Can Safe Painkillers Cause Hyperactivity Among Kids?

A new study has revealed that women who have consumed the common painkiller named 'Acetaminophen' during their pregnancy are more likely to deliver kids with behavioral problems such as hyperactivity. Acetaminophen is the first choice of pregnant women as it is considered to be a safe painkiller.

A few other studies have suggested that consumption of this safe painkiller can hamper the brain development process of the unborn children. A study which was conducted in 2013 revealed that women, who consumed Acetaminophen frequently during their pregnancy stage, raised the risk of behavioral problems in their children by 70 per cent.

Most of the pregnant women consume Paracetamol (another name of Acetaminophen), thus leading to the cause of hyperactivity among kids. According to NBC news, Evie Stergiakouli of University of Bristol said that 7700 women who took part in a study during their pregnancy period. Out of that only 5% of the kids had behavioral problems at the age of 6 or 7. She also added, "The ones who suffered from hyperactivity were born to moms who remembered having used Acetaminophen while being pregnant."

This new exposure has given a reason for millions of pregnant women to think that anything consumed during pregnancy can potentially be a problem. It has left the pregnant women to reconsider about the intake of such painkillers, no matter how safe it is. Doctors have suggested to avoid the intake of unnecessary medications and to rely on natural relief methods.

As per the reports by Fox59.com, CDC has estimated that out of 5.1 million kids, children between the ages of 4 and 17 suffer from hyperactivity in the US. Apart from consumption of safe painkillers during pregnancy, there are other factors too that leads to hyperactivity among kids such as consuming alcohol and smoking tobacco.

Though the researchers have alerted the pregnant women to limit the consumption of safe pain killers, there are no clear evidences to prove a direct link between Acetaminophen and hyperactivity in kids.