Potential Risks To The Fetus From Tylenol In Pregnancy
Performing a review of the most recent literature, the researchers found that acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy may be associated with reproductive and neurobehavioral abnormalities in both boys and girls.
In girls, prenatal acetaminophen exposure is associated with early puberty.
In both sexes, studies suggest exposure might increase the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , autism spectrum disorder, language delay and decreased intelligence quotient .
Figure 1 from Paracetamol use during pregnancy a call for precautionary action.
More research is needed to assess the timing, duration and dosage of acetaminophen usage, but numerous animal studies also back up these findings.
In rats, fetal exposure to acetaminophen has been shown to also cause reproductive disorders, reduced fertility later in life and changes in cognitive function and behavior.
Figure 2 from Paracetamol use during pregnancy a call for precautionary action.
Who Can And Cannot Take Diclofenac
Most adults can take diclofenac.
Children may be prescribed diclofenac to treat joint problems. Diclofenac tablets, capsules and suppositories are suitable for children aged 6 months and above.
Diclofenac gel is suitable for children aged 14 and above. Diclofenac plasters and patches are suitable for young people aged 16 and above.
Diclofenac is not suitable for some people. To make sure it’s safe for you, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you:
- have ever had an allergic reaction to diclofenac or any other medicines
- have a blood clotting disorder
- are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or breastfeeding
How Do I Store And/or Throw Out Tylenol Arthritis Pain
- Store at room temperature. Do not refrigerate or freeze.
- Protect from light.
- Store in a dry place. Do not store in a bathroom.
- Store in original container.
- Keep lid tightly closed.
- Keep all drugs in a safe place. Keep all drugs out of the reach of children and pets.
- Throw away unused or expired drugs. Do not flush down a toilet or pour down a drain unless you are told to do so. Check with your pharmacist if you have questions about the best way to throw out drugs. There may be drug take-back programs in your area.
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Dosage Forms & Strengths
Weight-based dosing
- Neonates 28-31 weeks gestation: 10-15 mg/kg/dose PO q12hr prn may administer an initial load of 20 mg/kg PO not to exceed 40 mg/kg/day or 48 hr of maximum dose
- Neonates 32-37 weeks gestation: 10-15 mg/kg/dose PO q8hr prn may administer an initial load of 20 mg/kg PO not to exceed 60 mg/kg/day or 48 hr of maximum dose
- Neonates 0-9 days: 10-15 mg/kg/dose PO q6-8hr prn may administer an initial load of 20 mg/kg PO not to exceed 60 mg/kg/day or 48 hr of maximum dose
- Neonates 10-29 days: 10-15 mg/kg/dose PO q4-8hr prn may administer an initial load of 20 mg/kg PO not to exceed 90 mg/kg/day or 48 hr of maximum dose
- Infants: 10-15 mg/kg/dose PO q4-6hr prn not to exceed 15 mg/kg/dose or 75 mg/kg/day
- Children and adolescents < 60 kg: 10-15 mg/kg/dose PO q4-6hr prn not to exceed 15 mg/kg/dose or 1,000 mg/dose, whichever is less or 75 mg/kg/day or 4,000 mg/day, whichever is less
Fixed dosing
- < 6 years: Ask a healthcare provider
- 6-12 years: 325-650 mg PO q4-6hr not to exceed 1.625 g/day for not more than 5 days unless directed by healthcare provider
- Regular strength: 325-650 mg q4-6hr not to exceed 3.25 g/day under supervision of healthcare professional, doses of up to 4 g/day may be used
- Extra strength: 1000 mg q6hr not to exceed 3 g/24hr under supervision of healthcare professional, doses of up to 4 g/day may be used
- Extended release: 1.3 g q8hr not to exceed 3.9 g/24hr
The Answer To The Question Is Tylenol Safe During Pregnancy Is No So Whats A Pregnant Women To Do
We now know that the answer to the question, Is Tylenol safe during pregnancy?, is no.
But since its not safe to take Tylenol during pregnancy, what pain medication is safe?
What pain remedies will help you during pregnancy without potentially harming your baby?
