Published in JAMA in 2014 is Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Behaviorial Problems and Hyperkinetic Disorders. Ultimately, what was observed is that the more acetaminophen a woman took during pregnancy, the greater the likelihood their child was diagnosed with ADHD or HKD (a severe form of ADHD). They reason is that acetaminophen can cross the placental barrier, but it’s also likely that acetaminophen alters maternal hormone function and this affects fetal brain development.
Aceteminophen is likely the most commonly used over the counter pain and fever reducing medication in the US. Despite pregnancy being a time where mothers are increasingly aware of what goes into their bodies, over 50% report taking acetaminophen at least once. Acetaminophen is regarded as “generally recognized as safe”.
The issue here is that there’s little data to suggest that acetaminophen is actually safe during pregnancy since it wasn’t until 1993 that pregnant women were included in scientific medical studies. While innocent until proven guilty might be acceptable in a court of law, I’m not convinced this should be our approach with medication use during pregnancy.
More and more data comes to light that despite acetaminophen being available over the counter, it may not be as benign as much of the public would think. Tylenol is actually the leading cause of liver failure in the US. And the range between a safe dose and a toxic dose is smaller than most are aware of. Further, acetaminophen is present in a lot of products, so people could be overdosing on acetaminophen and not even know it.
When considering whether or not to treat, it’s always important to consider benefits, risks and alternatives. The benefits of acetaminophen would be to palliate present concerns, risks are still coming to light and depending on the concern, there may be many safer alternatives. It’s my suspicion that many pregnant women are turning to acetaminophen for low back pain that commonly comes with pregnancy. In this case, I would suggest that chiropractic care is not only a safer option for managing that discomfort, but also more effective and carries with it many additional benefits.
Find yourself a chiropractor who is certified in providing chiropractic to pregnant women at www.ICPA4kids.org.
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