Local doctors address Tylenol concerns amid President’s autism claims

October 5, 2025 Staff Reporter 327 Views 0 Comments

President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced the government would be warning physicians of a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism in babies, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. We spoke with a local doctor to dispel confusion after the announcement

THEIR MINDS AS THEY WORK TO BRING ANOTHER LIFE INTO THE WORLD. IMAGINE THEIR SURPRISE WHEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES BLINDSIDED THEM WITH A BROAD WARNING. TAKING TYLENOL IS. NOT GOOD. I’LL SAY IT. IT’S NOT GOOD. BACKED BY HEALTH SECRETARY RFK JR. PRESIDENT TRUMP CLAIMED THE MAIN INGREDIENT IN TYLENOL ACETAMINOPHEN, WHEN USED BY PREGNANT WOMEN, CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT HE CALLED A VERY INCREASED RISK OF AUTISM IN KIDS. THE FDA IS NOW WARNING DOCTORS ABOUT THE PAINKILLER AND WORKING TO CHANGE LABELS ON TYLENOL. DON’T TAKE IT. YOU’LL BE UNCOMFORTABLE. IT WON’T BE AS EASY. MAYBE, BUT DON’T TAKE IT IF YOU’RE PREGNANT, DON’T TAKE TYLENOL. THE WHITE HOUSE POINTED TO A HANDFUL OF STUDIES SHOWING A POSSIBLE LINK, BUT NO EXISTING STUDY HAS SHOWN A DIRECT CAUSE AND EFFECT. TYLENOL’S MANUFACTURER REFUTES THOSE CLAIMS FROM THE PRESIDENT. THE ANNOUNCEMENT CERTAINLY CAUSED SOMETHING A FIRESTORM OF PUSHBACK. SEVERAL OF THE NATION’S TOP MEDICAL GROUPS RESPONDED TO THIS POLICY SHIFT, WORKING TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT SO MOTHERS AREN’T CONFUSED. THE MARCH OF DIMES MAINTAINS ACETAMINOPHEN IS ONE OF THE SAFEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE OPTIONS FOR MANAGING PAIN AND FEVER DURING PREGNANCY. WHEN TAKEN AS DIRECTED. ADDING FEVER DURING PREGNANCY CAN CARRY SIGNIFICANT RISKS FOR BOTH MOM AND BABY. IN FACT, THAT’S ONE OF THE MAIN CONCERNS HERE. DOCTORS SAY THEY’RE WORRIED ABOUT THE MIXED MESSAGES AT PLAY, AND THEY’RE CONCERNED THE ADMINISTRATION’S ANNOUNCEMENT WILL MAKE PREGNANT WOMEN HESITATE TO TREAT A FEVER, WHICH COULD BE BAD FOR THE BABY. IT’S VERY FRUSTRATING TO ME FOR WOMEN TO HEAR INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE THAT IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH SCIENCE OR FACT, AND CAUSES DOUBT AND STRESS IN THEIR PREGNANCY THAT I FRANKLY DON’T FEEL IT NEEDS TO BE THERE. DOCTORS SAY THEY’LL CONTINUE TO RECOMMEND TYLENOL, SINCE IT’S ABOUT THE ONLY MEDICATION PREGNANT WOMEN CAN TAKE TO SAFELY TREAT A FEVER. WE KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, SO LET’S GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER WITH FAMILY PHYSICIAN DOCTOR KATHLEEN EUBANKS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. FIRST OFF, LET’S ADDRESS THE CONFUSION IN THE ROOM BROUGHT ON BY THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. WHAT ARE YOU AND FELLOW DOCTORS HEARING FROM PATIENTS? AND WHAT ARE YOU TELLING THEM? SO I THINK THERE’S CONCERN BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN THE MEDICATION THAT’S THE GO TO MEDICATION. AND NOW THEY’RE HEARING, I CAN’T TAKE THAT MEDICATION. WHAT DO I DO NOW? SHOULD I JUST SUFFER? SHOULD I JUST GO THROUGH A FEVER IN EARLY PREGNANCY? WHAT ELSE DO I TAKE? I THEY DON’T KNOW WHERE TO TURN. AND SO A LOT OF TIMES THEY WILL TURN TO THEIR FAMILY PHYSICIAN OR THEIR OB GYN OR THEIR PEDIATRICIANS TRYING TO ASSESS, HEY, WHAT IS MY RISK? HOW DO I GO ABOUT FIGURING THIS OUT? SO WE’VE TRIED TO BE THE CALM IN THE STORM AND TRY TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE THROUGH ALL THE NOISE. AND THERE’S A LOT OF NOISE OUT THERE TO GIVE THEM REASSURANCE THAT ACETAMINOPHEN IS A WELL PROVEN, SAFE MEDICATION FOR THEM TO TAKE DURING PREGNANCY. WE DON’T WANT WOMEN TO NOT TAKE THAT AND HAVE A FEVER OR HAVE A LOT OF PAIN, BECAUSE WE KNOW FEVER IN EARLY PREGNANCY CAN CAUSE FETAL ANOMALIES, AND THAT’S THAT’S A PROBLEM THAT’S VERY SCARY FOR PHYSICIANS TO THINK, OH, GOODNESS, THIS THIS COULD BE SOMETHING WE COULD AVOID. SO WE HOPE THEY WILL TALK TO US AND