Association Between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Benzodiazepines and Z-Hypnotics in Pregnancy—Questions Remain

Gestational Exposure to Benzodiazepines and Z-Hypnotics and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring

“…Important limitations are listed in Table 4. The most important limitation, one that was not acknowledged either by the authors of the study 9 or by the authors of a commentary 13 on the study, is subtle: the study failed to identify a statistically significant association between gestational drug exposure and ADHD in the crude (unadjusted) analyses not only in the main sample but even in the subsample of women with mental health conditions. Readers who are familiar with the research will be aware that there is an increased prevalence of genetic, environmental, behavioral, and other risk factors for adverse gestational outcomes among women who use psychotropic drugs during pregnancy and that, for this reason (confounding by indication), crude analyses almost always show relationships between gestational exposure to psychotropic drugs and adverse gestational outcomes.…”