IS TAKING PARACETAMOL DANGEROUS DURING PREGNANCY?
Since the fortuitous discovery over 100 years ago of the twin virtues of paracetamol – both lowering the temperature of the feverish and a potent analgesic for all manner of aches and pains – its value to tens of millions must be incalculable. And safe too: the likelihood of adverse effects deemed “very rare” by the pharmacological bible, The British National Formulary.
It would thus seem highly improbable, as claimed by the US president Donald Trump in a much publicised press conference, that it should be responsible, when taken in pregnancy, for the massive upswing in recent times in the numbers of children with autism. Improbable, but not impossible. Indeed just four years ago an impressive galaxy of international experts in a joint statement urged that pregnant women should be “cautioned” against taking paracetamol on the grounds that “a growing body of research” indicates “it could increase the risk of neuro-developmental disorders”. What to make of this?
To start with, the “epidemic” of autism is a myth driven by its ever more elastic definition to include now anyone “showing differences in social interaction and communication”. Hence it is of no surprise to learn that the astonishing 747 per cent increase in prevalence in Britain over the last 20 years turns out to be accounted for the most part by a sharp increase in those diagnosed in adulthood.
Then, were paracetamol implicated in the “epidemic” there should by definition have been a parallel exponential rise in the numbers taking the drug. There is no evidence this is the case. On the contrary, prescriptions for paracetamol over the same period have fallen by a third. And, most convincingly of all, paracetamol was fully exonerated last year in a study of two and a half million children where the rate of autism, ADHD and intellectual disability in those whose mothers had taken the drug during pregnancy proved no different when compared to those whose mothers did not. End of story.
Readers remedies for itchiness
The recent comments on the cruel affliction of intense generalised itching has prompted several useful observations from readers. First the striking, if perplexing, circumstance where the itching is triggered following a bath or shower may, a reader warns, be the first sign of the blood disorder polycythaemia where the bone marrow over produces red blood cells. “This is most distressing,” he writes and, like others, finds it can only be avoided by keeping his ablutions to a minimum. “Gratefully I am assured by family and friends, I don’t pong.”
Next, the commonly prescribed blood pressure drug Amlodipine (and similar) may, as recently reported, be a “hidden” cause of late onset intensely itchy eczema of the skin in the older age group... This usually resolves within a few weeks of their being discontinued. Antidepressants too may be an effective remedy independent of their effect on mood. “For several years my wife was driven mad by this itching until her doctor prescribed a low dose of antidepressant at night. Within a week it had stopped altogether.” Lastly, retired anaesthetist Dr Charles Moon has discovered, by chance, that the Naproxen he takes for his intermittent back pain also provides blissful relief for up to eight hours from his generalised itching.
Finally, a Colonel from Hampshire woken at night by a dry mouth – despite ensuring he is well hydrated – is pleased to report he has chanced upon a most effective remedy. “Before retiring I place a raisin between the cheek and gum on both sides,” he writes. “They last all night once one has learnt not to chew them and if occasionally one slips down the throat it does not seem to matter.” Their presence in his mouth, he presumes, must stimulate the flow from his salivary glands.
Email queries and comments in confidence to [email protected]
More from Dr James
The reasons why elderly people experience itchy skin
2025-10-03T12:05:40Z
