Drug Injury
Is Use of Tylenol Linked to Autism in Children? Get the Facts
| March 11th, 2024
Recently, there has been a growing concern and discussion about the potential connection between taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) while pregnant and the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children.
These discussions have raised questions among parents and healthcare professionals about the safety of this commonly used over-the-counter medication. Explore the latest research on the topic to understand how it might apply to your child.
If you believe Tylenol use contributed to your child’s ASD diagnosis, contact a California Tylenol child autism lawyer to review your claim.
An Overview of the Research
When your child’s well-being is at stake, it’s important to rely on scientific research for accurate information. Several studies have investigated a potential link between Tylenol and ASD, with varying results. Here is some of the most recent available research:
- 2019 Johns Hopkins Study: A 2019 study by Johns Hopkins looked at cord blood samples from newborns. ASD and ADHD diagnoses were three times more likely in those with the highest exposure to acetaminophen.
- 2020 JAMA Pediatrics Study: In 2020, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics looked at acetaminophen exposure in meconium (newborn’s first stool). The results indicated that children with acetaminophen exposure showed an increase in negative connectivity between brain areas, leading to higher rates of ADHD.
- 2022 Systematic Review: A 2022 review published by the California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology found that prenatal use of acetaminophen had a 19% increased association with borderline or clinical ASD diagnosis compared to non-exposed children.
- 2023 Review Article: A 2023 article in Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics reviewed several studies and literature on the connection between Tylenol and ASD. The piece pointed out the limitations of other studies but ultimately concluded that there should be no controversy on the conclusion that some babies are at an elevated risk of developing ASD when exposed to acetaminophen in utero.
Limitations on the Current Research
Despite the conclusion of these well-respected studies, there are limitations on current research. As you consider your child’s health needs or whether to pursue a drug injury lawsuit, consider the following:
- Retrospective Studies: Many studies rely on retrospective data, which means they gather information from mothers about their Tylenol use after their children have already been diagnosed with ASD. This can introduce recall bias and affect the accuracy of the data.
- Confounding Factors: Genetics, maternal health, lifestyle, and other medications can influence the development of ASD. Isolating the specific impact of Tylenol use can be challenging in the presence of these confounding variables.
- Dose and Timing: The relationship between Tylenol use and ASD risk may depend on the dose and timing of exposure during pregnancy. Research often lacks detailed information on these aspects.
- Scientific Consensus: As of the latest available information, there is no scientific consensus that definitively links Tylenol use during pregnancy to an increased risk of ASD in children.
Considerations for Parents
As a concerned parent, exercise caution when interpreting research findings. Always consult a healthcare professional to understand your child’s diagnosis and possible causes. When seeking research, take the following into account:
- Reliability of Studies: When evaluating research findings, consider the reliability of the study design, sample size, and methodology. Large, well-designed studies are generally more trustworthy than smaller, less rigorous ones.
- Applicability to Your Situation: Remember that research findings may not apply to everyone. Your healthcare provider can help assess your specific circumstances and provide personalized guidance.
- Consult with Healthcare Professionals: If you have concerns about Tylenol use during pregnancy or your child’s development, consult your healthcare provider. They can provide tailored advice based on your child’s medical history and current health.
- Legal Considerations: In cases where you believe your child has suffered consequences due to a defective product, such as Tylenol, consult an attorney specializing in product liability cases. Our team at Berg Injury Lawyers can provide guidance on your rights and options.
Explore Your Legal Options After a Drug Injury
The question of whether the use of Tylenol during pregnancy is linked to autism in children remains a topic of ongoing research and debate. Parents should approach this topic with a balanced perspective, relying on the advice of healthcare professionals and evaluating research findings.
If you believe that your child has experienced adverse effects related to Tylenol use during pregnancy, seek legal counsel from experienced drug injury attorneys at Berg Injury Lawyers. Contact us today for a free consultation.
I Think My Medication Made Things Worse. What Should I Do Next?
| February 5th, 2024
Taking medication as directed, only to find it is making things worse, can be a worrying experience. If you follow your doctor or pharmacist’s directions but experience symptoms like headaches, rashes, or fatigue, you may wonder what to do next.
