Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Autism

[JMartJr]

On Monday, the President announced that his administration is lining up behind claims that acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol and similar), if taken by women during pregnancy, can cause autism:

President Donald Trump claimed Monday that acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, is linked to autism, despite experts warning that studies on this question are mixed, and no publicly released study shows Tylenol is a direct cause.

Speaking from the White House, where he was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., among others, the president told reporters that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would begin notifying physicians immediately of its recommendation that pregnant women should avoid taking Tylenol during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary. He added that the FDA would update the label for acetaminophen with additional information and language about the purported risk.
...
Scientific studies examining the potential link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism ... have produced inconclusive results in the past...

In the wake of the announcement, major medical groups pushed back, saying Tylenol is the safest painkiller during pregnancy and warning that Trump's strong language could discourage women from using it, even when it is medically advised.

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness...enol-acetaminophen-parents/story?id=125812742

There has been some dissent, for example:

Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence (CARE) at Boston University and founder of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, called the administration's announcement "appalling." She said it was "a very significant distortion" of what science says about any possible links between acetaminophen and autism.

The message "is likely to impact millions of lives of pregnant women right now. Mothers of autistic children who are going to be so fearful that this is what they did to cause their child's autism, which is absolutely not the case," Tager-Flusberg said.

Speaking to NPR's Michel Martin, Tager-Flusberg, who has studied autism for decades, responded to claims Trump made about autism, acetaminophen...

Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/23/nx-s1-5550182/trump-vaccines-tylenol-autism-acetaminophen

This is all based on studies said by some to be insufficient for the conclusions the administration is drawing, but I am having little luck in finding information on the actual studies, and interpreting them may be beyond my pay-grade in any case. So I turn to the team here, who are quite good at finding the information, and deconstructing faulty interpretations of it. Any light that can be share here would be valuable, and appreciated.

Quotes edited to remove reference to other related claims.

 

[Landru]

On Monday, the President announced that his administration is lining up behind claims that acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol and similar), if taken by women during pregnancy, can cause autism:

President Donald Trump claimed Monday that acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, is linked to autism, despite experts warning that studies on this question are mixed, and no publicly released study shows Tylenol is a direct cause.

Speaking from the White House, where he was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., among others, the president told reporters that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would begin notifying physicians immediately of its recommendation that pregnant women should avoid taking Tylenol during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary. He added that the FDA would update the label for acetaminophen with additional information and language about the purported risk.
...
Scientific studies examining the potential link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism ... have produced inconclusive results in the past...

In the wake of the announcement, major medical groups pushed back, saying Tylenol is the safest painkiller during pregnancy and warning that Trump's strong language could discourage women from using it, even when it is medically advised.

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness...enol-acetaminophen-parents/story?id=125812742

There has been some dissent, for example:

Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence (CARE) at Boston University and founder of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, called the administration's announcement "appalling." She said it was "a very significant distortion" of what science says about any possible links between acetaminophen and autism.

The message "is likely to impact millions of lives of pregnant women right now. Mothers of autistic children who are going to be so fearful that this is what they did to cause their child's autism, which is absolutely not the case," Tager-Flusberg said.

Speaking to NPR's Michel Martin, Tager-Flusberg, who has studied autism for decades, responded to claims Trump made about autism, acetaminophen...

Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/23/nx-s1-5550182/trump-vaccines-tylenol-autism-acetaminophen

This is all based on studies said by some to be insufficient for the conclusions the administration is drawing, but I am having little luck in finding information on the actual studies, and interpreting them may be beyond my pay-grade in any case. So I turn to the team here, who are quite good at finding the information, and deconstructing faulty interpretations of it. Any light that can be share here would be valuable, and appreciated.

Quotes edited to remove reference to other related claims.

There is this study which concludes acetaminophen use during pregnancy was not associated with children's risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in sibling control analyses.

Article:

Key Points
Question Does acetaminophen use during pregnancy increase children's risk of neurodevelopmental disorders?

Findings In this population-based study, models without sibling controls identified marginally increased risks of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) associated with acetaminophen use during pregnancy. However, analyses of matched full sibling pairs found no evidence of increased risk of autism (hazard ratio, 0.98), ADHD (hazard ratio, 0.98), or intellectual disability (hazard ratio, 1.01) associated with acetaminophen use.

Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2817406#google_vignette

 

[deirdre]

but I am having little luck in finding information on the actual studies,

add note: Makary is the FDA (Federal Food and Drug Association)

Article:

"To quote the dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, there is a causal relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders of ADHD and autism spectrum disorder," Makary said.

....
Released in August, Baccarelli's review of previously published human studies was funded by a grant from the NIH that was terminated as part of a $2.2 billion federal funding cut for Harvard. The dean wrote the review article alongside researchers from Mount Sinai, University of California Los Angeles, and University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Source: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/23/autism-tylenol-study-trump/

i cant access the NY times, but someone else can do the work to show his expert witness work.

