JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – President Donald Trump recently stated, “If you’re pregnant, don’t take Tylenol,” a directive that has caused confusion among expectant mothers.
A local emergency medicine physician is speaking out after the president’s comments, saying her goal is to help parents understand what they should know about taking Tylenol while pregnant.
“Making these types of comments can cause a lot of unnecessary fear in expectant mothers,” explained Dr. Sonya Rashid. “Tylenol is really only, really the only fever-reducing medication a mother can take safely in pregnancy, because it’s not going to have as many effects on the fetus. And if a mother is having a fever in pregnancy, that can be really bad for the fetus or the developing child.”
Dr. Rashid shared that there’s no link to Tylenol and autism.
“We really don’t have great data or large studies that show a definitive link between autism and Tylenol,” she said. “So making these types of comments can cause a lot of unnecessary fear in expectant mothers or mothers that have already had children creating anxiety and worry that there really is no evidence for.”
She continued to explain that Tylenol has been used commonly among pregnant women because NSAID’s (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), like Motrin, Advil, and Aleve, are not viable options for them.
“NSAIDs are really kind of a no go for pregnancy, especially depending on what trimester of the pregnancy the woman is in, just because they can be harmful to the fetus and to the developing kidneys. So for most part, we say do not use NSAIDs,” Rashid said.
The administration also announced steps to approve a drug called leucovorin as a treatment for autism. However, experts caution that the drug requires much more study before approval.
Dr. Rashid clarified the current medical use of leucovorin: “We give leucovorin to people who kind of have autoimmune disorders, sometimes, when they are not making enough folic acid, because it’s like an active form of folic acid.”
She added, “I wouldn’t really understand how that would be a cure for autism, as we were talking about, which is, like, a huge spectrum of, like, diseases and behaviors, which I wouldn’t really understand how leucovorin would be the cure for that.”
With so much information circulating, Dr. Rashid encourages pregnant women to consult their healthcare providers.
“Talk to someone who can help you further understand what’s going on in the news and the media, and that, you know, honestly, what’s more important is woman’s health when she’s pregnant, and making sure that she’s taking care of herself in the fetus. And so that means treating your pain, treating your headache, and treating that fever,” she said.
President Donald Trump blasted Tylenol earlier this week, promoting unproven links between the pain reliever and autism and pushing the well-established treatment into another national image crisis.
The attack on Tylenol by the U.S. president was unprecedented but not exactly new territory for one of the world’s most common pain relievers. Tylenol already has faced dozens of lawsuits regarding the autism claim, and it dealt with cyanide poisonings in the 1980s that led to a product recall.
“A lot of the claims that were shared have just not been backed by evidence‚” said Ayer, a nurse practitioner in Jacksonville, who is about 17 weeks pregnant with her first child. She said Trump’s words have implications “for patients across the country and even across the world.”
The attack from Trump could invite more litigation and lead customers to switch to alternatives. But the maker of Tylenol, Kenvue Inc., is refuting Trump’s challenge, and analysts think loyalty to a product that has been on the market since the 1950s may ultimately limit damage.
Shares of Kenvue had shed about 20% of their value so far this year. The stock slipped as the week started with investors awaiting Trump’s news conference.
But shares rallied nearly 3% on Tuesday, as investors realized things could have been worse. Falorni said some had worried that Tylenol would be banned or that new data establishing a direct link between acetaminophen and autism would be released.