Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder that affects many children and their families. When its characteristics (hyperactivity, a short attention span, and poor impulse control) are severe enough, ADHD interferes with a person’s daily life and as well as his or her relationships. As a result, people with ADHD may be stigmatized and placed in a category that, in most cases, will follow them for the rest of their lives.
From what I have experienced in practice and through what I have read, I believe ADHD likely has multiple potential causes. And many of them appear to revolve around lifestyle choices of parents and children.
Acetaminophen, meanwhile, “is in a class of medications called analgesics (pain relievers) and antipyretics (fever reducers). It works by changing the way the body senses pain and by cooling the body, ” according to the National Library of Medicine. The most well known brand name is Tylenol®. It is also an ingredient in Dayquil®, NyQuil Cold/Flu Relief®, and Percocet®..
One potential cause of ADHD was elucidated through a research study published on September 28, 2020 in JAMA Pediatrics Online. In this study, (entitled “Association of Prenatal Acetaminophen Exposure Measured in Meconium with Risk of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Mediated by Frontoparietal Network Brain Connectivity”) these researchers followed 394 children born to mothers who had utilized Acetaminophen during their pregnancy. These children were followed for 6 to 7 years and tracked regarding ADHD symptoms and diagnosis.
What the researchers found was, “Compared with no acetaminophen, detection of acetaminophen in meconium was associated with increased odds of ADHD.”
The decision to avoid Acetaminophen during pregnancy is a lifestyle choice. Obviously, many pregnant women suffer from pain of a variety of different causes. I have treated many over the years for multiple pain syndromes. The miracle of motherhood is far from easy.
However, I join in the opinion of these researchers: we need to find better ways to treat pain syndromes during pregnancy. Obviously the most conservative form of treatment should be used first, and certainly, before drugs and/or surgery. And this opinion applies not only to those suffering during pregnancy, but to all of those who are suffering from pain.