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highplainsdem

(58,195 posts)
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 02:56 PM Sep 5

Kennedy and HHS to link Tylenol use in pregnancy to autism, WSJ reports

Source: Reuters

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce that use of Kenvue's (KVUE.N) popular over-the-counter pain medication Tylenol in pregnant women is potentially linked to autism, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter, without including evidence for the claims.

Kennedy, in a report, will also suggest a medicine derived from folate called folinic acid can be used to treat symptoms of autism in some people, the WSJ reported.

Shares of Kenvue slumped more than 6% following the news. Tylenol, whose active ingredient is acetaminophen, is a widely used pain reliever, including by pregnant women.

The report, expected this month from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which Kennedy heads, is likely to highlight low levels of folate, an important vitamin, and Tylenol taken during pregnancy, as well as other potential causes of autism, the report said.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kennedy-hhs-link-tylenol-use-pregnancy-autism-wsj-reports-2025-09-05/

27 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Kennedy and HHS to link Tylenol use in pregnancy to autism, WSJ reports (Original Post) highplainsdem Sep 5 OP
OMG BlueKota Sep 5 #1
The regime was (likely still is) attempting to compile a list of autistic people for...some reason. Given how fascists Karasu Sep 5 #10
It's disturbing BlueKota Sep 5 #16
and he doesn't know jackshit about autism Skittles Sep 5 #23
I don't know any doctor that would advise a pregnant women to take Tylenol ............... Lovie777 Sep 5 #2
It's the NHS recommended painkiller during pregnancy muriel_volestrangler Sep 5 #9
What if they have a high fever ? karynnj Sep 5 #27
*Sniff, Sniff* Whats that smell? GusBob Sep 5 #3
Bribery and extortion. yardwork Sep 5 #13
Ay yay yay Prairie Gates Sep 5 #4
He wants everyone to suffer what he has had to put up with his entire life. twodogsbarking Sep 5 #5
Kenvue lawsuit in 3... 2... 1... maxsolomon Sep 5 #6
Does he know that Tylenol is used around the world? I have bought it in much higher sinkingfeeling Sep 5 #7
No one in this regime knows fuck-all about the US, let alone the rest of the world. Karasu Sep 5 #11
They don't know fuck-all about health or health care either. yardwork Sep 5 #14
Yet in other places the amount you can buy OTC... mwooldri Sep 5 #19
Corruption and ignorance continues bmichaelh Sep 5 #8
Also Tylenol was what doctors advised people BlueKota Sep 5 #17
You're hard pressed to NOT find acetaminophen slightlv Sep 5 #24
HHS -- HA HA STUPID eringer Sep 5 #12
A few studies does not a change in policy make. aurora the great Sep 5 #15
Show me the data--the peer-reviewed (actual scientifically reviewed studies). I am no acetaminophen hlthe2b Sep 5 #18
May I share the content of this post? Blasphemer Sep 5 #20
Yes. hlthe2b Sep 5 #21
Thank you! nt Blasphemer Sep 5 #22
He is just making shit up. hamsterjill Sep 5 #25
He has this obsession with the idea that corporations sell defective Klarkashton Sep 5 #26

Karasu

(2,003 posts)
10. The regime was (likely still is) attempting to compile a list of autistic people for...some reason. Given how fascists
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 03:52 PM
Sep 5

operate, one can only imagine.

Skittles

(167,406 posts)
23. and he doesn't know jackshit about autism
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 07:13 PM
Sep 5

his statement that they "don't work", for example, shows how clueless he is regarding the spectrum

Lovie777

(20,237 posts)
2. I don't know any doctor that would advise a pregnant women to take Tylenol ...............
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 03:07 PM
Sep 5

or any pain medication.

Ya think mush brain would advise pregnant women of drug and alcohol use.

muriel_volestrangler

(104,704 posts)
9. It's the NHS recommended painkiller during pregnancy
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 03:47 PM
Sep 5
Paracetamol and pregnancy
Paracetamol is the first choice of painkiller if you're pregnant. It's commonly taken during pregnancy and does not harm your baby.
https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/paracetamol-for-adults/pregnancy-breastfeeding-and-fertility-while-taking-paracetamol-for-adults/

(Paracetamol=acetaminophen)

And the NIH, 2023:

Acetaminophen is considered by most healthcare providers to be the pain reliever of choice during pregnancy. It has been suggested to use this medication only as needed and to take the lowest effective dose, unless your healthcare provider has given other instructions.
]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582555/

Though a few recent studies have wondered if that should be changed:
https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aogs.14557
https://www.bmj.com/content/383/bmj-2022-070753/rr-0
https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/using-acetaminophen-during-pregnancy-may-increase-childrens-autism-and-adhd-risk/

karynnj

(60,540 posts)
27. What if they have a high fever ?
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 10:06 PM
Sep 5

Last edited Fri Sep 5, 2025, 11:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Not to mention, given so little proof, I would imagine that many women, who have children with autism and who have children far from the spectrum, took Tylenol because they were advised to by their doctors.

GusBob

(7,985 posts)
3. *Sniff, Sniff* Whats that smell?
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 03:08 PM
Sep 5

I smell stock manipulation

Or something along the lines: Donate to our PAC or we will mention your products

sinkingfeeling

(56,337 posts)
7. Does he know that Tylenol is used around the world? I have bought it in much higher
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 03:35 PM
Sep 5

dosages OTC while traveling just to have it.

mwooldri

(10,707 posts)
19. Yet in other places the amount you can buy OTC...
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 05:48 PM
Sep 5

... is limited B/C people were using paracetamol overdoses for terminating their existence.

bmichaelh

(943 posts)
8. Corruption and ignorance continues
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 03:44 PM
Sep 5

Acetaminophen is used in other products besides Tylenol.