Article:

University of Massachusetts epidemiologist Ann Bauer reviewed existing research in a paper published last month in the journal Environmental Health with Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, the dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She told POLITICO that while pregnant women should be informed that high-quality studies show a correlation between acetaminophen use and autism, Tylenol and generic versions should remain a pain relief and fever-reduction option for them..

Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/22/pregnant-women-can-still-use-tylenol-judiciously-says-researcher-00575788

note:im not pushing that acetaminophen causes autism (mostly because there are too many subcategories of autism to make any blanket statements).. but at least this time Trumps team has impressive names they got the info from.

 

[deirdre]

in case people want to listen. (again, i admit Trumps babbling is confusing but i was terrified to watch this and it wasnt nearly as bad as i thought it would be.

But fever can harm fetuses too.. so woman limiting should absolutely consult their doctors!! and take if if their doctor tells them to.


trump did say

acetaminophen
4:41
which is basically commonly known as Tylenol

during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased

risk of autism M so taking Tylenol is uh not good. All right, I'll say it.

It's not good. For this reason, they are strongly

recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically

necessary. That's uh for instance in cases of extremely high fever

that you feel you can't tough it out, you can't do it. I guess there's that. It's a small number of cases, I think.

But if you can't tough it out, if you can't do it, uh

that's what you're going to have to do. You'll take a Tylenol, but it'll be very

sparingly.in

other words, a fever that's very very uh dangerous and ideally a doctor's
5:52
decision because I think you shouldn't take it and you shouldn't take it during the entire pregnancy. They may tell you.....

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esKFMCb_hYU

 

[John J.]

I think this is the relevant study (PDF attached below),
"Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology",
Diddier Prada, Beate Ritz, Ann Z. Bauer, Andrea A. Baccarelli, Environmental Health 24 (56), 2025.

One hopes that the authors (and the studies they have used) have adequately considered possible confounding variables.
There is obviously a correlation between feeling unwell and consuming acetaminophen.
Maybe (e.g.) infection, toxicity or autoimmune illness in expectant mothers might play a role in autism, even if the symptoms the woman experiences are relatively mild and are managed with a gram of paracetamol QDS for a couple of days.

We know human cytomegalovirus infection in pregnant women (CMV, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_cytomegalovirus) is a leading cause of birth defects (including intellectual disabilities), yet in most people infection occurs unnoticed or with very mild symptoms.
Most of us will become infected during our lives; once infected the virus remains in the body for life. But because of the very mild symptoms, most people experiencing initial infection are unlikely to seek professional help (and are perhaps even less likely to receive tests and a diagnosis).

...On having a quick look, CMV itself might cause autism;

Children who contracted a viral infection known as congenital cytomegalovirus in utero may be nearly two and half times more likely to be diagnosed with autism(link is external), a study suggests.
Congenital CMV is the most common congenital infection in the United States, affecting one in every 200 babies.
While most infants with congenital CMV are healthy, nearly one in five experience birth defects or other long term health problems.
Complications may include vision or hearing loss and a higher risk of cerebral palsy, epilepsy and developmental delays.

"Uncovering the link between a common congenital viral infection and autism", Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan) Department of Pediatrics, 16 July 2024 (link).

See also
"Association between Viral Infections and Risk of Autistic Disorder: An Overview", Ahmad Naqib Shuid, Putri Ayu Jayusman, Nazrun Shuid et al.,
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (6), 2021 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7999368/

Maybe there's a connection between maternal illness and autism. I'd guess there's a correlation between feeling ill and taking acetaminophen.

The paper "Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders..." has this Conflict of Interest statement:

Competing interests: Dr. Baccarelli served as an expert witness for the plaintiff's legal team on matters of general causation involving acetaminophen use during pregnancy and its potential links to neurodevelopmental disorders. This involvement may be perceived as a conflict of interest regarding the information presented in this paper on acetaminophen and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Dr. Baccarelli has made every effort to ensure that this current work—like his past work as an expert witness on this matter—was conducted with the highest standards of scientific integrity and objectivity.

