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With all the news regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new guidance on Tylenol use during pregnancy, there is growing interest in learning about the medication’s history.Canva<\/p>\nWith all the news regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new guidance on Tylenol use during pregnancy, there is growing interest in learning about the medication’s history.Canva<\/p>\n
Tylenol<\/a> is at the top of everyone\u2019s minds today after President Trump announced a label change from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration<\/a> that states using the medication during pregnancy can lead to a \u201cvery increased risk of autism.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite long-standing evidence of no direct link, the FDA said in a statement<\/a>, \u201cEvidence in recent years has suggested a correlation between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of conditions like autism and ADHD.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: N.J.-based Tylenol maker \u2018deeply concerned,\u2019 defends drug against autism link<\/a><\/p>\n However, it adds<\/a>, \u201cIt is important to note that while an association between acetaminophen and neurological conditions has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature.\u201d<\/p>\n Medical experts say autism has many causes because it is complex and has varied symptoms and severity, though \u201cgenetics and environment may play a role,\u201d according to Mayo Clinic<\/a>. However, based on several studies, they have not been able to conclude that Tylenol use during pregnancy is associated with autism risk.<\/p>\n With all the concern and confusion around Tylenol<\/a>, people have many questions about the drug, acetaminophen and when it became available to the public. <\/p>\n Here\u2019s what you need to know about the common over-the-counter pain reliever. <\/p>\n When was acetaminophen invented? <\/p>\n Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, was discovered in 1878 by accident, according to the FDA<\/a>. It originally came from coal tar, like most medications.<\/p>\n \u201cA researcher investigating a treatment for intestinal worms asked for a product to study, but was given the wrong chemical instead\u2014acetanilide\u2014that had no effect on worms. It did, though, lower fever,” Tufts University School of Medicine says<\/a>. <\/p>\n Acetaminophen is derived from acetanilide, but it has fewer side effects and is considered a safer alternative. <\/p>\n Seventy-seven years later, in 1955, the pharmaceutical company McNeil Laboratories developed the brand of acetaminophen called Tylenol. <\/p>\n It was the first pain reliever without aspirin available to the general public to purchase. The first variety was Children\u2019s Tylenol Elixir, which was only available to purchase with a prescription, according to Kenvue<\/a>, its current brand owner. <\/p>\n Kenvue<\/a> acquired McNeil Laboratories and the Tylenol brand in 1959. That same year, Tylenol was approved for consumers to buy without a prescription and became available to purchase over the counter in 1960. <\/p>\n Read More: Tylenol-maker says ignore that old tweet about pregnant women. Here\u2019s what we really meant.<\/a><\/p>\n What is acetaminophen used for? <\/p>\n Acetaminophen is used as a fever reducer<\/a> and provides relief for mild to moderate pain. <\/p>\n However, researchers have not been able to determine exactly how it works<\/a> in the central nervous system. <\/p>\n Many people use it for temporary relief of the following forms of pain<\/a>: <\/p>\n headache backacheminor pain of arthritistoothachemuscular achespremenstrual and menstrual cramps<\/p>\n Medical experts also consider Tylenol or acetaminophen to be safe to use during pregnancy for fever and minor pain reduction, according to several studies, including a recent study from 2024<\/a>. That\u2019s in contrast to ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve), for which evidence has shown may affect fetal development during pregnancy, according to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, it\u2019s important to acknowledge the medication\u2019s impact on the liver in high doses. While it\u2019s harmless in low doses and when used as directed, \u201cit can cause acute liver injury and death from acute liver failure\u201d in high doses, according to the National Institutes of Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n Do other countries, like Cuba, use acetaminophen? <\/p>\n Yes, acetaminophen<\/a> is used in most countries for fever reduction and pain relief. According to ACS<\/a>, \u201cit\u2019s one of the most widely used pain relievers.\u201d<\/p>\n However, it is called acetaminophen in only a few countries, including the U.S., Canada and Japan. <\/p>\n Cuba, Europe and several other countries<\/a> call the drug paracetamol or other brand names, like Panadol<\/a> and Calpol<\/a>. <\/p>\n According to Drugs.com<\/a>, other popular international brand names for paracetamol include: <\/p>\n DisprolHedexMedinolAlvedon<\/p>\n However, according to Eurovision News Spotlight<\/a>, access to paracetamol in Cuba is limited due to shortages of the medication. <\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With all the news regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new guidance on Tylenol use during pregnancy,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180440,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[97,243],"class_list":{"0":"post-180439","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-medication"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180439\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}