnancy Category C rating because it was shown to cause birth defects and miscarriages in mice. Other studies in rodents have shown that when Adderall was used during pregnancy, it caused problems with brain chemicals. This resulted in long-term learning and memory problems.
However, it is important to note that animals do not always respond to medicines in the same way that humans do. Therefore, a pregnancy Category C medicine may be given to a pregnant woman if the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the pregnant woman outweigh any possible risks to the unborn child.
Adderall and Pregnancy Category C
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a pregnancy category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been studied in pregnant humans, but do appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies. Also, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a Pregnancy Category C rating.
Adderall was given a pregnancy Category C rating because it was shown to cause birth defects and miscarriages in mice. Other studies in rodents have shown that when Adderall was used during pregnancy, it caused problems with brain chemicals. This resulted in long-term learning and memory problems.
However, it is important to note that animals do not always respond to medicines in the same way that humans do. Therefore, a pregnancy Category C medicine may be given to a pregnant woman if the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the pregnant woman outweigh any possible risks to the unborn child.
I have read that adderall is a class c which means it has not been researched in humans, but showed some defects in rats. Our bodies use drugs a lot different than rats so they don't consider it to be teratogenic. They actually say that you can continuie the use of the medication if the benefits outway the risks. Class D is the worst class, but I'm in the same boat and don't want to chance.
I am 14 weeks 2 days pregnant with my second child. prior to my pregnancy I took adderall xr 20 mg once daily. last week I asked my ob if i could start taking it again now that I am in my second trimester and he said yes I could as needed. I am really nervous about taking them. I want to be able to chat in email or on phone with anyone who used adderall or anything similar throughout their pregnancy and how the outcome was.
= nervous mommy
= nervous mommy
I was on Adderall XR 30mg twice daily for 7 years (they had to keep raising the dosage due to the tolerance I had built up to it). I found out I was pregnant after almost 5 weeks of taking it at my high dosage. My doctor thought it best to take me off of it for the remainder of my pregnancy. In the two months following I gained close to 35 pounds. I was depressed, and I was unknowingly self-medicating with any sugar subsitute I could get my hands on. My blood pressure was up, and even though I did not end up with pregnancy induced diabetes, my doctor decided to put me back on the adderall (at 30 mg ONCE a day) for the remainder of my pregnancy. My daughter is now 2 1/2 yrs. old and is completely normal. I know the best way would have been to stay off of it, but for me, I found I was much better with the medication.
One thing to consider - I know that it was HIGHLY advised that I not breastfeed while taking the medication. And last but not least, after years on Adderall, I found that I did not respond to the medication as well post pregnancy. Whether it be hormones or something else, I was not noticing any effects of the medication at all. I have recently been put on Vyvanse, and I highly recommend it to anyone. It doesn't give that huge push when it kicks in like Adderall XR, but it forces me to get up and start going on my own, and then assists me throughout the day at a steady push, instead of the highs and low's of the Adderall.
I hope this helps!
One thing to consider - I know that it was HIGHLY advised that I not breastfeed while taking the medication. And last but not least, after years on Adderall, I found that I did not respond to the medication as well post pregnancy. Whether it be hormones or something else, I was not noticing any effects of the medication at all. I have recently been put on Vyvanse, and I highly recommend it to anyone. It doesn't give that huge push when it kicks in like Adderall XR, but it forces me to get up and start going on my own, and then assists me throughout the day at a steady push, instead of the highs and low's of the Adderall.
I hope this helps!
My girlfriend and I used to use adderall to sneak out after school and stay up all night for like the first 2 months she was pregnant before we knew. Our daughter is now a year and a half old and seems to be developing the same as her 6 week older cousin. We were worried about her brain later in life because it was being developed during part of this period, but we still don't know if she really is fine.. we hope our choices as teenagers won't effect her later in life, but we won't know for sure yet. Also she smoked marijuana to deal with her morning sickness, which I read is widespread in jamacia with no ill effects (if not abused obviously).
Many ADD symptoms can be controlled through diet. My husband and I are trying to get pregnant and I'm on Adderall, which I will have to stop taking once I get pregnant, and that is my plan, to control my symptoms at least partially through diet.