Tylenol (acetaminophen) is one of the most common medications taken during pregnancy, but a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) may put a halt to this practice. The study found that pregnant women who take Tylenol at least one day a week over a 20 week period are at the highest risk of having a baby who is subsequently diagnosed with HKD (hyperkinetic disorder), ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder) and ADHD-like behaviors. Children whose mothers took Tylenol while pregnant had up to a 40% higher risk of having a diagnosis of ADHD. In addition, the risk of ADHD appeared to increase with the amount of Tylenol taken by the mother during pregnancy. Strong effects of Tylenol consumption were seen when pregnant women took the drug for 6 weeks or more, and the effects were even stronger when mothers took the drug for 20 weeks or more. In fact, the risk for the ADHD disorders increased to 50% when expecting mothers took Tylenol for more than 20 weeks.
This study is getting a lot of attention because Tylenol has been thought of as one of the only medications that pregnant women can take for fever and pain – neither aspirin nor ibuprofen (Advil) should be taken during pregnancy, according to most medical experts. In addition, fever in a pregnant woman must be controlled because it can cause serious injury to a developing baby.
What should pregnant women take for pain and fever?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and CNN medical correspondent, suggests using non-medicinal treatments for pain, such as massage. Dr. Gupta does recommend taking Tylenol for fever, however, since fever can be extremely dangerous for a baby. He emphasizes that it is important to minimize consumption of Tylenol when pregnant. It is important for pregnant women to discuss all over the counter medications they are considering taking – including herbal supplements – with their physicians.