Dr. Oz Recommends Tylenol for Pregnant Women Despite Trump’s Opposition

Dr. Mehmet Oz has softened Donald Trump’s warning about Tylenol, telling pregnant women that they can take it.

The president’s contentious statement connecting the medication acetaminophen with increased rates of childhood autism has led his health officials to retract his assertive claims shortly thereafter.

Dr. Oz told TMZ on Tuesday that pregnant women with high temperatures should take the fever-reducing drug.

It comes a day after Trump instructed those expecting to ‘tough it out’ and avoid taking it when they’re sick.

On Tuesday, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Oz told this same demographic: ‘Take [Tylenol] when it’s appropriate.’

During an interview with TMZ Live hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere, the celebrity doctor remarked, ‘If you have a high fever… the doctor is almost certain to prescribe something, and Tylenol might be among the options they offer.’

He emphasized that ‘that’s not the issue,’ and explained that minor fevers or slight aches are not valid reasons for pregnant women to opt for Tylenol.

However, Oz conceded that it ‘might be true’ that using acetaminophen for these reasons during pregnancy could be safe, but acknowledged that scientific evidence remains inconclusive.

Dr. Mehmet Oz opposed Donald Trump’s assertion that pregnant women should rarely use acetaminophen, stating: ‘Use [Tylenol] when it’s necessary.’

Tylenol is the most popular brand of acetaminophen and is a common pain reliever and fever reducer for pregnant women

‘We don’t know,’ he added. ‘Acetaminophen’s probably your best option, but take it when you really need it.’

This stands in direct contrast to Trump’s remarks made during Monday’s White House announcement, where he expressed that pregnant women should almost never take Tylenol.

‘With Tylenol, don’t take it. Don’t take it!’ he shouted.

HHS and CMS did not respond to the Daily Mail when reached for comment about Dr. Oz’s comments.

But the White House said that his comments were not out of line with Trump’s pronouncement. 

Dr. Oz was at the press conference with the president along with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also appeared more hesitant than Trump to outright tell pregnant women not to take the pain relieving drug.

When Trump turned over the microphone to Kennedy, he said: ‘I hope I didn’t ruin his day – but that’s the way I feel. I’ve been very strong on this subject for a long time.’

‘This group has worked so hard on it, but I’d like to be a little bit more – a little speedier in the process of a recommendation, because there’s no harm going quickly,’ the president insisted, suggesting that Kennedy and others were more hesitant to make the recommendation.

RFK Jr., who has made it his mission to get to the bottom of surging autism rates in the US, was less vocal about advising women against taking Tylenol when pregnant.

He did not definitively tell pregnant women not to take Tylenol.

‘The FDA is responding to clinical and laboratory studies that suggest a potential association between acetaminophen during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including later diagnosis for ADHD and autism,’ RFK Jr. said.

‘Scientists have proposed biological mechanisms linking prenatal acetaminophen exposure to altered brain development,’ the HHS secretary continued. ‘We have also evaluated the contrary studies that show no association.’

‘Today the FDA will issue a physician’s notice about the risk of acetaminophen during pregnancy and begin the process to initiate a safety label change,’ he announced.

Trump claimed during a press conference on Monday that acetaminophen use is linked to rising cases of autism in the US

A resurfaced tweet from Tylenol’s official X account shows the company saying in March 2017 that it did not recommend pregnant women use any of their products, further muddying the waters of the controversial announcement

At the press conference on Monday, Trump claimed that Cubans and Amish people have low to no instances of autism because he claimed, without providing proof, that they do not take or are unable to obtain Tylenol.

Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health estimates about 1 in 2,500 Cuban children suffer from autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Experts have argued that there is not enough concrete data among the Amish community in the US to correctly predict its prevalence, but a study by the childhood behavioral, social, and communication challenges therapy group Double Care ABA estimates about 1 in 271 Amish kids have autism.

The study says that Amish children often go undiagnosed because they are homeschooled and do not receive the same medical attention as other communities.

Acetaminophen has been the most common pain reliever and fever reducer for pregnant women for decades.

In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, claims it’s the only safe pain reliever for pregnant women.

But a resurfaced tweet from Tylenol’s official X account shows that the company said years ago that it did not recommend that pregnant women use any of their products, further muddying the waters of the controversial announcement that has left many women confused.

‘We actually don’t recommend using any of our products while pregnant. Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns today,’ reads a post from Tylenol sent in March 2017 in response to a now-deleted comment from another user.