Glad you asked.
Alternatives to Tylenolbetter, safer remediescan be found in this post.
Related articles:
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What Are Some Natural Ways To Relieve Pain During Pregnancy
Sometimes you can get past minor or moderate pain with natural methods, such as:
- A warm bath or shower. Warm water can help alleviate minor muscle pain. Don’t make the water too hot.
- Ice. Apply an ice pack to an injured area to help reduce inflammation and numb pain. Use a layer between the ice and your skin so you don’t damage your skin, and only leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
- Heat. Apply a heating pad to an injured area to soothe sore muscles. Don’t make it too hot, and don’t apply directly to your abdomen.
- Exercise. Getting your body moving can release endorphins hormones that can help you better cope with pain. Stretching your spine and muscles and ligaments may help alleviate some of the pain and tension.
- Massage. A massage therapist who’s experienced treating pregnant women may help relieve stress and pain in muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
- Meditation, relaxation, and guided imagery. Training your mind and body to translate and cope with pain differently may be useful.
- Sleep. Your body heals during sleep and your mind rests so that you’ll be better able to tolerate pain.
Find out what aches and pains you’re likely to face, along with some tips for dealing with them in our roundup of common pregnancy aches and pains.
Learn more:
Can I Take Tylenol Pm While Pregnant
Most of the over-the-counter medications that you usually take are perfectly safe even during pregnancy but because there are some exceptions, you should always talk to your doctor before you take a medication while pregnant, whether it is over-the-counter, prescription or even an herbal remedy. You should also remember that vague symptoms that are normally fine to ignore may indicate serious complications during pregnancy. Before you take any over-the-counter medications, talk to your doctor and go over your current medications as safe medications may cause complications when interacting with other medicines. One of the concerns of pregnant women is that Can I take Tylenol PM during pregnancy?.
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Can Pregnant Women Take Tylenol
Tylenol is a pain reliever with the active ingredient acetaminophen, and it is one of the most commonly known pain relievers.
Its popularity is widespread such that most pregnant women use acetaminophen at some point during their pregnancy, most commonly to relieve headaches and fever. 65% of pregnant women in the United States have probably used acetaminophen during pregnancy.
A consensus statement advocating precaution on the use of acetaminophen while pregnant was posted in Nature Reviews Endocrinology in September 2021.
The statement, written by an international panel of obstetricians, neurologists, pediatricians, and researchers with knowledge of fetal growth, endocrinology, and toxicology, mainly advises pregnant patients on acetaminophen to use the following guidelines:
- If they are unsure about using acetaminophen, they should consult with their healthcare provider.
- Acetaminophen or Tylenol pregnancy use should be avoided unless prescribed by a doctor.
- They should use the lowest dose for the shortest amount of time.
Ra Drugs That Are Probably Safe To Take During Pregnancy
Most rheumatologists consider the following RA medications safe to take during pregnancy:
- Anakinra has not been shown to cause birth defects in animal studies.
- Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs likely are safe to take at recommended doses, though you should follow your doctors advice.
- Azathioprine is probably safe to take in pregnancy, but not when breastfeeding.
- Celecoxib is considered safe to take throughout pregnancy at recommended doses.
- Heparin and low molecular weight heparin can be useful in preventing blood clots in women with RA who develop clots or exhibit a high risk of clots during pregnancy.
- Immunoglobulin has not exhibited adverse effects on fetuses.
-
Sulfasalazine has a long track record of safety during pregnancy.
Rheumatoid arthritis need not prevent you from experiencing pregnancy and expanding your family. With expert advice from your doctors, you can manage your RA symptoms with medications that wont harm your unborn child.
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Natural Ways To Relieve Pain During Pregnancy
As much as the health professionals in the studies above advise against taking acetaminophen for pain during pregnancy, pregnant women still need other safe medications and remedies that ease the pain.
Some of the discomforts that pregnant women struggle with from the first trimester to the third that may warrant them needing pain relievers are
- Backaches and pains.
- Moderate pain in the uterus.
- Headaches and migraine.
- Reducing high fever.
