Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOwbtF0jPOI/Pregnancy is a blessed event, but it is accompanied by discomfort and, at times, outright pain.  The golden rule during these 9 months is to avoid all but absolutely necessary medications. Over the years, the pain and fever medication of choice has been acetaminophen, better known as the brand Tylenol.Now, some government officials are warning that acetaminophen during pregnancy might be linked to the later development of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and autism spectrum disorders.  Let’s review what we do know about this issue.In 2024, epidemiologists, neonatologists, and obstetrician-gynecologists at Sweden’s famed Karolinska Institute published a study of nearly 2.5 million Swedish mothers, children and their siblings in the Journal of the American Medical Association or JAMA.  It failed to show any statistically significant increased risk for autism, ADHD-hyperactivity, or intellectual disability associated with acetaminophen use during preg