BOSTON — The Trump administration unveiled new efforts on Monday, exploring how the active ingredient in Tylenol could be linked to autism. The administration also touted Leucovorin as a potential medication to treat autism.
It’s an announcement that’s causing chatter amongst the medical community and one that OB/GYN and Chief of Genetics at Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Dallas Reed believes should be further studied.
“Autism is a complicated diagnosis to study,” Dr. Reed said.
Ahead of the announcement, Dr. Reed said she would need to take the time to analyze the evidence released by the administration before drawing conclusions, but said based on the studies currently available, “there is not enough data to say that there is an association and certainly not enough to say that acetaminophen is causing autism.”
It’s a similar thought Maura Sullivan had when she first heard about the announcement.
“Saying that Tylenol causes autism is making quite a leap,” Sullivan said.
As the CEO of The Arc Massachusetts and the mother of two children with autism, Sullivan feels more research needs to be done, and the stigma still needs to be addressed.
“I’m concerned for parents. I want to make sure that we do not blame parents, that we stop this cycle of stigma and blame,” Sullivan said.
Similarly, Dr. Reed said the symptoms that acetaminophen can address in pregnant women, like pain or fever, can be dangerous to a fetus.
“Those are really important things to treat, and this is a very safe medication to do that,” Dr. Reed said. “Based on what I’ve seen in the literature and what those societies that sort of guide our clinical practice have seen, it would not change my opinion, and I would still talk to my patient about acetaminophen being a safe option for them.”
Monday’s announcement also comes with the suggestion of the drug, Leucovorin, as a potential autism treatment, something Sullivan said gives her hope.
“It’s one good theory, but it needs a lot more time to be studied and the hope is, it’ll help some if not a good amount on the autism spectrum, but I think it’s really hard to know right now,” Sullivan said.
Dr. Reed said regardless of any sort of policy or recommendation that comes out, patients should always resort back to their doctor to tailor a plan that works specifically for them.
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