HealthDay News recently reported that expectant mothers suffering from fever or a headache may want to steer clear of acetaminophen. This is painkiller that is commonly known as Tylenol, though it comes in other forms as well. Research shows that acetaminophen's most common use is as an over-the-counter medication for pregnant women who experience fever or pain during their pregnancy.
Yet the unborn children of mothers who tool Tylenol while pregnant had up to 40% higher of a risk of being diagnosed with ADHD according to the research which involved more than 64,000 Danish mothers and their children. The study was published in Pediatrics and was the work of the head pf the epidemiology department at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles.
According to the study, pregnant women often turn to Tylenol to treat headaches, fever, and soreness. Doctors often encourage women to stay away from aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen, which are other painkillers commonly used for these symptoms. Because Tylenol is considered relatively "safe" for pregnant mothers, it is often the painkiller of choice in these incidents. Yet the research study shows that by the age of 7, children whose mothers took Tylenol when they were in the womb had a higher likelihood of being on ADHD medications and to exhibit ADHD behavioral problems. According to the research children whose mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant had up to 40% higher risk of being diagnosed with this illness.
The research team at UCLA also observed that mothers who took more acetaminophen had a higher chance of giving birth to a child with ADHD. When women took Tylenol for six weeks or more and in larger doses at 20 weeks or more, the possibility of having a child with ADHD was severely heightened. The maker of Tylenol, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, says that the medication's label directs women who are pregnant or breastfeeding to consult with a healthcare professional before using the product.
The chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park says that the research does not necessarily recommend a change in practice. This doctor says that physicians do not know of a medication safer than acetaminophen for pregnant women. They say that there are really no safe drugs for use with pregnant women at present.
The researchers on the study say that mothers who took acetaminophen during pregnancy had children with a 37% higher chance of receiving a hospital diagnosis for hyperkinetic disorder. This is a particularly severe form of ADHD. The children were also 20% more likely to require ADHD medication and 13% more likely to exhibit ADHD-like symptoms.
When a mother used acetaminophen medications for more than 20 weeks during pregnancy, the chance of the child developing ADHD rested at 50%. In response to this research, doctors in the study suggest that individuals avoid the use of Tylenol while they are pregnant. Still, the researchers admit that it is too early to determine that acetaminophen is definitively bad for the baby. Researchers say that pregnant women should do everything possible to avoid taking acetaminophen medications.
Since there are no ideal painkillers for pregnant women, some researchers agree that Tylenol is still the safest available alternative for pain. If you want to learn more, or if your child is suffering from ADHD and you believe it is as a result of acetaminophen that you took when you were pregnant, you may want to consider talking with a medical malpractice attorney today. If you wre not adequately warned about the dangers of acetaminophen, talk with an attorney today about options for lawsuits.