Besides using Tylenol to treat pain as maternal-fetal medicine for the reasons highlighted above, there are other medications you must also avoid.
The first group is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines , widely used to treat pain and swelling. Ibuprofen , aspirin, and naproxen are examples of over-the-counter NSAIDs. These could potentially result in miscarriage when taken before 20 weeks. And after 20 weeks, it may cause kidney issues.
So to anyone asking themselves, can you take Aleve while pregnant? The answer is no!
The other group to avoid during pregnancy are opioid painkillers like Codeine, Hydrocodone , and Meperidine . These raise the risks of miscarriages, premature birth, and neonatal abstinence syndrome when a child is born dependent on a substance.
Instead of using Tylenol or any of the above while pregnant, here are natural ways that doctors may suggest and are safe during pregnancy to relieve pain:
Taking Tylenol Cold While Pregnant
Like Tylenol PM, Tylenol Cold and Tylenol Sinus consists of multiple drugs. In addition to acetaminophen, both contain a drug called phenylephrine, a decongestant found in many sinus and cold medications, that can affect blood flow to the placenta and should be avoided during pregnancy.
This decongestant causes short-term, moderate constriction of blood vessels, leading to increased blood pressure. In pregnant women, this elevation in blood pressure can temporarily decrease the amount of blood flowing to the placenta, Roshan explains. While the risk to the baby long-term is low, its recommended to avoid any medications that can cause an increase in blood pressure during pregnancy, including phenylephrine.
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What Are The Risks Of Taking Tylenol While Pregnant
No medication is considered 100 percent safe to take during pregnancy. But acetaminophen has been widely used for decades, and extensive research shows that it’s safe to take during pregnancy. It has not been shown to increase the chance for miscarriage or birth defects.
Of course, it’s important to take the right dose. Taking too much acetaminophen can cause liver and kidney damage and anemia in pregnant women and their babies.
There’s no high-quality conclusive evidence in humans that acetaminophen when taken correctly increases the risk of other problems, though researchers are studying whether taking acetaminophen during pregnancy might lead to:
It Is An Endocrine Disruptor
Acetaminophen is a known endocrine disruptor. That implies it can tamper with hormones and chemicals essential for normal growth, perhaps putting it off course.
According to the same consensus statement, some data suggest that acetaminophen exposure during pregnancyâparticularly high dosages or recurrent useâmay raise the chance of early puberty in females or male fertility issues such as reduced sperm count.
It is also linked to other difficulties such as hypospadias or undescended testicles, a birth abnormality in which the hole in the head of the penile is not in the correct position. It could contribute to attention deficit disorder and a lower IQ.
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Your Doctor Is Unfortunately Completely Wrong And Totally Misinformed
The real answer to the question is Tylenol safe during pregnancy is that there is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that Tylenol is not safe during pregnancy or during infancy.
Your doctor should not be recommending Tylenol during pregnancy.
And you should not be taking Tylenol during pregnancy.
If youre pregnant and youve already taken Tylenol, take a deep breath.
Its okay.
Theres no reason to feel guilty.
You didnt know.
You asked your doctor is Tylenol safe during pregnancy and your doctor said yes.
But now you are learning that your doctor was wrong.
Your doctor may be wrong about other things related to pregnancy too.
Thats okay.
The information below will inform and empower you.
Dont feel guilty.
Its not too late to make a change to improve your health and have a healthier pregnancy and awesome birth.
Is Tylenol safe during pregnancy? Absolutely not.
Ill explain why.
Acetaminophen, called paracetamol in Europe and Spanish-speaking countries, depletes the body of glutathione.
Glutathione is a naturally occurring chemical compound that plays several important roles in your body.
You need glutathione to rid your body of toxic substances.
Its a powerful antioxidant, one that many doctors believe is essential to maintaining lasting good health.
Your body makes its own glutathione, which is good news.
But you need that glutathione.
You want more of it in your body to be healthy, not less.
Is depleting your body of glutathione safe during pregnancy? No.
Paper Recommends Warning Labels New Fda Review
The statement also included recommendations for European and U.S. regulatory agencies, including the following measures:
- Acetaminophen and any drugs that contain acetaminophen should include recommendations for use during pregnancy on the label.
