Home / Health / Trump's Tylenol Warning Sparks ER Fear
Trump's Tylenol Warning Sparks ER Fear
7 Mar
Summary
- Pregnant women's Tylenol use dropped 16% after Trump's autism claim.
- Thousands of women avoided pain relief due to needless fear.
- Leucovorin prescriptions for children saw a 71% increase.
In September 2026, pregnant women's use of Tylenol, an over-the-counter pain reliever, significantly decreased following President Trump's claim linking it to autism. An analysis of U.S. emergency room prescribing patterns, published in The Lancet, revealed a 16% drop in Tylenol orders for pregnant women aged 15-44.
This decline meant thousands of women may have foregone necessary pain or fever treatment due to unfounded fears, according to study author Dr. Jeremy Faust. He emphasized Tylenol's safety as a pain management option. The study observed no significant change in prescriptions for non-pregnant women.
Concurrently, prescriptions for leucovorin, a folinic acid derivative promoted by Trump for children with autism, saw a substantial 71% rise in outpatient settings for children aged 5-17. This increase peaked early in the study period but remained elevated.
The research indicated that the reduction in Tylenol prescriptions was not sustained, possibly influenced by messaging from credible health organizations that countered the President's claims. Dr. Faust lamented that public trust in science was undermined, leading many families to be misled about medication.
