Reduce paracetamol use, experts tell pregnant women
Pregnant women should reduce their use of paracetamol and warnings should be added to packaging, an international coalition of experts said today.
They said there was growing evidence paracetamol might affect a baby’s development in the womb and increase the risk of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and autism.
They added it should only be taken at the “lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time” and pregnant women should avoid “indiscriminate” use.
Current NHS advice is that pregnant and breastfeeding women can take paracetamol safely. Both the US and European medicines regulators say the drug is of minimal risk when taken correctly during pregnancy.
More than half of pregnant women worldwide are thought to take it to relieve fever and pain, as alternatives such as ibuprofen are not recommended in later stages of pregnancy.
Today, more than 90 experts, including from the US, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden and France, issued a “consensus statement” calling for precautions to be taken in the use of paracetamol in pregnancy after reviewing 25 years of research on the subject.
They also said there should be targeted research into the apparent increased risk of “neurodevelopmental, reproductive and urogenital” disorders.
They said there were “disturbing increases” in the number of children with cognitive, learning and/or behavioural problems.
© PA virus-.jpg
Some research also suggested an increased risk of undescended testicles in boys and early puberty in girls.
However, it is also known an untreated fever in a pregnant woman carries a slight risk of neural and heart disorders, and paracetamol helps reduce that.
Andrew Shennan, professor of obstetrics, King’s College London, who was not involved in the research, said it was a “balanced view of the potential risk/benefit of paracetamol in pregnancy”.
Professor Shennan said: “They point out that treating pain and fever could reduce pregnancy risks, and alternatives to paracetamol have got evidence of harm. The evidence that paracetamol is harmful is not strong but observations in humans regarding possible developmental issues are supported by animal studies.
“It is always important to take medication in pregnancy with specialist advice. A good principle is to only use medications with a proven track record of both efficacy and safety. Paracetamol is one of those drugs that can be safely used.
“The baby is fully formed by 10 weeks of pregnancy and it is unlikely a drug will cause significant harm in fetal development after this point.
“Prudent surveillance and more research should continue but paracetamol can be used to treat pain and fevers in pregnancy.”
Dr Sarah Stock, Reader and Consultant Maternal and Fetal Medicine, University of Edinburgh Usher Institute, said: “This paper doesn’t change recommendations on paracetamol use in pregnancy.
“The team have done a good job of bringing together existing evidence, but unfortunately, much of that evidence is not robust enough to draw any conclusions that paracetamol use in pregnancy, especially occasional use, causes developmental problems in humans.
“Paracetamol is effective at reducing pain and fever, and so continues to be an important medicine that pregnant people should use if needed.
“Of course, pregnant or not, no-one should take a medication unnecessarily, for longer than necessary or at a higher dose than needed.
“There is no new data in this publication — it is a summary of previous studies. The authors rightly lobby for more good quality research, as based on current evidence from previously-published studies it is impossible to disentangle whether it is conditions that cause people to take paracetamol at high doses for long periods of time, or paracetamol itself, that might have a link to developmental problems.”
Reference: Evening Standard: Ross Lydall
No thoughts on “Reduce paracetamol use, experts tell pregnant women”
Articles - Most Read
- Home
- LIVER DIS-EASE AND GALL BLADDER DIS-EASE
- Contacts
- African Wholistics - Medicines, Machines and Ignorance
- African Holistics - Seduced by Ignorance and Research
- African Wholistics -The Overlooked Revolution
- The Children of the Sun-3
- Kidney Stones-African Holistic Health
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-3
- 'Tortured' and shackled pupils freed from Nigerian Islamic school
- The Serpent and the RainBow-The Jaguar - 2
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-2
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-4
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-5
- King Leopold's Ghost - Introduction
- African Wholistics - Medicine
- Menopause
- PART ONE: DIS-EASE TREATMENT AND HEALTH-6
- The Mystery System
- The Black Pharaohs Nubian Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt
Who's On Line?
We have 138 guests and no members online
Ad Agency Remote
Articles - Latest
- The nightly ritual that could improve memory and brain health, according to scientists
- Hyacinth Bean: How Nutritionists Rate Its Nutrients, Health Effects, And More
- Top healthiest fruits with anti-inflammatory properties
- Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms: How to spot the signs in your feet
- Dehydration may be as bad 'as smoking' for veins - how much water you need to avoid stroke
- Winter Squash: A Superfood Or Not? Nutrition Professionals Weigh In, With Serving Tips And Health Risks
- Why The Nutrition Professionals Love Winter Melon, Nutritional Benefits And Serving Size Guidelines
- Lesser-known lung cancer symptom in arm or shoulder that can't be ignored
- HIV breakthrough as new technology removes all traces of virus from infected cells
- Seven fruits for diabetics to avoid that can increase blood sugar spike risk
- Top 7 Uses and Benefits of Dead Nettle Plants
- 6 physical symptoms of anxiety you shouldn’t ignore, according to experts
- The five warning signs of bad circulation, according to a surgeon
- How to use wild garlic
- How many litres of water should you drink a day and does tea count?
- Cucumber: Nutrition Professional Opinions And Healthy Portions
- Hardening of the arteries speeds up ageing process, new study says - how to prevent
- FDA Approves First Gene Therapies to Treat Patients with Sickle Cell Disease
- Three questions for men facing infertility from risk factors to treatments