UW Med: Child ADHD risk linked to mother’s use of acetaminophen

A few of the many brands of acetaminophen for sale over the counter

Fetal acetaminophen exposure increases the likelihood that a child will develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study published this month in Nature Mental Health.

Prior research shows that upward of 70% of pregnant women use acetaminophen during pregnancy to control pain or reduce fever. 

The drug, which is the active ingredient of many pain-relief medications, is one of the few considered safe to take during pregnancy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The new findings suggest, however, that doctors should reconsider prescribing medications with acetaminophen to mothers during pregnancy, the researchers said.

“This medication was also approved decades ago, and may need reevaluation by the FDA,” said Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, a UW Medicine pediatrician and the paper’s senior author. 

 “Acetaminophen was never evaluated for fetal exposures in relations to long-term neurodevelopmental impacts.”

Find out more about this research in this UW Medicine Newsroom release.