Expectant mothers might want to think twice the next time they’re in the pharmacy.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioral condition that affects approximately 7 million US children, including about a million kids diagnosed since 2016.
The reason for the recent rise in diagnoses is under debate — a new study in the journal Nature Mental Health suggests the culprit could be in your medicine cabinet.
Researchers analyzed blood samples from 307 pregnant women between 2006 and 2011 and found that children born to mothers who used acetaminophen during pregnancy had an 18% prevalence of ADHD, compared to 9% in children whose mothers did not take the popular over-the-counter pain reliever.
Notably, the likelihood of an ADHD diagnosis was more than three times greater in children whose mothers had detectable acetaminophen levels in their blood.
Even more remarkable is that daughters were six times more likely to develop ADHD if the mom used acetaminophen during pregnancy, while the effect was less pronounced among sons.
Acetaminophen treats fevers, headaches, muscle aches and menstrual cramps.
Not everyone realizes that it’s also the primary active ingredient in Tylenol, which is commonly prescribed to expectant mothers to relieve discomfort.
An estimated 40% to 60% of pregnant women take Tylenol at some point in their pregnancy.
While the drug is considered generally safe to use during pregnancy, lead study author Brennan Baker, a researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI), noted that previous research relied on self-reported data, which may not accurately reflect acetaminophen use.
“This medication was also approved decades ago and may need reevaluation by the FDA,” said co-author Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, a pediatrician at SCRI. “Acetaminophen was never evaluated for fetal exposures in relation to long-term neurodevelopmental impacts.”
Previous research on the potential link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and ADHD has produced mixed results. For instance, a large Swedish study found no correlation, while Norwegian research did identify a connection.
In 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration said studies on the safety of using Tylenol while pregnant were “too limited to make any recommendations.”
But the agency recommended that pregnant women seek advice from their doctor before taking Tylenol.
“Because of this uncertainty, the use of pain medicines during pregnancy should be carefully considered,” the FDA statement said. “We urge pregnant women to always discuss all medicines with their health care professionals before using them.”
