you should just avoid chronic or long - term use .
“ we are n’t saying if you take one tylenol once it will give your child hyperactivity , ” said dr. beate ritz , an epidemiologist at the university of california los angeles who worked on the study out of denmark suggests the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy could be associated with adhd - like behavioral problems in children .
researchers found that pregnant women who frequently took acetaminophen , sold under the brand name tylenol , were more likely to have children later diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( adhd ) and similar issues .
“ ( pregnant women ) should n’t worry at this point , ” says study author dr. beate ritz , professor and chair of the epidemiology department at the university of california , los angeles fielding school of public health .
it ’s one of the many reasons pregnant women are urged to get flu shots .
mothers in the cohort study reported on their children ’s behavior , and the researchers looked at databases to determine how many prescriptions for adhd drugs were written and how many children received a diagnosis of a severe form of adhd called hyperkinetic disorder , or hkd .
so the researchers in this study were careful to ask women if they were taking the acetaminophen pills to reduce a fever to treat flu symptoms .
it 's important to note that adhd and similar disorders in their children .