Pregnant women who take drugs like Ritalin Tied to Heart Defects in Babies

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Pregnant women who take drugs like Ritalin and Concerta for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely than those who don't to have babies with heart deformities and other birth defects, a recent study suggests.

Researchers examined data on more than 1.8 million pregnancies in the U.S., including 2,072 women who used methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Daytrana) and 5,571 who took an amphetamine (Adderall) during their first trimester.

Overall, women who took methylphenidate were 11 percent more likely to have a baby with birth defects and 28 percent more likely to have infants with heart malformations than women who didn't take stimulants for ADHD during pregnancy.

There was no increased risk of birth defects in general or heart malformations specifically with amphetamines like Adderall, the researchers found.

"Our findings suggest that there might be a small increase in the risk of cardiac malformations associated with intrauterine exposure to methylphenidate," said lead study author Krista Huybrechts of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

"Although the absolute risk is small, it is nevertheless important evidence to consider when weighing the potential risks and benefits of different treatment strategies for ADHD in young women of reproductive age and in pregnant women," Huybrechts said by email.