 

[Stryder]

This is an egregious case of mis-information being peddled by the US government at the very highest levels. I know of no studies (and I rely on a number of experts to show this) that show a causal relationship between acetaminophen use and autism. Yes there are some studies that show a minor correlation, but these studies do not show causality. The best study out there appears to be the study based on the Sweedish national database.
Study:

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability

Viktor H Ahlqvist 1​, Hugo Sjöqvist 1​, Christina Dalman 1​, Håkan Karlsson 2​, Olof Stephansson 3 4​, Stefan Johansson 3 5​, Cecilia Magnusson 1 6​, Renee M Gardner 1​, Brian K Lee 1 7 8​

Summarized by Steven Novella:

In the case of a potential link between Tylenol use in pregnancy and the risk of autism or other neurological developmental disorders (like ADHD), there are some preliminary studies showing a possible small risk, while others do not. This is a job for a good systematic review, and fortunately we have a recent high quality review to look at. The data came from the Swedish national database, which is extremely useful for such research. The review includes data on 185,909 children. They found a very small increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders with Tylenol use in pregnancy, however this link disappeared when they did a sibling control analysis:

"Sibling control analyses found no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with autism (HR, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.93-1.04]; RD, 0.02% [95% CI, -0.14% to 0.18%]), ADHD (HR, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.94-1.02]; RD, -0.02% [95% CI, -0.21% to 0.15%]), or intellectual disability (HR, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.92-1.10]; RD, 0% [95% CI, -0.10% to 0.13%]). Similarly, there was no evidence of a dose-response pattern in sibling control analyses. For example, for autism, compared with no use of acetaminophen, persons with low (<25th percentile), medium (25th-75th percentile), and high (>75th percentile) mean daily acetaminophen use had HRs of 0.85, 0.96, and 0.88, respectively."

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/tylenol-and-autism/

As I understand it, when reasonable control factors are employed, the correlation disappears.

But, what if there really is a correlation, but the causality is not the one guessed at by the administration. Suppose for a moment that fever during pregnancy can increase the likelihood of autism. Note: I am not saying this is necessarily true, but it seems at least as valid as the administration's interpretation and easily passes my top level reasonableness test. Then, the correlation observed of acetaminophen and autism would make perfect sense. Pregnant women are likely to take the recommended fever reducer when they have a fever (that's the recommendation my wife was given by her doctor). While the acetaminophen could be perfectly safe (in respect to autism), it doesn't retroactively cancel the fever or the fever's cause. It merely treats the fever after a point in time. Under my hypothesized causality, any delays in taking acetaminophen, or goodness gracious, "toughing it out" and not reducing the fever at all, will only increase the rate and severity of autism.

All the reading I have done on the causes of autism point out that it has a very complex and multifactored cause. Picking acetaminophen as the culprit is very misleading to the public, blames the mother for taking medical advice, and completely ignores all of the good preliminary evidence that exists. Even if my hypothesis is incorrect, there is a known causality of fever during pregnancy and complications to the fetus. The administrations race to "score political points" will cause an increase in birth defects and miscarriages.

 

[Stryder]

Thank you John J. for posting the study. I have heard of it, but hadn't yet found it. Significantly, the study states unambiguously that causality has not been determined: (bolding by me)

Conclusions:
Our analysis demonstrated evidence consistent with an association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and offspring with NDDs, including ASD and ADHD, though observational limitations preclude definitive causation. This analysis, using the Navigation Guide methodology, synthesizes evidence from several population studies and supports an association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and increased NDD incidence, including ADHD, ASD, and other NDDs. While population-level trends in NDD rates have risen, potentially due to several factors including improved diagnostics and external exposures, further research is needed to confirm these associations and determine causality and mechanisms.

Quoted from the study attached to John J.'s post #5 in this thread.

 

[deirdre]

Picking acetaminophen as the culprit is very misleading to the public,

actually they didnt just talk about acetaminophen.

This is an egregious case of mis-information being peddled by the US government at the very highest levels.

sounds to me like an egregious hire placement by Harvard College.

blames the mother for taking medical advice

no it doesnt.

 

[NoParty]

Just like COVID19, Trump absurdly trusts his own clueless hunches over what the science (which he won't bother to read) says.

Will the leucovorin he just pushed, re. autism, turn out to be as bad advice
as when he pushed hydroxychloroquine for COVID in 2020? Did he learn no lesson from that?

This is another downside of DJT knowing that he can just blather any random idea that seems logical to him, with no consequences.
Even the most worthless or dangerous nonsense out of his mouth, seems important to him, since he said it.

And remember, Trump has repeatedly supported his claim that "I'm very smart," by pointing to his uncle, MIT professor Dr. John Trump.

"I like this stuff. I really get it," Trump said after touring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early March. "People are surprised that I understand it. Every one of these doctors said, 'How do you know so much about this?' Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should have done that instead of running for President."

"No, no. Some say that and some say differently. I mean, you have scientists on both sides of it. My uncle was a great professor at MIT for many years. Dr. John Trump. And I didn't talk to him about this particular subject, but I have a natural instinct for science, and I will say that you have scientists on both sides of the picture."

And on the campaign trail in 2016, Trump said that his "super genius" uncle – Dr. John Trump – had explained nuclear power to him more than three decades ago. "Look, having nuclear – my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart."

[Next came the infamous "disinfectant" to kill COVID fever dream...I'll spare y'all that...]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/24/politics/donald-trump-disinfectant-uv-light

 

[deirdre]

There is obviously a correlation between feeling unwell and consuming acetaminophen.

and being old.

