President Donald Trump on Monday warned pregnant women not to take Tylenol, exaggerating and mischaracterizing the science regarding the safety of the drug. Trump made the pronouncement during a press conference in which he and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued pushing questionable science about autism.
‘Don’t take Tylenol,’ Trump tells pregnant women
During a Monday press conference, Trump discussed new federal guidelines concerning the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, by pregnant women. Trump claimed that Tylenol use by pregnant women has been linked to autism. “Taking Tylenol is not good. Alright, I’ll say it. It’s not good,” he said. “For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary. That’s, for instance, in cases of extremely high fever.”
As the press conference continued, Trump went even further, urging pregnant women not to take Tylenol at all and stating that children shouldn’t take Tylenol either. “Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump said emphatically. “There’s no downside. Don’t take it. You’ll be uncomfortable, it won’t be as easy, maybe, but don’t take it. If you’re pregnant, don’t take Tylenol and don’t give it to the baby after the baby is born,” Trump urged.
Trump’s alarmist warning does not match the more measured new FDA recommendation
Trump’s words at the press conference were much more emphatic and alarmist than those issued in the new FDA guideline that he referenced. In a “Notice to Physicians on the Use of Acetaminophen During Pregnancy,” Food and Drug Administration commissioner Martin Makary wrote, “In recent years, evidence has accumulated suggesting that the use of acetaminophen by pregnant women may be associated with an increased risk of neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD in children.” However, Makary acknowledged, “To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature.” Citing the issue as “an ongoing area of scientific debate,” Makary wrote that “clinicians should consider minimizing the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy for routine low-grade fevers.” Makary also acknowledged that “acetaminophen is the safest over-the-counter alternative in pregnancy among” major pain relief medication.
Trump, Kennedy warnings defy beyond scientific consensus
During Trump’s press conference, Trump and Kennedy yet again promoted the idea of a link between vaccines and autism. They exaggerated the number of vaccines that babies and young children are generally given and approved the use of a drug known as leucovorin to treat symptoms of autism despite limited research on using the drug for that purpose. Scientific consensus holds that there is no demonstrated link between vaccines and autism, and while an association between acetaminophen use by pregnant women and autism in children has been observed in studies, a causal link has not been established between the drug and autism. The new FDA recommendations are similar to existing guidelines that caution pregnant women to limit their use of acetaminophen while still recommending it for cases such as high fever. Kenvue, the company that produces Tylenol, stated, “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” per NPR. The company added, “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers and parents.”
For now, medical consensus suggests a cautious approach by pregnant women when it comes to Tylenol use, and the new FDA regulations do not change that approach, despite Trump’s dramatic warnings. Furthermore, the efforts by Trump and RFK Jr. to link vaccines and autism still do not have scientific backing to support the radical changes being promoted by the Trump administration.
