Trump’s comments on Tylenol are false and can be dangerous

Two medical doctors from Metro Vancouver are pushing back against recent comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump about taking Tylenol during pregnancy.

Dr. Kevin McLeod, a North Shore-based internal medicine specialist, is warning that those false claims could have serious consequences.

Trump linked the use of Tylenol during pregnancy with an increased risk of autism in children.

McLeod says acetaminophen, the active medical ingredient in Tylenol, has been intensively studied and is both safe and effective for pregnant individuals.

He worries that misinformation may lead some to switch to over-the-counter alternatives that can be very harmful.

“Most commonly used Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Aleve, Advil, those ones are actually not safe in pregnancy,” said McLeod in an interview with 1130 NewsRadio.

“We have lots of studies that say they can cause birth defects. They can cause developmental problems.”

He says acetaminophen has been used for decades to treat pain, fever, and pregnancy safely.

McLeod urges people to speak to medical professionals when in doubt.

Dr. Brian Conway, Medical Director at Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, agrees with his medical colleague and says Trump’s statements are not true and do not align with the established scientific evidence.

“There are so few medications that are shown to be safe in pregnancy. Tylenol has been used for years to treat fever and to treat pain in a very safe way in pregnant women,” Conway said in an interview with 1130 NewsRadio.

Conway says while it is good to ask and double-check the safety of using medication, he stresses it’s important to trust science-based medical advice.

He criticizes Trump by making claims without any scientific evidence.

“Once proper studies have been done that have laid that concern to rest, then the issue is addressed. It’s solved,” he said.

“To revisit it in such a way as has been done without any new or additional scientific data is just not consistent with how we practice health care.”

He says, if a broader conversation is needed to reassure Canadians and explain how health care decisions are made, then that is a conversation worth having.

“The best advice I can give to anyone who’s pregnant: check with the health care provider to make sure [the medicine] has been shown to be safe,” he said.