FLORIDA — President Donald Trump announced Monday that the US Food and Drug Administration will be advising physicians that the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, can increase the risk of autism when used during pregnancy.
This is despite the fact that scientific research has not conclusively demonstrated a causal link.
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“There’s no research that has been shown that causes it. What's so far has been made are associations but there hasn't been any kind of double blinded placebo controlled types of studies,” said Dr. David Berger, a board-certified pediatrician at Wholistic Pediatrics and Family Care.
Treating children with autism is one of Dr. Berger’s subspecialties. The pediatrician said genetics plays a central role in a child's risk of developing autism.
"Dating back to around the year 2000 there were studies that showed that mothers of children with autism were 3 1/2 times more likely to have a variant in the genetic code that makes this MTHFR gene, that lead to the production of less glutathione. That was the original connection between them,” said Berger.
Trump is warning that women should not use it during pregnancy “unless medically necessary” such as fever. While autism diagnoses are rising, the use of acetaminophen has not.
“This is straight out of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. It should be used very judiciously, very sparingly anyway. That's been a recommendation forever,” said Berger.
White House officials are also suggesting that leucovorin or folinic acid, a form of vitamin B that is typically used in conjunction with cancer treatment, could be used to treat autism. The use of leucovorin is based on research suggesting that many people with autism have a reduction of folate that reaches the brain.
“This has been something that I've been testing for over a decade. I've been treating them with doses of this folinic acid that is based upon body weight, and I've seen some remarkable improvements in some of my patients” Berger said.
Joey Foley, chairman for Rockin’ on the Chain a group raising money for autism awareness in Polk County, is hopeful about the news.
"This would make things a whole lot easier for mamas, daddies and brothers, sisters and grandmas and grandpas that have to deal with a family member that struggles with autism and special needs,” Foley said.
Groups like the Society for Maternal-fetal Medicine have stood by recommendations to use acetaminophen to treat fever and pain in pregnant women.
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