 

[FatPhil]

The paper "Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders..." has this Conflict of Interest statement:

Competing interests: Dr. Baccarelli served as an expert witness for the plaintiff's legal team on matters of general causation involving acetaminophen use during pregnancy and its potential links to neurodevelopmental disorders. This involvement may be perceived as a conflict of interest regarding the information presented in this paper on acetaminophen and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Dr. Baccarelli has made every effort to ensure that this current work—like his past work as an expert witness on this matter—was conducted with the highest standards of scientific integrity and objectivity.

They also only started their fishing expedition in February this year. And I know /post hoc/ doesn't mean /propter hoc/, but they got NIH money to do this, so there's definitely some /propter hoc/ involved.

 

[FatPhil]

This is an egregious case of mis-information being peddled by the US government at the very highest levels. I know of no studies (and I rely on a number of experts to show this) that show a causal relationship between acetaminophen use and autism. Yes there are some studies that show a minor correlation, but these studies do not show causality. The best study out there appears to be the study based on the Sweedish national database.

However, Baccarelli et al. consider that to be one of the *worst* studies out there:

https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0/tables/6

https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0/tables/7

Technically, a score indicating some risk because it's a population study, so it probably relied on self-reporting on ever/never taking the drug, and self-reporting is well-known to have flaws, which could partly explain the "exposure" score they've given to it. However, the flipside of that is that for uncommon things, over-reporting is more likely to skew the data than under-reporting, as per Hemenway (1997),

from: https://sites.stat.columbia.edu/gelman/surveys.course/Hemenway1997.pdf
(There's a "most extreme" example on page 4 of the pdf which metabunkers may consider an easter egg.)

So column 3 might be explainable, but quite where their numbers in column 9 come from, who knows?

 

[FatPhil]

https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0/tables/7

Not having had my morning coffee yet, am I reading that right: they're *punishing* Ahlqvist with a -2 score simply for showing that there's no effect? Showing a larger effect has *never* been an indicator of a quality of research because it can be brought about by doing terrible research.

 

[Mendel]

Not having had my morning coffee yet, am I reading that right: they're *punishing* Ahlqvist with a -2 score simply for showing that there's no effect?

Bayesians call that a prior.

 

[Mendel]

What the rest of the world thinks (excerpts):

Article:

The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that there is currently no conclusive scientific evidence confirming a possible link between autism and use of acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy.

Extensive research has been undertaken over the past decade, including large-scale studies, looking into links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism. At this time, no consistent association has been established.

WHO recommends that all women continue to follow advice of their doctors or health workers, who can help assess individual circumstances and recommend necessary medicines. Any medicine should be used with caution during pregnancy, especially in the first three months, and in line with advice from health professionals.

Autism and neurodevelopmental disorders are among priority mental health and neurological conditions being discussed at the 4th UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and mental health this Thursday, 25 September. As a global community, we need to do more to understand the causes of autism and how best to care for and support the needs of autistic people and their families.

Source: https://www.who.int/news/item/24-09-2025-who-statement-on-autism-related-issues

You usually take analgesics to treat a condition you have. That condition, if left untreated, carries its own risk, and it's likely worse than whatever the risk of the treatment is. If you replace one medication with another, that also has a risk.
Any medicine should be used with caution during pregnancy, but sometimes it's necessary.

 

[Ann K]

A significant question to be addressed is WHY were the expectant mothers taking pain meds, because that may point to other confounding reasons that may have influenced neurological development.

Multiple biases may explain the associations observed in previous studies between acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders. Confounding by indication may occur based on the reasons that acetaminophen was taken, eg, due to infection,4​ fever,5​ migraine,6​ or pain from autoimmune disease.7​ These indications for acetaminophen use may be risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders and may thus result in spurious associations. Confounding by parental health and genetics is likely because neurodevelopmental disorders are highly heritable8​-10​ and those who used acetaminophen during pregnancy reported higher prevalence of multiple health conditions associated with neurodevelopmental disorders compared with nonusers.11 ​Confounding by other medications is possible given the potential for use of multiple medications during pregnancy.12​Previous studies have also been limited by small sample sizes, leading to inconsistent and imprecise estimates.13​

The current study investigated use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and children's risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability among nearly 2.5 million children in Sweden. This analysis featured prospectively collected antenatal and prescription records to capture medication use in a nationwide cohort, clinical neurodevelopmental diagnoses, and sibling comparisons to account for unobserved familial confounding.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2817406

 

[RTM]

Given that acetaminophen is an ingredient, but it's the brand Tylenol that is mainly making headlines; is there a chance that the administration could have legal action taken against them for negative publicity about Tylenol.

