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posted by Dopefish on Wednesday February 26 2014, @05:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the will-somebody-think-of-the-children? dept.

GungnirSniper writes:

"The Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics, has found that use of acetaminophen (paracetamol) during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk for HKDs [hyperkinetic disorders] and ADHD-like behaviors in children. More than half of all mothers in the study reported acetaminophen use while pregnant.

The LA Times has a longer and lighter story about the study which reminds us 'that unchecked fevers have been associated with a number of poor health outcomes in babies, including lowered IQs.'

Led by neuropsychologist Miriam Cooper of the University of Cardiff in Wales, the group wrote that without more details on how acetaminophen might lay the foundations for later ADHD, and when and in whom it is most likely to boost risk, the current findings should be interpreted cautiously and should not change practice.

For pregnant women, the study underscores that, even when a medication is billed as safe, the safest route is to take it as rarely as possible and at the lowest effective dose, said UCLA obstetrician Dr. Daniel Kahn, a maternal-fetal health specialist who was not involved in the study.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't?"

 
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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday February 26 2014, @05:28AM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday February 26 2014, @05:28AM (#7128) Journal

    Damned if you do, damned if you don't?

    The way I know, paracetamol is not the only anti-fever drug, is it?

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by WildWombat on Wednesday February 26 2014, @06:13AM

    by WildWombat (1428) on Wednesday February 26 2014, @06:13AM (#7144)

    --"The way I know, paracetamol is not the only anti-fever drug, is it?"

    No, its not the only one. However all the other commonly available anti-inflammatory drugs are also contraindicated during pregnancy. Acetaminophen was, and probably still is even taking this news into account, one of the safer pain killers to take during pregnancy. There are a number of articles recommending it as the one to take during pregnancy, although they still usually contain a disclaimer to take it as little as possible.

    For instance in the US Acetaminophen is rated pregnancy category B while ibuprofen [wikipedia.org] and aspirin [wikipedia.org] are both in category D.

    Wikipedia has a decent bit on how different countries categorize [wikipedia.org] drugs for use during pregnancy.

    Also, from the abstract over 64,000 children were in the study. Its large scale studies like this that really help push medical knowledge forward. Major Kudos to the people who helped put that together.

    Not usually a disclaimer kind of guy but since its medical stuff...I'm not a doctor and the above isn't medical advice. And if you're ever tempted to take medical advice from a Wombat then you probably really need medical advice more advanced than a Wombat can administer.

    Cheers,
    -WW

    P.S. Yes, Wombat is a proper noun you insensitive clod.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by weilawei on Wednesday February 26 2014, @06:41AM

      by weilawei (109) on Wednesday February 26 2014, @06:41AM (#7155)

      If Wombat is a proper noun, does that mean you (they?) have dissociative identity disorder, since you used the indefinite article? ;-)

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday February 26 2014, @08:35AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday February 26 2014, @08:35AM (#7200) Journal

      No, its not the only one. However all the other commonly available anti-inflammatory drugs are also contraindicated during pregnancy.

      So I learnt, thank you.

      Yes, Wombat is a proper noun you insensitive clod.

      Yeah... nah, mate, am not insensitive. For other clods (be them insensitive or not) who may not know: see here [wikipedia.org].

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday February 26 2014, @10:50PM

      by frojack (1554) on Wednesday February 26 2014, @10:50PM (#7605) Journal

      The pregnancy risk is probably overstated, the principal risk factor to the fetus of aspirin use during pregnancy is Reye's syndrome, however this is merely speculative at this point, because aspirin association with Reye's syndrome, has ONLY been associated with aspirin consumption by children with viral illness, but Reye's also occurs in the absence of aspirin use and has also associated with Tylenol.

      Aspirin readily crosses the placental barrier. This is the principal origin of the categorization, not any actual studies showing real risk to the fetus.

      The interesting thing about aspirin is not JUST that it is good for so many different things, but if it were discovered today, you probably wouldn't be able to get it approved simply for the gastrointestinal risks alone.

      --
      No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.