According to recent studies, using acetaminophen products, the most popular of which is Tylenol, while pregnant can increase a child’s risk of developing neurological disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and cerebral palsy, among others.
As a result of this research, law firms are exploring the possibility of filing lawsuits against acetaminophen manufacturers on behalf of parents whose children suffered harm because of the drug. Plaintiffs in acetaminophen lawsuits have alleged that manufacturers have neglected to disclose the risks associated with using their product while pregnant.
If you used acetaminophen during pregnancy and your child later developed autism, ADHD, or another neurological disorder, you might be entitled to pursue compensation. To determine whether you are eligible, you should contact an experienced acetaminophen lawsuit attorney at Mass Tort Alliance right away. Take our free quiz to see whether you qualify for a mass tort lawsuit, or call for a consultation about your situation.
Studies have established that there is a link between taking acetaminophen during pregnancy and ASD, ADHD, and other developmental and neurological disorders in children. Acetaminophen, also called paracetamol, is commonly used to relieve minor aches and pains.
According to a study published in Nature Reviews, entitled “Paracetamol Use During Pregnancy — a Call for Precautionary Action,” children have a higher risk of developing certain neurological conditions if their parent uses acetaminophen/paracetamol while pregnant. Some of these conditions include:
Multiple studies have demonstrated that there may be a link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism in infants. For example, one study conducted by the Danish National Birth Cohort, operating under the umbrella of the Danish Epidemiology Science Center, stated that acetaminophen is the most common pain reliever used to manage pain during pregnancy.
Their research involved 64,322 children and mothers who were enrolled in the Cohort from 1996 to 2002. Over 12.7 years, they followed the subjects to discern whether prenatal acetaminophen use could potentially be connected to the development of ASD in young children. They concluded that, in fact, using acetaminophen products while pregnant was associated with a heightened risk of autism accompanied by hyperkinetic symptoms.
They found that more than 50 percent of the women in the study had used acetaminophen during pregnancy. The researchers also found that 31 percent of those children diagnosed with ASD had also been diagnosed with a hyperactivity disorder.
Evidence has emerged that in addition to ASD, prenatal acetaminophen may also contribute to the development of ADHD in children as they age. Using the findings of the Danish National Birth Cohort, UCLA researchers and scientists from the University of Aarhus confirmed that children of women who used acetaminophen during pregnancy are more likely to develop ADHD as they grow up. The findings also reveal that using acetaminophen while a baby is in utero can contribute to cerebral palsy.
According to research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in 2017, prenatal use of acetaminophen was directly associated with an increased risk of being diagnosed with CP or unilateral spastic CP after birth. Researchers from UCLA, the University of Aarhus, the University of Copenhagen, the Cerebral Palsy Register of Norway, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and other entities collaborated together on the study.
Additionally, a 2014 study entitled “Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy, Behavioral Problems, and Hyperkinetic Disorders,” on which researchers from UCLA, the University of Aarhus, and the University of Arizona all collaborated, found that acetaminophen contributed to neurobehavioral issues in children whose mothers had used it prenatally. These behavioral conditions include HKD and ADHD.
You might be eligible to file a acetaminophen lawsuit if you or a loved one used acetaminophen while pregnant and the child was later diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or another neurological disorder. For your lawsuit to be successful, there are numerous steps you will need to take. Before you take legal action, you must collect evidence, consult with an attorney, and document your compensable losses.
Gathering evidence is a crucial aspect of your case. To obtain compensation, you will need to be able to prove who was liable and demonstrate how prenatal acetaminophen led to your child’s disability or disorder. First, you must be able to show that the manufacturer owed you a duty of care to warn you of the potential risks associated with taking acetaminophen while pregnant. You’ll also need to demonstrate that the manufacturer was negligent when they failed to disclose the dangers of their product, which led to your child’s condition.
Some types of evidence that may be used to prove negligence in acetaminophen lawsuits include medical records that show you used acetaminophen while pregnant, purchase receipts for acetaminophen, medical records that provide evidence of your child’s disability or disorder, and physician’s notes related to acetaminophen use during pregnancy.
Before you start the legal process, we highly recommend hiring a lawyer to represent you, preferably one who has experience litigating civil cases against powerful corporations and negligent product manufacturers. Your attorney will help you navigate the legal process and keep you updated about all critical developments in your case. They can also offer you pertinent legal advice and help you understand the likely outcome of your case.
Another important aspect of bringing a lawsuit is documenting your losses. Your attorney will help you calculate the value of your claim by tabulating your financial losses and qualifying your non-financial losses, including pain and suffering. It’s a good idea to have a solid idea of how much your claim is worth before making a demand for compensation. Otherwise, you could end up with a smaller settlement than you deserve.
Depending on the specific circumstances of your case, you could be entitled to recover money for numerous compensable losses. Some types of losses you may be able to claim include:
Working with an experienced mass tort lawyer can significantly improve your chances of recovering the full and fair compensation that you deserve. You need an attorney who is unafraid to aggressively fight for your right to financial relief.
While hiring an attorney is not a prerequisite for bringing a lawsuit, trying to navigate the legal process on your own can be detrimental to your case and your potential compensation. You have the best chance of securing a positive outcome if you work with a seasoned acetaminophen lawsuit attorney. You need and deserve an attorney who can help you understand the complexities of the laws that apply to your case and fiercely defend your rights throughout the legal process.
At Mass Tort Alliance, our skilled trial attorneys have vast experience litigating product liability lawsuits, and we have frequently gone toe-to-toe with major manufacturers. We are not afraid to fight for your right to fair compensation. If you hire one of our attorneys to represent you, your attorney will:
Families who have children with neurological and behavioral disorders often incur significant medical and mental health care costs, which can place a significant financial strain on you and your loved ones. That’s why we are committed to helping you hold negligent manufacturers accountable for failing to warn pregnant consumers about the dangers associated with their acetaminophen products.
We provide our legal services on a contingency-fee basis. This means that you will not owe us any upfront legal fees. Instead, your attorney will be paid a percentage of your total settlement or judgment if they settle or win your case. If your attorney does not successfully obtain compensation for you, they will not collect a legal fee. Your attorney doesn’t get paid if you don’t get paid.