 

[Mendel]

Given that acetaminophen is an ingredient, but it's the brand Tylenol that is mainly making headlines; is there a chance that the administration could have legal action taken against them for negative publicity about Tylenol.

that would depend on a) Tylenol being able to prove damage aka lost sales, b) the admistration having reasonable belief they were speaking the truth. And there's the study, so...

 

[deirdre]

but it's the brand Tylenol that is mainly making headlines; is there a chance that the administration could have legal action taken against them for negative publicity about Tylenol.

they wouldn't win. its not Trumps fault the media isn't highlighting the caveats he and other speakers used multiple times in the press conference. some articles are which is heartening.

 

[Mendel]

Can anyone find a transcript of what Trump actually said?

Article:

FACT: Evidence suggests acetaminophen use in pregnant women, especially late in pregnancy, may cause long-term neurological effects in their children.

Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/09/fact-evidence-suggests-link-between-acetaminophen-autism/

Reviewing the evidence cited, there is evidence for a possible association, but none for a causal link.

 

[Mendel]

Given that acetaminophen is an ingredient, but it's the brand Tylenol that is mainly making headlines;

Trump explicitly made this about Tylenol.

From the transcript (excerpts):
https://www.rev.com/transcripts/autism-link-press-conference

Today we're delighted to be joined by America's top medical and public health professionals as we announce historic steps to confront the crisis of autism. Horrible, horrible crisis.

And I always had very strong feelings about autism and how it happened and where it came from. And he and I… I don't know the word got out, and I wouldn't say that people were very understanding of where we were, but it's turning out that we understood a lot more than a lot of people who studied it, we think.

And I say we think because I don't think they were really letting the public know what they knew.

And by the way, I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don't take vaccines and don't take any pills that have no autism. That have no autism. Does that tell you something? That's currently. Is that a correct statement, by the way?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (04:03): There are some studies that suggest that. Yeah, with the Amish, for example.

So taking Tylenol is not good. All right, I'll say it; it's not good. For this reason they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.

And you shouldn't give the child a Tylenol every time he's born and he goes and has a shot. You shouldn't give Tylenol to that child.

And there are other parts of the world where they don't have Tylenol, where they don't have autism. That tells you a lot. And I want to say it right now, and the way I look at it, don't take it. Don't take it. There's no downside in not taking it.

Donald Trump (36:59):

Thank you very much. So I just want to say acetaminophen is basically Tylenol essentially, 'cause I noticed that term is used throughout this conference. So it's essentially Tylenol. And I just recommend strongly that you don't use Tylenol unless it's absolutely necessary. I understand it's maybe 10% of the women that are pregnant would perhaps be forced to use it, and that would mean you just can't tough it out. No matter what you do, you can't tough it out. So that's up to you and your doctor.

(37:39)
But there's a very strong recommendation, maybe stronger for me than from the group because they're waiting for certain studies, I don't… I just want to say it like it is. Don't take Tylenol, don't take it. If you just can't… I mean, it's just fight like hell not to take it. There may be a point where you have to and that you have to work out with yourself. So don't take Tylenol.

Don't take Tylenol. Don't give Tylenol to the baby after the baby's born. Every time the baby gets a shot, the baby goes, gets a shot, they say, "Here, take a couple of Tylenol." I've heard that for years. Take Tylenol. Don't take Tylenol, don't have your baby take Tylenol. Now, Tylenol is fine for people that aren't pregnant, that aren't in the situation that we're talking about one very specific situation. If you're pregnant, don't take Tylenol. When you have your baby, don't give your baby Tylenol at all unless it's absolutely necessary. Don't do it.

"Fight like hell not to take it." And at the same time, spreads a horror story about a boy who developed a fever and died--may he should've taken some Tylenol in time?

The anti-vax propaganda in that transcript is frankly horrifying as well, but it should really have its own thread, or rather, I'm assuming some outlets will have already fact-checked it.

P.S. Trump transcript are also at https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcripts/

 

[jdog]

they wouldn't win. its not Trumps fault the media isn't highlighting the caveats he and other speakers used multiple times in the press conference. some articles are which is heartening.

I don't think it's the media's fault when Trump says "Don't take Tylenol" 11 times and "Don't take it" 11 times, sometimes with vague caveats, sometimes without:
"But with Tylenol, don't take it. Don't take it."
and
"Don't take Tylenol, don't take it. If you just can't… I mean, it's just fight like hell not to take it. There may be a point where you have to and that you have to work out with yourself. So don't take Tylenol."

There's a transcript at https://www.rev.com/transcripts/autism-link-press-conference

 

[Mendel]

The anti-vax propaganda in that transcript is frankly horrifying as well, but it should really have its own thread, or rather, I'm assuming some outlets will have already fact-checked it.

https://www.factcheck.org/2025/09/repeated-falsehoods-at-autism-press-conference/ is very thorough and hits all the points I noticed. From the introduction:

As Children's Hospital of Philadelphia pediatrician and vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit said on CNN about the Sept. 22 press conference, "It was just misstatement of fact after misstatement of fact. It was a fire hose of misstatements."