ENGAGE WITH US. YEAH. WELL, THAT IS CAUSAL, RIGHT. THE FEVERS HAVE BEEN LINKED TO TWO ISSUES WHERE THERE’S MORE CORRELATION WITH SOME OF THESE STUDIES. AND THAT’S THAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST LESSON. I THINK JUST BECAUSE THERE MIGHT BE SOME TIES TO THIS OR SOME STUDIES SAY THERE’S A CORRELATION, DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT’S CAUSAL. AND THESE STUDIES THAT THE WHITE HOUSE REFERENCING DOES NOT SHOW A CAUSE, THAT DOESN’T SHOW IT CAUSES AUTISM. CORRECT. THEY HAVE NOT SHOWN THAT THERE’S ANY CAUSATION LINK BETWEEN ACETAMINOPHEN USE PRENATALLY AND AUTISM. YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO IMAGINE AND YOU TOUCHED ON THIS, THERE’S SOME UNEASINESS BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY PREGNANT MOMS WANT TO DO WHAT’S BEST FOR THEM AND FOR THEIR KIDS. THEY DO. YES. AND WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND THAT PREGNANT WOMEN ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDICATIONS. AND THAT IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DISCUSS IN PRENATAL CARE. WHAT MEDICINES ARE SAFE, WHAT MEDICINES ARE NOT SAFE, WHAT TO WHAT TO DRINK, WHAT TO EAT, ALL THOSE THINGS IN PRENATAL CARE. HOWEVER, WE ALSO WANT THEM TO KNOW IF YOU DO HAVE TO TAKE SOMETHING ACETAMINOPHEN IS SAFE TO DO, SO PLEASE DO SO AT THE LOWEST EFFECTIVE DOSE. PLEASE DO SO FOR THE SHORTEST LENGTH OF TIME AND DURATION. SO I THINK THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO HEAR THAT YES, IT IS SAFE. BUT OF COURSE WE WANT YOU TO WATCH WHAT YOU TAKE. WE WANT YOU TO BE CAREFUL WITH THE THINGS THAT YOU DO DURING PREGNANCY. YEAH. YOU KNOW, ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT TYLENOL SKEPTICISM? KIND OF LIKE WHAT WE SAW WITH VACCINE SKEPTICISM IN THE PANDEMIC. THAT WAS REALLY AN ISSUE. IT WAS. AND ALWAYS, OF COURSE, ANY TIME YOU HEAR A LOT OF NOISE, THEN THERE’S ALWAYS A LOT OF QUESTIONS. WE HOPE THEY WILL BRING THOSE QUESTIONS TO US. THERE WERE SEVERAL INCORRECT CLAIMS MADE ABOUT VACCINES AS WELL. WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR EXPECTING MOMS AND THEIR BABIES ONCE, ONCE THEY’RE BORN? WHEN IT COMES TO VACCINES? SURE, WE ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE AN OPEN DISCUSSION WITH WITH PARENTS. I THINK WE ALWAYS KNOW THAT WHEN PATIENTS COME TO OUR OFFICE, THEY COME. THEY’RE NOT WANTING TO HARM THEIR CHILDREN. WE, OF COURSE, ARE NOT WANTING TO DO THAT EITHER. I THINK HAVING AN EDUCATED DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW VACCINES ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE, THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING I WANT PATIENTS TO UNDERSTAND. THEY’RE SAFE AND THEY ARE EFFECTIVE. JUST REALLY IN GENERAL, HAVING THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND BEING AND NOT BEING AFRAID TO ASK. EXACTLY. ASK THE QUESTIONS. BRING YOUR QUESTIONS. AND A LOT OF TIMES IT WILL BE SOMETHING THEY SAW ON TIKTOK OR THEY READ ON FACEBOOK. AND SO I ENCOURAGE THEM TO BRING THOSE QUESTIONS TO US, BECAUSE THEN WE CAN HAVE AN EDUCATED DISCUSSION AND YOU CAN ANSWER THEIR SPECIFIC CONCERNS, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THEY’RE VERY BROAD, GENERAL THINGS. THERE MAY BE A SCIENTIFIC STUDY THAT THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANS. BRING IT IN. WE’LL EXPLAIN IT. WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT. YOU’LL SEE A LOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHERE PEOPLE WILL CHERRY PICK FACTS AND STUDIES. OH, YES. AND SO I CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT IT’S LIKE FOR YOU TO TRY TO CUT THROUGH ALL OF THAT. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR EVERYTHING YOU’RE DOING FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND FAMILIES. COUNT ON KMBC NINE NEWS AND HEART OF THE MATTER TO KEEP YOU SAFE. WE’RE WATCHING

Local doctors address Tylenol concerns amid President’s autism claims

Updated: 10:45 AM CDT Oct 5, 2025

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