When it comes to taking painkillers when you?re pregnant, acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol) is just about the only option that?s considered safe for the growing baby. And between the headaches, swollen feet, and lower back pain, being able to take painkillers can be a godsend.
However, a new study published in the journal Pediatrics has linked acetaminophen use during pregnancy with an increased risk of having a child with an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis down the line.
But don?t panic or throw out your pills yet. The increased risk mostly applies to pregnant women taking acetaminophen regularly and for a long period of time, as in more than 29 days. In fact, women who used Tylenol for less than seven days actually had a decreased risk of having a child with ADHD. The study looked at data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, which involved 112,973 children, 95,242 mothers and 75,217 fathers from all over Norway who filled out questionnaires given to them throughout pregnancy and after delivery.

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About half of the mothers used acetaminophen, but only 3.3 percent of mothers took the drug long-term. For these mothers, the risk of ...