Let’s Talk About the Tylenol - Autism Announcement from a Different Angle
medicine lockbox I got from a Feb 2024 Narcan (Nalaxone) training…lockboxes are said to help reduce access to meds hence reduce risk of abuse/misuse
Good afternoon beautiful people,
Happy October to you all aka mental health awareness month.
I am dropping in to wish you all an amazing month, as I share some thoughts on the Tylenol - Autism conversation, but from a different angle.
What is the Tylenol-Autism link?
If you are hearing about this for the first time, here is some context:
On September 22, 2025, US President Donald Trump, joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, held a press conference to address concerns regarding acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy. Tylenol, produced by Johnson & Johnson and one of the most prevalent over-the-counter pain relievers in the US (think Paracetamol if you are outside the US), has long been regarded as safe when used as directed. Citing statistics on the rising cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses, the administration advised pregnant women to avoid the medication unless explicitly recommended by a physician in exceptional circumstances. The announcement sparked both reactions from both the medical field and the public.
First Thoughts
Immediately after the announcement, I had the following questions, given my research in addiction and substance use disorder:
does taking tylenol in pregnancy now count as prenatal drug exposure given the autism link?
could this trigger the same legal or child welfare consequences as other drugs, or is it a different case?
from a policy perspective, what is the ‘right amount of facts/evidence’ needed to make a policy directive?
is this the start of another Purdue Pharma‑style story?
Reactions from some pregnant women
As the day went by, pregnant women flooded social media, taking Tylenol on camera to “disprove” the Trump administration’s autism-Tylenol link, and my focus shifted to one of my studies that looked at how state laws/policies affect access to mental health for women (with substance use disorder) and their unborn children (prenatal care). Loosely put, substance abuse is using any substance, legal or illegal, incl prescribed or over-the-counter meds, excessively or for purposes other than those intended, and taking Tylenol to ‘prove a point’ fall under that.
The Dangers of Performative Protest: Why Swallowing Tylenol isn’t Advocacy but a Risk to Unborn Children
I worked on an op-ed about the latter reaction (it did not get a home, so I will share it here). The post actually a build up to another post I did in April when RFK did his first press briefing on this same issue.
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication, social engagement, and behavior, and exists along a continuum of severity. Its causes remain multifaceted, encompassing genetic predispositions, prenatal environmental exposures, and their interplay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent surveillance, released in April 2025 and based on 2022 data, reported ASD prevalence at 1 in 31 among eight-year-olds across 16 U.S. sites, an increase from 1 in 36 in 2020, which the CDC attributed to greater diagnostic awareness and access to services rather than a true rise in occurrence.
Convening a press conference shortly after the release of this CDC report in April, the newly appointed RFK Jr. rejected the consensus view, declared autism an “epidemic” caused by environmental toxins, and pledged to identify the source by September 2025. At the beginning of September, Tylenol emerged as the administration’s focal concern, with the president reiterating calls for caution at last week’s announcement. Officials at the briefing cited observational studies by Mount Sinai and Harvard School of Public Health, suggesting associations between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and elevated ASD risk. Causation remains unproven, with the administration pledging new research grants to investigate further.
Against this backdrop of scientific ambiguity, public reactions took over social media. While some users pointed to history, noting that autism predates acetaminophen’s introduction in the 1950s. The term “autism” was first coined in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler to describe symptoms of schizophrenia. He drew from the Greek word autos (“self”) to describe patients who withdrew into their inner world. Others, including pregnant women, ingested Tylenol on camera to “disprove” the purported link.
Substance Misuse
The latter acts, while framed as defiance, amount to substance misuse, which is the use of a legal or illegal substance in a way that harms the body, mind, or social functioning. For pregnant women, the stakes are even higher, as this behavior compounds risks to both maternal and fetal health. Prenatal substance exposure occurs when agents cross the placental barrier, posing risks to fetal development. In severe cases, such as with opioids or stimulants, newborns may experience withdrawal and face heightened risks of addiction later in life. While isolated doses pose low acute risk, prolonged or high exposure may heighten neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities, per recent meta-analyses.
Advocacy, at its essence, is important because it drives social change, fosters meaningful dialogue, and elevates voices that are too often overlooked, like those in the autism community. There are many ways to advocate from writing informed commentaries, promoting evidence-driven discussion, to centering lived experience. The administration’s focus on Tylenol poses a legitimate reason for citizens to pause and ask questions and even push back. The issue arises when the impulse to push back in ways that endanger oneself—or others. In its September 23 response, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine echoed this, urging reliance on peer-reviewed research rather than personal anecdotes or performative defiance.
Taking Tylenol to challenge a theory neither disproves it nor improves public health. While people have the right to question authority, both the government and medical experts, that right carries responsibility, and when vulnerable lives, including the unborn, are at stake, that responsibility is even heavier. In a multi-opinionated age, true advocacy should unite us around evidence and empathy, not spectacle.
Mental Health Perspective
The jury is still out on the link between Tylenol and autism, and we need to wait for the results of the newly funded research projects.
In the meantime:
Follow directions: Do not use any medication in ways other than prescribed or recommended.
Lock it up: If you have children or young people at home, keep all medications in secure lock boxes.
Seek medical guidance: For persistent or prolonged pain, consult a healthcare professional instead of self-medicating.
Resist performative risks: Avoid using medication as a form of advocacy, resistance, or defiance…your health and the safety of those around you matter most.
Sending love and light,
Sitawa
