Perhaps you’ve been taking medication to manage your ADHD symptoms for a while now. You’ve noticed a steady improvement in your quality of life as a result. You’re performing better at work, and you’re a more reliable friend and partner.
Plus, you’ve been able to keep your home organized and tidy. The benefits of your medication have been a huge relief. For the first time, you feel like you’re able to handle your daily to-do lists and keep up with all of your responsibilities.
But now, life has thrown you a curveball. You’ve found out that you’re pregnant. Now, you’re not sure if you should keep taking your medication. Whether your pregnancy was planned or not, it can still be tough to make these sorts of decisions regarding your mental health.
Here are a few factors you can take into account as you decide how to manage your ADHD symptoms during your pregnancy.
Making Judgments with Limited Information
Why is it so difficult to decide whether or not you should continue taking your ADHD medication while pregnant? Simply put, there’s very little information regarding the effects of ADHD meds on expecting mothers or fetuses during pregnancy.
Medical researchers often avoid explicitly testing medications on pregnant women for ethical reasons. Therefore, this means that in many cases, pregnant women and their doctors must make these decisions with minimal peer-reviewed data. If you’re struggling with this decision, know that this is normal.
Talk to Your Doctor First
Prior to quitting your medication, requesting to switch to a different medication, or changing your dosage, you must make an appointment with your doctor to go over your questions. They can go over your current medication regimen, talk about different possibilities for your pregnancy, and help you change your current medications or dosage if appropriate.
If you would prefer to stop using your medication temporarily, they can also help you do this while keeping your symptoms at bay.
Schedule a Session with Your Therapist
Next, it’s time to get in touch with your therapist. Let them know about your pregnancy, and talk about the conversation you had with your doctor. No matter your decisions about medication, they can help you adjust to any changes in your medication regimen.
Keep Up with Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Sticking with any beneficial lifestyle habits or executive functioning strategies you started when you began treating your ADHD is key during your pregnancy. Talk to your therapist about how you can continue with these methods as your lifestyle changes throughout your pregnancy.
You may need to shift your routines somewhat, and at times, it might be hard to commit to habits like regular exercise. It’s okay if you need to adjust your expectations, or if you need more support to maintain these routines. By working with your therapist, you can come up with a realistic “lifestyle management” plan.
Check in with Your Healthcare Providers Regularly
Throughout your pregnancy, you’ll have plenty of doctor’s appointments. At these appointments, feel free to bring up any concerns you may have about your medication, your ADHD symptoms, or your mental health in general.
Additionally, make sure to schedule consistent therapy appointments. You may want to shift to virtual appointments to save yourself travel time, especially as you enter your third trimester. Keep your therapist up to date on how you’re feeling in general, as well as how you’re handling your ADHD symptoms.
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Are you trying to figure out how to manage your ADHD symptoms while pregnant? A therapist can help you work through these decisions. Connect with us to learn more about our ADHD therapy services or postpartum/perinatal therapy.