In a statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics said the event was "filled with dangerous claims and misleading information that sends a confusing message to parents and expecting parents and does a disservice to autistic individuals."

 

[deirdre]

I don't think it's the media's fault when Trump says "Don't take Tylenol" 11 times and "Don't take it" 11 times, sometimes with vague caveats, sometimes without:
"But with Tylenol, don't take it. Don't take it."
and
"Don't take Tylenol, don't take it. If you just can't… I mean, it's just fight like hell not to take it. There may be a point where you have to and that you have to work out with yourself. So don't take Tylenol."

it didnt sound like that in person and with the surrounding context. but you do you.

 

[Mendel]

it didnt sound like that in person and with the surrounding context. but you do you.

The phrase "don't take Tylenol" occurs 11 times in the transcript.
The phrase "your doctor" occurs 2 times.
(5:1 ratio in my excerpts.)

What you do is repeat your claim without supporting it with evidence, even though the transcript is right there. That is you doing you?

 

[yoshy]

Thank you John J. for posting the study. I have heard of it, but hadn't yet found it. Significantly, the study states unambiguously that causality has not been determined: (bolding by me)

Quoted from the study attached to John J.'s post #5 in this thread.

I would highlight the ending of the conclusion as well:

While this association warrants [causation I mis-copied here] caution, untreated maternal fever and pain pose risks such as neural tube defects and preterm birth, necessitating a balanced approach. We recommend judicious acetaminophen use-lowest effective dose, shortest duration-under medical guidance, tailored to individual
risk-benefit assessments, rather than a broad limitation

Basically researchers say

• Reasonable concerns for caution of causation from the way association was established
• The reasons for taking acetaminophen (fever, etc) have their own risks large enough to risk use of acetaminophen, even if causation is established (depending on that casual relationship of course)
• "We recommend judicious acetaminophen use-lowest effective dose, shortest duration-under medical guidance, tailored to individual risk-benefit assessments"
• So basically, listen to your doctor who will decide based on the details of your case

 

[Mendel]

Reasonable concerns of causation from the way association was established

Is that claim actually supported by the study?

The advice "don't self-medicate with pain killers when you're pregnant" is probably consensus; but "fight like hell not to take Tylenol" is not.

 

[yoshy]

Trump explicitly made this about Tylenol.

From the transcript (excerpts):
https://www.rev.com/transcripts/autism-link-press-conference

Today we're delighted to be joined by America's top medical and public health professionals as we announce historic steps to confront the crisis of autism. Horrible, horrible crisis.

And I always had very strong feelings about autism and how it happened and where it came from. And he and I… I don't know the word got out, and I wouldn't say that people were very understanding of where we were, but it's turning out that we understood a lot more than a lot of people who studied it, we think.

And I say we think because I don't think they were really letting the public know what they knew.

And by the way, I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don't take vaccines and don't take any pills that have no autism. That have no autism. Does that tell you something? That's currently. Is that a correct statement, by the way?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (04:03): There are some studies that suggest that. Yeah, with the Amish, for example.

So taking Tylenol is not good. All right, I'll say it; it's not good. For this reason they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.

And you shouldn't give the child a Tylenol every time he's born and he goes and has a shot. You shouldn't give Tylenol to that child.

And there are other parts of the world where they don't have Tylenol, where they don't have autism. That tells you a lot. And I want to say it right now, and the way I look at it, don't take it. Don't take it. There's no downside in not taking it.

Donald Trump (36:59):

Thank you very much. So I just want to say acetaminophen is basically Tylenol essentially, 'cause I noticed that term is used throughout this conference. So it's essentially Tylenol. And I just recommend strongly that you don't use Tylenol unless it's absolutely necessary. I understand it's maybe 10% of the women that are pregnant would perhaps be forced to use it, and that would mean you just can't tough it out. No matter what you do, you can't tough it out. So that's up to you and your doctor.

(37:39)
But there's a very strong recommendation, maybe stronger for me than from the group because they're waiting for certain studies, I don't… I just want to say it like it is. Don't take Tylenol, don't take it. If you just can't… I mean, it's just fight like hell not to take it. There may be a point where you have to and that you have to work out with yourself. So don't take Tylenol.

Don't take Tylenol. Don't give Tylenol to the baby after the baby's born. Every time the baby gets a shot, the baby goes, gets a shot, they say, "Here, take a couple of Tylenol." I've heard that for years. Take Tylenol. Don't take Tylenol, don't have your baby take Tylenol. Now, Tylenol is fine for people that aren't pregnant, that aren't in the situation that we're talking about one very specific situation. If you're pregnant, don't take Tylenol. When you have your baby, don't give your baby Tylenol at all unless it's absolutely necessary. Don't do it.