Understanding the impact of your medication on your health is crucial for your well-being. If these side effects stem from an unsafe product, an incorrectly prescribed drug, or a dosage issue, you might have grounds for a personal injury case.
Learn what steps to take if your medication worsens your condition and how a California drug injury lawyer from Berg Injury Lawyers can help.
Recognizing a Medication-Related Issue
Identifying medication-related problems starts with knowing what to look for. Here are a few signs and symptoms that may show up when you begin taking a medication:
- Intense or rare side effects. Severe or uncommon side effects that are not typical reactions to the medication can indicate an issue.
- Escalating or new health issues. Intensifying pre-existing symptoms or new issues like sudden joint pain or unexplained skin conditions after starting the medication.
- Immediate allergic reactions. Symptoms such as skin rashes, facial or throat swelling, or acute breathing difficulties indicate an allergic response.
- Pronounced mood swings. Changes in mood, such as deepening depression, heightened anxiety, unexpected irritability, or thoughts of self-harm.
- Marked cognitive impairment. Noticeable memory lapses, confusion, or a sudden inability to focus or process information.
- Severe digestive problems. Persistent or severe gastrointestinal issues like relentless nausea, continuous vomiting, chronic diarrhea, or ongoing constipation.
- Drastic sleep pattern changes. Severe insomnia, sleeping far more than usual, or altering sleep-wake cycles.
Steps to Take
Should you have concerns that your medication is adversely affecting your health, it’s important to take proactive measures to address the situation, including:
- Seek prompt medical attention. If you experience severe or life-threatening symptoms, such as allergic reactions or breathing difficulties, seek immediate medical attention. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
- Document symptoms and health changes. Keep a detailed record of any symptoms you experience, their severity, and when they started. Note any changes in your overall health or well-being.
- Save all medication documents. Keep all information provided by the pharmacy, such as the container, medication guide, prescription details, and labels. This information can be crucial for your healthcare provider to understand what you’ve been taking and in what dosage.
- Contact your healthcare provider. Reach out to your healthcare provider who prescribed the medication. Schedule an appointment to discuss your concerns openly and honestly. Be prepared to share your symptom diary with them to illustrate your concerns.
- Follow their advice. Your healthcare provider may recommend adjusting the medication dosage, changing to a different medication, or discontinuing the drug. Follow their advice and continue to communicate any changes in your condition.
Options for Medication Adjustments
If you consult your doctor regarding issues with your medication, they should attentively hear your concerns and contemplate potential adjustments. This may involve conducting a physical examination, blood tests, or other diagnostic procedures to ascertain the cause of the medication-related problem.
Based on their findings, they can make an informed adjustment to your treatment plan, which may include:
- Dosage adjustment. Adjusting the medication’s dosage can reduce side effects while preserving its therapeutic effects. Your healthcare provider will assist you with the proper dosage modifications.
- Switching to an alternative medication. If the side effects are unbearable, or if the current medication isn’t effective, your healthcare provider might suggest transitioning to an alternative medication that offers similar therapeutic advantages but with fewer side effects.
- Tapering off medication. Some medications require a gradual reduction in dosage rather than abrupt discontinuation to prevent withdrawal symptoms or potential rebound effects. Your healthcare provider can develop a tapering schedule if necessary.
- Exploring non-pharmacological alternatives. Depending on your condition, your healthcare provider might suggest non-pharmacological treatments or lifestyle modifications that can complement or replace medication.
Speak to an Attorney About Your Medication Injuries
If you believe that your health has been negatively affected due to medication errors or a defective drug, you may need legal assistance to protect your rights and seek compensation. Our defective product attorneys at Berg Injury Lawyers can review your medical records and the medication’s safety and dosage information to determine if you have a case.
Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your situation and explore your legal options.
