A new study suggests that fewer pregnant women are taking acetaminophen – the active ingredient in Tylenol. The study comes after President Donald Trump said in September that taking the drug while pregnant increases the risk of autism in babies, which contradicts medical research.
The study showed that acetaminophen orders for pregnant patients in U.S. emergency rooms are down 10% in the months since Trump’s announcement, but medical research says that the drug is safe to take while pregnant.
“If I want to help a patient who is pregnant, and they have fever or pain, I’ll tell you, I’m reaching for acetaminophen first because it’s the safest,” said Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician from Brigham and Women’s hospital. “People who are experiencing pain or a fever deserve safe treatment.”
The March study, led by Faust and published in the medical journal The Lancet, showed that acetaminophen usage by pregnant women has decreased, but it did not specify whether patients are declining the drug or if doctors aren’t prescribing it as often.
Major medical associations, including The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, say acetaminophen is the only safe over-the-counter option for treating pain or fever while pregnant.
Faust said that not reducing a pregnant patient’s fever can lead to more issues.
“The message that was proffered was, well, don’t take it just to be safe on the safe side, and actually, that doesn’t really work here,” Faust said. “And the reason is that untreated fever itself could be a problem for the fetus.”
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