Can Painkiller Use in Pregnancy Cause ADHD in Children?

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects mood, focus, attention span and behavioural patterns. ADHD is a common disorder mostly affecting children. However, the symptoms begin in childhood and last into adulthood as well. However, a recent study ^[1] published in the journal Nature Mental Health suggests that ADHD can be passed on from the mother during pregnancy.

The study was conducted by analysing blood samples of 307 expectant African American women between 2006 to 2011. It was observed that children born to mothers who used this common over-the-counter drug to relieve themselves of pain were 18% more at risk of ADHD

Females affected more than males?

The study also observed that daughters born to mothers using Acetaminophen are at greater risk of developing ADHD than sons. The study observed the effects of Acetaminophen six times more prominent on female children than male children. However in a study conducted my Megan et al, they did not find any gender based results in early stages. ^[2]

Is Tylenol troublesome?

Acetaminophen is a common painkiller that women take at some point during their pregnancy. Though few earlier studies have concluded that this could be attributed to familial compounding, this study says it may be due to inaccurate self reported use to acetaminophen. ^[3]

The study authors added in the abstract of the research paper, “Despite evidence linking prenatal acetaminophen (APAP) exposure and adverse neurodevelopment in humans and animals, over half of pregnant women in most populations use APAP. Prior studies could be biased by inaccurate self-reported APAP use, and the molecular mechanisms linking prenatal APAP with adverse neurodevelopment are unknown. Here we estimated associations between maternal plasma biomarkers of APAP exposure, child attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and placental gene expression in 307 African American mother–child pairs.” In the study by Megan et al, second trimester intake of acetaminophen was related to more attention problems in children specially in age groups of 2,3 and 4 years.

Pregnancy is associated with a lot of challenges and discomfort like back pain, leg pain and more. Further studies on safety of prenatal pain killer to minimise harm to the baby should be undertaken to prevent such dreadful side effects.

References

1. Baker, B.H., Bammler, T.K., Barrett, E.S. et al. Associations of maternal blood biomarkers of prenatal APAP exposure with placental gene expression and child attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nat. Mental Health (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00387-6

2.The relationship of prenatal acetaminophen exposure and attention-related behavior in early childhood Megan L. Woodbury,Sarah D. Geiger , Susan L. Schantz

3.Ahlqvist VH, Sjöqvist H, Dalman C, Karlsson H, Stephansson O, Johansson S, Magnusson C, Gardner RM, Lee BK. Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability. JAMA. 2024 Apr 9;331(14):1205-1214. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.3172. PMID: 38592388; PMCID: PMC11004836.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Dr. Chahna Desai/MSM)