3 Reasons Why Prescription and OTC Drugs May Be Dangerous
| December 2nd, 2019
Whether you picked it up from a pharmacy with a prescription, or bought it right off the supermarket shelf, you never expect a new medication to cause you to develop a serious illness or other dangerous complication. However, that’s the reality for countless people every year due to defective and dangerous drugs. Drugs are supposed to be thoroughly tested via multiple rounds of clinical trials before they’re released to the general public. And yet, every year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publicizes recalls of medications that are potentially harmful to patients. There are three primary reasons why this occurs:- Impurities—Recently, a drug designed to treat high blood pressure and one designed to treat acid reflux were recalled due to containing an impurity that’s linked to cancer. Impurities are often found in medications that are manufactured in non-sterile facilities or in facilities with lax oversight.
- Hidden side effects—Researching and developing a new medication can cost billions of dollars. That means drug companies are desperate to get their products on the market. To do so, they may hide side effects from the FDA to increase their chances of approval.
- Labeling errors—The safety of all medications is dose-dependent. When patients take too much or too little of a medication, they can experience severe complications. Labeling errors can result in patients taking incorrect doses, putting their health and their lives at risk.
Why Do You Need a Lawyer After Suffering a Drug Injury?
| September 9th, 2019
Prescription and over-the-counter drugs are supposed to make you feel better. But for some people, taking a new medication—or even a medication they’ve taken for years—can suddenly result in them suffering serious and even life-threatening complications. When that happens, it’s called a drug injury, and it’s often the result of negligence. Drug companies are required to thoroughly test their medications and to alert the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to all possible side effects and complications. But when adverse effects are particularly dangerous, the FDA may deny those companies approval to put their medications on the market. Because drug companies spend billions of dollars researching and developing new drugs, they’re often desperate to get them on the market—and that sometimes results in hiding serious side effects from the FDA. At Berg Injury Lawyers, we fight for the rights of people who were harmed because of others’ negligence. Whether it’s a driver on the road or a huge pharmaceutical company, we hold negligent parties accountable when their actions or inactions cause others to suffer harm. If you or someone you love took a prescription or over-the-counter medication and suffered serious health problems or injuries, you deserve compensation, and our California drug injury lawyers want to help you get it. Drug companies are well protected when it comes to litigation and compensation claims, but we know how to build cases that get results. Don’t let the money you deserve slip away. Contact us today for a free consultation.What Are Common Symptoms of Drug Injuries?
| June 24th, 2019
Whether you take a medication that was prescribed by your doctor or that you purchased over the counter at your local drug store, you expect it to be safe and to help you feel better. But as many drug injury victims have learned, that’s not always the case. Drug manufacturers spend billions of dollars researching and developing their products, and they’re determined to recoup those expenses. That means they may hide or fail to report known side effects and potentially dangerous complications caused by their medications to make sure the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves them. The health problems associated with drug injuries can range anywhere from minor to life threatening. If you or someone you love takes a prescription or over-the-counter medication, it’s important to be on the lookout for the potential signs of a drug injury. Common symptoms include:- Sudden pain—Pain with a sudden onset is often a clear indicator that something is wrong inside the body. In the case of drug injuries, it may indicate organ damage or internal bleeding.
- Blood clots, heart attack, and stroke—Multiple drugs are linked to potentially fatal cardiovascular events, including Type 2 diabetes drugs, birth control medications, and more.
- Birth defects—Unborn children are at risk of suffering serious birth defects when their mothers take certain medications, including many types of popular antidepressants.
What Should You Do If a Medication You Take Is Recalled?
| April 8th, 2019
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) frequently reviews safety data concerning all types of medication. When it finds results that indicate certain medications may pose dangers to patients, it may recommend that the manufacturers of those medications recall their products from pharmacy and hospital shelves. However, recalls don’t always happen, and even when they do, recalled medications may still be distributed to patients or remain in patients’ medicine cabinets. You can stay up to date on medication recalls by checking the FDA’s safety alert page. The page includes a search function, allowing you to find out if a medication you’re currently taking or were just prescribed is subject to a recall. If so, it’s important to take the following steps:- Determine if your medication is part of the recall—Make sure the brand name and manufacturer of the recalled medication match the brand name and manufacturer of the medication you’re taking. In some cases, even that doesn’t mean your medication has been recalled, as certain batches of medications may be subject to recalls, while other batches aren’t.
- Don’t stop taking your medication without talking to your doctor—Although some recalls are due to serious defects that can pose threats to patients, many are due to minor errors such as improper labeling. In addition, it may be more dangerous for you to stop taking your medication than to continue taking it, even if it’s linked to health problems.
