Tylenol has come under fresh scrutiny after a 2017 post resurfaced in which the brand appeared to warn pregnant women against using its products.

The tweet, now being widely shared, stated: ‘We actually don’t recommend taking any of our products while pregnant.’

The White House has taken note of this issue shortly after President Donald Trump suggested that the widely used painkiller — referred to as paracetamol in the UK and acetaminophen in the US — could potentially be linked to autism.

His remarks provoked outrage from doctors, who said there is ‘no robust evidence’ for such claims. Britain’s regulator, the MHRA, also stressed: ‘There is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children.’

And Dr Nechama Sorscher, a leading pediatric neuropsychologist and psychotherapist, told Daily Mail: ‘Research on acetaminophen and autism does not prove definitive causation.’

Even so, the official White House account yesterday reposted the 2017 Tylenol tweet alongside a photo of the president holding a hat reading ‘Trump Was Right About Everything,’ while the US Department of Health & Human Services shared it too, adding: ‘No caption needed.’

When the Daily Mail approached Kenvue, which manufactures Tylenol, it issued the following statement: ‘This eight-year-old consumer response is incomplete and did not address our full guidance on the safe use of Tylenol.’

A spokesman added that paracetamol and acetaminophen remain the safest painkiller options for pregnant women — but stressed that any over-the-counter medicine should only be taken after consulting a doctor.

Current Tylenol packaging advises: ‘If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.’

President Trump earlier this week sparked widespread panic after claiming the painkiller may cause autism, saying ‘if you’re pregnant, don’t take Tylenol’ at a White House conference

The official White House account on X republished the post alongside an image of President Trump holding up a hat saying he was ‘right about everything’

Influencer Brittany Xavier (pictured with her family) has told her followers she never uses Tylenol in her household. She is one of a number of social media stars to have addressed the growing controversy 

Paracetamol packets in the UK carry almost identical warnings: ‘Talk to your doctor before taking these tablets if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or plan to get pregnant.

‘If necessary, paracetamol can be used during pregnancy. You should use the lowest possible dose that reduces your pain and/or your fever and use it for the shortest time possible.

‘Contact your doctor or midwife if the pain and/or fever are not reduced or if you need to take the medicine more often.’

Experts say such cautionary wording is common because it is considered unethical to carry out full clinical trials on pregnant women.

Data from retrospective studies can confirm that certain medicines are safe to use during pregnancy, but manufacturers stop short of formally recommending them.

Following Trump’s remarks, Melissa Witt, a spokesman for Kenvue, said: ‘We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen [the US name for paracetamol] does not cause autism.

‘We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers and parents.’

Scientists on both sides of the Atlantic also reacted with scepticism, with some warning the claims risk stigmatising parents of children with autism.

Senior British politicians were quick to dismiss the comments.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Don’t pay any attention whatsoever to what Donald Trump says about medicine. 

‘In fact, don’t even take my word for it as a politician—listen to British doctors, British scientists, the NHS. 

‘It’s really important, at a time when there is scepticism, to follow medical science.’

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch added: ‘It will create fear and anxiety among parents — and pregnant women will suffer unnecessary pain by believing it.’

Dr Mehmet Oz, Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), softened the president’s warning, telling TMZ: ‘Take [Tylenol] when it’s appropriate.

‘If you have a high fever…. the doctor’s almost certainly going to prescribe you something, Tylenol might be one of the things they give.’

Dr Sorscher told Daily Mail: ‘You should be communicating with your health care professionals regarding any medications you were prescribed and anything you plan or consider taking. 

‘There is research that concludes that exposure to high fevers can lead to complications with the baby, including neural tube defects, so it’s important to control fevers; and acetaminophen is widely recommended as safe during pregnancy at this time.’

Researchers have explored a possible connection between acetaminophen and autism for years.

A handful of well-publicised studies have suggested maternal use of paracetamol may be linked to higher rates of autism or ADHD in children. 

But the findings have been inconsistent, and experts stress that any association is based on limited and conflicting evidence.

Paracetamol is widely used by pregnant women to treat pain, headaches and fever, and remains the NHS’s recommended ‘first choice’ painkiller during pregnancy, but only for short periods and at the lowest effective dose

Trump officials said they would seek to update the drug’s warning label and urge doctors against using the paracetamol medication, in pregnant women because of the supposed link

The most recent study, published last month by researchers at Mount Sinai in New York and Harvard’s School of Public Health, urged women to take paracetamol in pregnancy only on the advice of a doctor.

But its authors acknowledged the evidence was not conclusive, and emphasised their results did not prove the drug directly causes neurodevelopmental disorders. 

Kenvue, Tylenol’s manufacturer, had made repeated attempts to head off Mr Trump’s announcement. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, interim chief executive Kirk Perry met US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr earlier this month to argue the product remained a safe and vital way of relieving fever in pregnant women.

Tylenol is the best-known of more than 600 medicines that contain paracetamol as their active ingredient.

Paracetamol is widely used by pregnant women to treat pain, headaches and fever, and remains the NHS’s recommended ‘first choice’ painkiller during pregnancy—but only for short periods and at the lowest effective dose.

It is not the first time Tylenol has come under fire. In the early 1980s, seven people died in Chicago after taking Tylenol capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide, triggering nationwide panic.

Manufacturer Johnson & Johnson responded by introducing tamper-proof packaging, including foil seals and other features that made it clear if a product had been interfered with. 

These protections quickly became the industry standard across all over-the-counter medicines.

In 2023, Johnson & Johnson spun off Tylenol, along with brands such as Listerine and Neutrogena, into a new standalone company, Kenvue.