Taking Acetaminophen During Pregnancy Linked to ADHD Risk in Child

Women who take acetaminophen during pregnancy may give birth to children who are at slightly higher risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. That’s the conclusion of a large epidemiological study of more than 60,000 Danish women.

Those who reported taking acetaminophen, the ingredient in Tylenol, were 13% more likely to have children with hyperactive behavior at age seven. These youngsters were also more likely to receive a medical diagnosis of ADHD or be prescribed stimulant medications such as Ritalin.

The more weeks the mothers took acetaminophen during their pregnancy, the stronger the association. Association is not causation, but pregnant women should limit their exposure to drugs unless such medicines are essential.

[JAMA Pediatrics, Feb. 24, 2014]

We discussed the diagnosis and (over)treatment of ADHD in a one-hour interview with Enrico Gnaulati, PhD, author of Back to Normal: Why Ordinary Childhood Behavior Is Mistaken for ADHD, Bipolar Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, founder of www.drgreene.com and author of Raising Baby Green and Feeding Baby Green.

7/5/18 redirected to:  https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/watch-out-for-pain-relievers-when-trying-to-conceive/