I expect lawsuit coming to RFK Jr. and HHS.

The price of their stock plummeted.

https://www.rawstory.com/rfk-jr-autism/

Wonder who in the administration knew that this report is coming and sold their stock.

Now if he tries to remove this product from store shelves, there will be a lot of people suffering.

I can not take other products like Advil or Aleve because I have Crohn's disease.

BlueKota

(4,598 posts)
17. Also Tylenol was what doctors advised people
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 04:54 PM
Sep 5

diagnosed with Covid to take for pain relief. When I was having to take Prednisone for my sinus infection recently I was told to use Tylenol and not Ibuprofen my usual choice for pain, because it could cause complications.

I hope Tylenol will remain available for you and all who need it.

It has to be stock manipulation, I agree. Otherwise the owners of these drug companies would be screaming at tsf to fire Kennedy themselves.

slightlv

(6,557 posts)
24. You're hard pressed to NOT find acetaminophen
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 07:43 PM
Sep 5

In some dosage in OTC meds. It and dyphenhydyronol(sp) are pretty much the main ingredients in a huge amount of OTC meds.

Tylenol has a lot to do with liver trouble. My mom was diagnosed years ago and never drank in her life (except for the pina colada I made her once). BUT she'd been a lifetime on tylenol and other pain killers because of her back, which 3 surgeries did nothing to alleviate. You want to blame tylenol for something, I can think of a few things. But RFKjr just wants to find that "magic pill" he can blame everything on, and wallah! he gets credit for ending all illness in america.

Autism is multipronged, and I do believe portion of the blame could be environmental toxins. We're seeing a lot of illnesses that have gone to what I would call epidemic levels here in the U.S. that's not shown to be the case in other, less "1st world" countries. Mainly, I think, because we're polluting everything we need to actually live.

aurora the great

(140 posts)
15. A few studies does not a change in policy make.
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 04:25 PM
Sep 5

Robert F Kennedy Jr is an idiot who knows nothing about medicine or medical matters Period., He is a science skeptic. He relies on quack research, fringe opinions and uses small studies to validate his point. Tylenol is the pain reliever of choice for pregnant women. It is recommended (used in moderation) by the NIH for that purpose. . Of course, the use of prescription or OTC medication needs to be monitored by a physician. That is common sense.

hlthe2b

(111,298 posts)
18. Show me the data--the peer-reviewed (actual scientifically reviewed studies). I am no acetaminophen
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 05:20 PM
Sep 5

fan myself. There is a place for it, but many years ago, I helped investigate a cluster of acute liver failure (and deaths) among alcoholics who were refused narcotic painkillers for acute and severe pain (for justifiable, yet modifiable reasons). They were instead given high doses of Tylenol. A major change in label resulted (and yeah, those treating physicians SHOULD have known beforehand that this was a high-risk consequence, but at least the label clearly shows the risk, now).

But acetaminophen and autism? Count me skeptical. Not to mention, many of these women given Tylenol were likely given Tylenol 3 (with codeine)--at least postpartum in recent years. Nursing exposures are notoriously difficult to evaluate but likewise unlikely. I can't think of many OB/GYNs who would be indiscriminately using much acetaminophen or Tylenol 3 in pregnancy.

Screw you, Bobby. There is no way you could have done more than a quick retrospective case review in this amount of time--not even a retrospective cohort study. Those are good for hypothesis-generation, but certainly not to establish causality.

The truth is that most of the increase in autism is due to the fact we look for it, clinical and epidemiological case definitions have changed over decades to broaden the 'net," so to speak, and insure
that we don't miss children who could be helped early on. This likewise applies to how we look for vaccine outcomes. Many self-reported "cases" may have little to do with the vaccine exposure (some in fact may have occurred before the vaccine was even given), but we allow them to be reported to evaluate as broadly as possible and be eliminated after the fact in detailed review. RFK JR has zero understanding of these principles and he has likewise surrounded himself with those equally ignorant.

Blasphemer

(3,458 posts)
20. May I share the content of this post?
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 06:04 PM
Sep 5

With any attribution you would like. It’s the clearest and most succinct explanation I have seen.

hlthe2b

(111,298 posts)
21. Yes.
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 06:12 PM
Sep 5

Help yourself.

(I prefer to remain anonymous, but I can assure you I have the training, experience, and credentials to back it up. )

hamsterjill

(16,538 posts)
25. He is just making shit up.
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 07:49 PM
Sep 5

I have a 42-year old child and tylenol was what I was told I could take when pregnant and had a headache. Tylenol does not have the risk of bleeding like the NSAID's do.

By the way, my kid and every other kid born to any of my friends who were pregnant around that same time (we all shared our pregnancy milestones, etc. like most women do with their friends) who were also advised to take tylenol - are all just fine.

Klarkashton

(3,971 posts)
26. He has this obsession with the idea that corporations sell defective
Fri Sep 5, 2025, 08:05 PM
Sep 5

Products and buying off all the regulators. This comes from his past where the low hanging fruit was industrial pollution.

All the real evidence suggests that Autism is genetic, not caused by the environment or medications. He will never admit this since he has a vested interest in taking corporations to court about anything he can think of.

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