Concerta Use In Pregnancy & Lactation

Use in Pregnancy: The safety of methylphenidate for use during human pregnancy has not been established. No studies are available on the use of Concerta in pregnant women. Concerta should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
Methylphenidate HCl has been shown to have teratogenic effects in rabbits when given in doses of 200 mg/kg/day, which is approximately 100 times the maximum recommended human dose on a mg/kg basis.
Teratogenic effects were not seen in rats at methylphenidate doses up to 30 mg/kg/day, resulting in an approximately systemic exposure to methylphenidate of 9-12 times that seen in trials in volunteers and patients with the maximum recommended dose of Concerta, based on pharmacokinetic data.
Methylphenidate did not impair fertility in mice that received up to 160 mg/kg/day methylphenidate in an 18-week Continuous Breeding study.
Use in Lactation: It is not known whether methylphenidate is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised if Concerta is administered to a nursing woman.