"Fight like hell not to take it." And at the same time, spreads a horror story about a boy who developed a fever and died--may he should've taken some Tylenol in time?

The anti-vax propaganda in that transcript is frankly horrifying as well, but it should really have its own thread, or rather, I'm assuming some outlets will have already fact-checked it.

P.S. Trump transcript are also at https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcripts/

Ughghghghgh the quotes (specifically the ones you highlighted) are directly contradicted by the actual research and doctors, who say to be judicious and balance the possibilities.

 

[yoshy]

Is that claim actually supported by the study?

I think so, well kinda. "While this association warrants causation" is a direct quote, but my quote starts after the reasoning for it in the conclusion, and I didn't include further support from throughout the paper. It would still probably be better to phrase it as "warrants plausible causation". Looking at it again, the way I quoted it may also imply a stronger support of causation than the authors meant to imply.

The advice "don't self-medicate with pain killers when you're pregnant" is probably consensus; but "fight like hell not to take Tylenol" is not.

Either way regarding the above, you are 100% correct here. The authors' actual recommendations directly contradict "fight like hell not to take Tylenol".

 

[deirdre]

The phrase "don't take Tylenol" occurs 11 times in the transcript.
The phrase "your doctor" occurs 2 times.
(5:1 ratio in my excerpts.)

What you do is repeat your claim without supporting it with evidence, even though the transcript is right there. That is you doing you?

considering the topic is "Tylenol wouldnt win a lawsuit". yea thats me being me.

and i posted the actual conference in like comment#3.. feel free to watch it in full and judge it as juryman for yourself.

 

[RTM]

They also only started their fishing expedition in February this year. And I know /post hoc/ doesn't mean /propter hoc/, but they got NIH money to do this, so there's definitely some /propter hoc/ involved.

A fishing expedition is a good description. A while back RFK promised to deliver an explanation, and the cynic in me thinks he struck the first bite he got.
Has he clarified his stance on vaccines now?

 

[Mendel]

and i posted the actual conference in like comment#3.. feel free to watch it in full and judge it as juryman for yourself.

That's not supporting evidence, that's "do your own research". I'm out.

 

[deirdre]

That's not supporting evidence, that's "do your own research". I'm out.

i quoted supporting evidence earlier. im not going through and highlighting every caveat said in that hour long press conference.

Tylenol would not win if they sued the Trump administration. Feel free to debunk me.

Tylenol might win if they sued Harvard's Dean of the School of Public Health.

 

[John J.]

From the news conference (https://www.rev.com/transcripts/autism-link-press-conference), my emphasis:

(02:56) [President Trump]
...And by the way, I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don't take vaccines and don't take any pills that have no autism. That have no autism. Does that tell you something? That's currently. Is that a correct statement, by the way?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (04:03):
There are some studies that suggest that. Yeah, with the Amish, for example.

Widely criticized already by many mainstream news outlets and medical professionals.
It's just plain wrong, and the US President and Secretary of Health could easily have found this out had they wanted to be sure they were speaking the truth and giving the American people reliable health advice.
There are several published papers attesting to the existence of autism in Amish children:

"Gene associated with seizures, autism, and hepatomegaly in an Amish girl", Jackman, C., Nicole D Horn, N.D., Molleston, J.P., Sokol, D.K., Pediatric Neurology 40 (4), 2009, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19302947/:

A genetic defect causing autism and epilepsy involving the contactin associated protein-like 2 gene (CNTNAP2) has been discovered in a selected cohort of Amish children. These children were found to have focal seizures and autistic regression.

The paper describes a study that identifies a specific genetic mutation in a group of children, who happen to live in Amish communities, that confers autism.
There's also
"Prevalence Rates of Autism Spectrum Disorders Among the Old Order Amish", Lee, J.M., Nations, L., Suslowitz, N. et al., conference paper for the International Meeting for Autism Research 2010, abstract at ResearchGate website.

Conclusions: Preliminary data have identified the presence of ASD in the Amish community at a rate of approximately 1 in 271 children using standard ASD screening and diagnostic tools although some modifications may be in order. Further studies are underway to address the cultural norms and customs that may be playing a role in the reporting style of caregivers, as observed by the ADI.

(ASD = Autistic Spectrum Disorder, ADI = Autism Diagnostic Interview).

 

[Ann K]

The advice "don't self-medicate with pain killers when you're pregnant" is probably consensus; but "fight like hell not to take Tylenol" is not.

I understand that over-dosing is easily possible, when the recommended amount is taken plus, for example, a cold medication that also contains Tylenol. "Do-everything" OTC medications require close reading of the labels to see what else is in there, but that's a warning to everyone, not just to pregnant women.

