Pain Reliever Usage During Pregnancy Linked To ADHD
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Acetaminophen is the most common pain reliever used by expectant moms. But now, according to a new study, pregnant women who take acetaminophen run a higher risk of their children developing ADHD.
Researchers at UCLA looked at data from a 17-year study that followed 64,000 mothers and children in Denmark.
They saw an increase in ADHD and the more severe hyperkinetic disorder for the women who took acetaminophen.
The link was strongest the longer a woman took the pain reliever into the second and third trimester.
"Medication that we thought was fairly safe to use during pregnancy for pain relief actually might increase the chance of a child to later develop ADHD," said Dr. Beate Ritz, a senior study author with UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health.
Researchers say more study is needed to confirm the findings.