Study: Tylenol in Pregnancy Linked to ADHD
by William White | February 25, 2014 1:56 pm
A recent study has linked Tylenol, made by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ[1]) subsidiary McNeil Consumer Healthcare, to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children whose mothers’ took the pain reliever during pregnancy[2].
[3]The study found that mothers who took drugs that contained acetaminophen, including Tylenol, were 40% more likely to have a child with ADHD. The study was conducted with the help of 64,000 Danish mothers and their children. The study started asking the women about their acetaminophen use before ADHD was diagnosed to avoid what is called “recall bias,” reports The Los Angeles Times.
“The strongest effects were seen when a woman said she had taken it for six weeks or more, and even more strongly at 20 weeks or more,” Dr. Beate Ritz, co-author of the study, told Philly.com[4]. “We always thought acetaminophen is kind of harmless and not so bad to take during pregnancy, and probably it is, if you take it once or twice. But if you take it repeatedly, you see these risks creeping up.”
The study doesn’t advise swearing off Tylenol or other drugs that contain acetaminophen and states that physicians shouldn’t change their views on the drug. Other medical experts agree with this statement and claim that the high fevers that Tylenol reduces can cause other problems in children, the L.A. Times notes.
- JNJ: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=JNJ
- took the pain reliever during pregnancy: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-tylenol-pregnancy-adhd-risk-20140224,0,2353473.story#axzz2uGNzFmji
- [Image]: https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/pills_spilling_prescription_bottle_185_flickr.jpg
- Philly.com: http://www.philly.com/philly/health/womenshealth/HealthDay685181_20140224_Use_of_Tylenol_in_Pregnancy_Tied_to_Higher_ADHD_Risk_in_Child.html
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/02/tylenol-jnj-stock-acetaminophen-adhd/