Article: FACT: Evidence suggests acetaminophen use in pregnant women, especially late in pregnancy, may cause long-term neurological effects in their children. Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/09/fact-evidence-suggests-link-between-acetaminophen-autism/

I find it questionable to see that a statement from Trump and from Kennedy, desperate to find an autism connection with something (or anything), uses the word "FACT" in a statement from a government site. Their anti-vaccination propaganda is certainly not factual, so I recommend checking other sources before taking their tylenol claim seriously.

 

[Ann K]

Trump explicitly made this about Tylenol.

That's because he had such trouble trying to pronounce acetaminophen.

 

[Ann K]

Article: "To quote the dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, there is a causal relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders of ADHD and autism spectrum disorder," Makary said.

I notice you didn't read down any further in the article. That appears to be a MISQUOTE from Makary.

Baccarelli's statement, however, argues only that there is a "possibility of a causal relationship," and calls for further study.
........
As the only approved medication for pain and fever reduction during pregnancy, acetaminophen remains an important tool for pregnant patients and their physicians," Baccarelli wrote in his statement to the Trump administration, noting that high fever can also harm mothers.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/23/autism-tylenol-study-trump/

 

[deirdre]

There's also
"Prevalence Rates of Autism Spectrum Disorders Among the Old Order Amish", Lee, J.M., Nations, L., Suslowitz, N. et al., conference paper for the International Meeting for Autism Research 2010, abstract at ResearchGate website.

some amish parents vaccinate (and give tylenol) so youd have to tweak that info out the study i cant access. don't take it personally, autism research is a pain in the ass.

 

[fizzBuzz]

The administration cites several studies that say acetaminophen, taken by pregnant women, can increase the risk of ADHD and autism in the child. Here are a few:

Using acetaminophen during pregnancy may increase children's autism and ADHD risk

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/using...-may-increase-childrens-autism-and-adhd-risk/

Taking Tylenol during pregnancy associated with elevated risks for autism, ADHD

https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/11/05/acetaminophen-pregnancy-autism-adhd/

Mount Sinai Study Supports Evidence That Prenatal Acetaminophen Use May Be Linked to Increased Risk of Autism and ADHD

https://www.mountsinai.org/about/ne...e-linked-to-increased-risk-of-autism-and-adhd

These studies also say they do not show causation.

Then, there are studies that show a minimal correlation:

The study led by Ahlqvist harnessed data on nearly 2.5 million children born in Sweden between 1995 and 2019 and — from the country's extensive health records — data on acetaminophen prescriptions during pregnancy and on self-reported use collected by midwives, as well as whether children later received autism diagnoses.

The study showed that around 1.42% of children exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy were autistic, compared to 1.33% of children who were not exposed ─ a "very small" difference, says Ahlqvist.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02876-1

The difference there is 0.09% - which is roughly 1 in 1,000.

The administration's statement is this:

Evidence suggests acetaminophen use in pregnant women, especially late in pregnancy, MAY cause long-term neurological effects in their children.

This is the actual statement from the FDA to physicians.

Notice to Physicians on the Use of Acetaminophen During Pregnancy

In recent years, evidence has accumulated suggesting that the use of acetaminophen by pregnant women may be associated with an increased risk of neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD in children. Some studies have described that the risk may be most pronounced when acetaminophen is taken chronically throughout pregnancy to childbirth. These concerns may be magnified by the fact that a very young child's liver may still be developing and thus a child's ability to metabolize the drug may be limited.

To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature. The association is an ongoing area of scientific debate and clinicians should be aware of the issue in their clinical decision-making, especially given that most short-term fevers in pregnant women and young children do not require medication.

In the spirit of patient safety and prudent medicine, clinicians should consider minimizing the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy for routine low-grade fevers. This consideration should also be balanced with the fact that acetaminophen is the safest over-the-counter alternative in pregnancy among all analgesics and antipyretics; aspirin and ibuprofen have well-documented adverse impacts on the fetus.

https://www.fda.gov/media/188843/download?attachment

It looks to me like they just want to "get the word out" and let physicians and women make their own decisions. I didn't know any of this until they shined light on it. Did you? I think this is the kind of thing government should do.

 

[deirdre]

I notice you didn't read down any further in the article. That appears to be a MISQUOTE from Makary.

Baccarelli's statement, however, argues only that there is a "possibility of a causal relationship," and calls for further study.
........
As the only approved medication for pain and fever reduction during pregnancy, acetaminophen remains an important tool for pregnant patients and their physicians," Baccarelli wrote in his statement to the Trump administration, noting that high fever can also harm mothers.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/23/autism-tylenol-study-trump/

i did read further down.

Baccarelli isnt reported yet to deny that he said that to the FDA or anyone else. it could well be a misquote Makary had written down. I wonder if transcripts from the trials Baccarelli testified in are available online, that would be interesting too.