Acetaminophen in Pregnancy and Child's ADHD Risk
Risk increases with longer use, researchers say; experts caution the finding needs verification
Based on these findings, Ritz said she would caution pregnant women against using acetaminophen.
"If I as a woman were pregnant, I would do everything I could to avoid any of these medications," she said. "It's hard to tell women in severe pain to not take any painkillers, but I wouldn't recommend any repeated use of acetaminophen without seeing a doctor, and we can't recommend the other painkillers because they have more side effects."
Adesman agreed that women should talk with their doctor before taking any medication during pregnancy, but added that it's too soon to rule out acetaminophen as unsafe.
"We should clarify this as quickly as possible from a research standpoint," Adesman said, urging doctors to verify the UCLA findings through follow-up studies.