We Fight for Victims’ Rights to Compensation After Prescription Drug Injuries
| January 2nd, 2019
When you take a prescription medication to treat an injury or illness, you expect it to improve your symptoms at best or have no effect at worst. But for some patients, prescription drugs cause them to suffer new complications that can even be life threatening. That’s because prescription drug manufacturers don’t always make patient safety their top priority, and they may go to great lengths to get their dangerous drugs approved and sold in pharmacies throughout the world. At Berg Injury Lawyers, we believe that pharmaceutical companies should be held liable when their medications harm innocent people like you. If you were hurt by a dangerous drug, you may be hesitant to file a compensation claim due to the perceived difficulties of winning a claim against a billion-dollar corporation. But victims like you have the right to pursue damages for injuries or illnesses caused by negligence, and we’re here to help you every step of the way. Our California drug injury lawyers know what successful prescription medication injury claims look like. When you choose us to handle your drug injury claim, we’ll leave no stone unturned as we collect evidence that proves the drug manufacturer’s negligence caused your illness or injury. Then, we’ll calculate how much money you’re owed for what you’ve gone through. You don’t have to accept a lowball settlement or a denied claim when you were hurt because of a dangerous or defective medication. Call us today for a free consultation.What Should You Do If You Suspect a Drug Injury?
| October 8th, 2018
Over-the-counter and prescription medications are supposed to make you feel better. But when drug manufacturers fail to conduct thorough testing on their products—or when they intentionally hide side effects and complications from regulatory agencies, doctors, and patients—serious injuries and illnesses can and often do occur. Being harmed by a medication that you thought would help you is a devastating experience. It’s difficult enough to decide to take many medications due to their known side effects, but it’s even worse to find out you were a victim of a complication that should have been publicized by the drug manufacturer. Taking the following steps after suffering a drug injury can protect your health and your rights to pursue maximum compensation:- Call your doctor or go to the hospital—Depending on the severity of the drug injury, you may need to go to a hospital right away. Otherwise, get in touch with your doctor as soon as possible. Describe your symptoms, but don’t stop taking your medication without getting approval from your doctor.
- Call an experienced California drug injury lawyer—Drug manufacturers should be held liable for any injuries and illnesses that their products cause to innocent victims like you. We know how to calculate how much your drug injury will cost you to demand a fair settlement.
Multiple Diabetes Drugs Linked to Serious Health Complications
| June 25th, 2018
Type 2 diabetes can be a debilitating health condition that can cause a wide variety of complications, including stroke, kidney disease, and high blood pressure. There are many drugs designed to help people with Type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels, but several are linked to serious health problems of their own. Those drugs include:- Onglyza®
- Byetta®
- Januvia®
- Janumet®
- Tradjenta®
- Victoza®
- Invokana®
- Invokamet®
Why Do You Need a Lawyer After a Drug Injury?
| February 26th, 2018
Prescription and over-the-counter medications are supposed to make us feel better, but oversights during the research and development phases can lead to potentially harmful drugs being released to the market. A wide range of commonly-prescribed medications are linked to serious health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes drugs, heartburn drugs, and blood thinner drugs. At Berg Injury Lawyers, we know that adverse effects from those medications are more common than many patients realize, but their doctors may not always be aware of the risks that certain medications pose. If you or someone you love were hurt by a prescription medication, a California drug injury lawyer wants to help you get the compensation you deserve. When you let us handle your drug injury claim, you can count on us to:- Gather evidence that proves the drug caused your illness your injury – The first step in a drug injury claim is proving the drug caused adverse health effects, and we know how to gather evidence that leaves no doubt about the origin of your illness or injury.
- Stand up to the drug and insurance companies – Taking on big corporations on your own can be daunting, and it may be hard to get a favorable outcome. Throughout our years of experience, we’ve learned what it takes to stand up against big companies.
- Negotiate to get you maximum compensation – Getting a settlement isn’t always enough, as insurance companies frequently “lowball” victims. It’s our goal to fight on your behalf until you’re offered the amount you deserve.