- The FDA and Europe Medicines Agency should conduct new safety reviews of the drug and update recommendations accordingly.
- Additional studies that examine the use of acetaminophen and acetaminophen-containing drugs should be conducted to more accurately determine if and how the drugs should be dosed, for how long, and at what time during pregnancy.
The time has come for us to reassess what we thought we knew about acetaminophen and to take a more cautionary approach. As we learn more about fetal development and the many medications and infections that can impair normal development, greater caution is warranted, says Dr. Waldorf.
Neale agrees, saying, An FDA review of the recent evidence seems appropriate, and further study could provide more clarity about how acetaminophen should be used. What are the real risks of this relationship between using the medication and issues with fetal health it is just an association or is it causation?
“We would be remiss if we ignore whats outlined in this paper,” says Neale. We want to keep our moms and babies healthy, and we want our babies to grow into young people who can achieve their best potential.
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How Is This Medicine Best Taken
Use Tylenol Arthritis Pain as ordered by your doctor. Read all information given to you. Follow all instructions closely.
- Take with or without food.
- Swallow whole. Do not chew, break, or crush.
- Take with a full glass of water.
What do I do if I miss a dose?
- If you take Tylenol Arthritis Pain on a regular basis, take a missed dose as soon as you think about it.
- If it is close to the time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your normal time.
- Do not take 2 doses at the same time or extra doses.
- Many times Tylenol Arthritis Pain is taken on an as needed basis. Do not take more often than told by the doctor.
Its Not Just Acetaminophen
Dr. Edward Hallowell, child and adult psychiatrist, founder of the Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health, and leading authority in the field of ADHD, told Healthline its important to remember that the vast majority of ADHD is passed along through genes.
He adds that other factors should also be considered.
Pregnant mothers who drink too much alcohol or are exposed to tobacco smoke put their unborn child at risk for developing ADHD, Hallowell said. Additionally, any kind of head trauma to the fetus, like trauma to the mothers abdomen during pregnancy, a forceps delivery, or a difficult C-section can lead to ADHD, as well as a lack of oxygen at birth from respiratory distress.
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Acetaminophen Use May Be Medically Necessary During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, using acetaminophen may be medically necessary and an important tool to treat high fever, according to the authors.
Neale agrees, saying, The risks and benefits are always weighed in prescribing any medication, and there are times when the benefits of Tylenol will clearly outweigh any risk,” says Neale.
For example, if a pregnant woman has a fever, that is not good. Depending on at what point in the pregnancy an elevated body temperature happens, it can lead to congenital abnormalities, particularly neural tube defects or spina bifida, she says.
If its a choice between letting the patient have a fever or using acetaminophen to bring the fever down, acetaminophen will be used for fever reduction, says Neale. But in many cases, we might just need to use two doses to achieve that, and then we wouldnt use it anymore, she says.
If you are currently pregnant and have used Tylenol sparingly in this way, its likely that wouldnt lead to any of the negative effects that the authors write about in this paper, she adds.
Acetaminophen Still Needed In Some Cases
The study notes that more than 50% of pregnant women globally use acetaminophen during pregnancy. The medication may be used in the treatment of mild to moderate pain, as well as to reduce fever.
Last year, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a statement that noted ACOG and obstetrician-gynecologists across the country have always identified acetaminophen as one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant individuals during pregnancy.
Dr. Ilina Pluym, a maternal and fetal medicine doctor at UCLA Health, says that the study will not alter her practice of recommending acetaminophen to pregnant women when needed.
As the study described, there were many limitations, including the fact that these results are based on surveys mothers completed which require maternal recall of medication use and maternal interpretation of child behavior, Pluym told Healthline.
I routinely recommend acetaminophen for my patients when there is a medical indication such as pain or fever and this study will not change my practice. There is previously published abundant safety data on acetaminophen use in pregnancy and withholding treatment for a maternal illness poses risk to the pregnancy as well, she added. Acetaminophen is my analgesic of choice for maternal fever, headaches, or other muscle aches.
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