Doctors often recommend it but how much baby Tylenol is safe?
Tylenol, including baby Tylenol, is one of the most widely used over-the-counter medications in the world. The same painkiller in baby Tylenol is sold under the brand “Calpol” in the United Kingdom and is commonly prescribed to babies to reduce fever and alleviate mild to moderate pain. Parents want to know how much to give to their baby. How much baby Tylenol is safe?
Baby Tylenol’s main ingredient is acetaminophen, known as paracetamol in Europe.
The Food and Drug Administration cautions parents to NEVER give more than one medicine that contains acetaminophen and says that more could harm your child.
Acetaminophen is highly problematic for the liver. Just a double dose of it can cause liver toxicity and lead to liver failure.
As I’ve written about before, one of the biggest problems with this drug is that it depletes the body of glutathione.
This is a complicated process but what you need to know is that glutathione is a molecule that helps the body detoxify. Think of glutathione as nature’s mop. It mops away harmful substances. When the liver’s glutathione is depleted, a baby’s body cannot rid itself of harmful chemicals.
Twelve studies have looked at the effects of acetaminophen exposure to the developing brain. Not a single study found acetaminophen to be safe.
These studies did find an association between acetaminophen and:
✔Behavioral problems
✔Lowered IQ
✔Attention disorders
✔Autism
So could Tylenol be causing autism?
Today at least 1 in every 68 children is diagnosed with autism, according to the CDC.
Boys, on average, are nearly five times as likely to have autism than girls.
This gender difference has long puzzled scientists. Why does autism affect so many more boys than girls?
Recent research may hold the answer, which is something I talked to Ty Bollinger about in his 7-episode series, The Truth About Vaccines.
Scientists have found acetaminophen causes sex-specific birth defects in male rats, mice, and humans.
One study, done at the University of Maryland, found that acetaminophen-like drugs permanently damage social function in male rat pups but not in females.
In March 2017, a team of scientists from Duke and Harvard published a review of the existing scientific data related to acetaminophen and autism. When Ty’s film crew flew to Oregon to interview me, that review was was forthcoming. But since the series aired, a scientific journal has published it.
Even if you’re not in the habit of making peer-reviewed science you’re bedtime reading, it’s worth printing out and reading.
Moreover, I also recommend you give a copy to any doctor who suggests you give your baby Tylenol.
The researchers call the issue one of “extreme urgency.”
They write: “…many cases of infantile autism may actually be induced by acetaminophen exposure shortly after birth.” [My emphasis.]
That’s what this mom believes happened to her baby.
Medical doctors speak out against acetaminophen
My co-author, Paul Thomas, M.D., is a Dartmouth-trained pediatrician. He has over 30 years of experience practicing medicine. He warns all of his patients against taking acetaminophen.
“It is irresponsible, even dangerous, for doctors to recommend acetaminophen-containing products to pregnant women or small children,” Dr. Paul Thomas insists.
So does Cammy Benton, M.D., a family physician based in North Carolina. Dr. Benton is the mom of three daughters, and one of the most dedicated doctors I know. I met her in Washington, D.C. this past spring.
In this article, Dr. Benton insists that no doctor should EVER recommend Tylenol again.
Tylenol seems to be effective in reducing fever in infants. But in doing so, it profoundly alters a baby’s brain chemistry.
So how much baby Tylenol is safe?
None.
Don’t give your baby Tylenol. Tylenol is not safe for your child’s developing brain.
What should you give your baby INSTEAD of Tylenol? Read my article on better, safer alternatives.
What about Tylenol during pregnancy? Here’s what you need to know.
Related articles:
COVID-19 and Tylenol
New Study: Acetaminophen Destroys Fertility
TYLENOL: The Pain Reliever Class Action Lawsuits Need to Target Most
Published: August 26, 2017
Last update: December 7, 2022
What are some good/safer alternatives to lower fevers over 101 in babies?
Nicole — thanks for asking. Please see my replies to Vanny and Madison below for some safer alternatives.
Is there anything you would rather recommend?
Vanny, as I mentioned to Madison below, we’re putting together a post to answer that question. I am not a medical doctor, I am a journalist and a researcher so my recommendations here are mom to mom. First of all, you have to realize that fevers often need to run their course and that reducing them can sometimes more harm than good. If you need the fever to come down, you can use sponge baths, cold compresses, skin to skin (your body temperature helps regulate theirs), and turmeric (a natural and effective anti-inflammatory that can also reduce fever, is used widely in Indian cooking, and is a root like ginger). A more medical option is to use baby aspirin in small doses. Aspirin, of course, should not be given to children with chicken pox or viral flus and adults need to be careful not to take too much because it can cause ulcers, so it is by no means perfect. But it’s also does not deserve the bad name it has gotten since the 80s. It seems to be as or more effective than Tylenol and may also be a safer alternative, especially when it comes to protecting our children’s brains.
Once a fever gets closer to 104 degrees, then it’s time to reduce.
I appreciate this article (too many people think Tylenol is completely benign!) and I know that it’s one of the most (the most?) deadly OTC drug sold in the US. I never use it with my kids. However- my 6yo daughter recently had her tonsils and adenoids removed. We tried everything to avoid the surgery, including a plant and protein diet free of gluten and dairy- for two years! Visited several specialists (naturopath, Chiropracter, etc) and had her on a number of homeopathic, herbal, and natural remedies for two years. She kept contracting massive cases of strep (no one in our family is a carrier) and couldn’t go more than 10 weeks without antibiotics. They were so huge her throat barely had passage for food and she also had terrible apnea. With SO MUCH reluctance we finally realized surgery was the best choice for her short and long term health. The recovery from a tonsillectomy is rough. It’s incredibly painful, regardless of age. We couldn’t give ibuprofen because it increases the risk of bleeding. The other option for painkillers (which is what helped me to get her to eat and drink enough to stay hydrated) is Oxycodone- and I opted to use Tylenol instead. Over and over again for a week. I didn’t feel like we had a choice.
Obviously this is a very extreme example! But my honest question is- in cases where your child REALLY needs something for pain or fever (surgery, fevers 104+, broken bones, etc) would you recommend still avoiding Tylenol? You say it’s NEVER safe. Do you have another recommendation? Thanks! Love your articles and I respect your opinions and approach to discussing these important health topics.
That sounds really, really hard Amanda. Yikes. I’m not a medical doctor, I’m a journalist and a researcher, but in your daughter’s case it does seem like Tylenol was warranted. My mom-to-mom advice in your daughter’s case would have been to see if either turmeric or aspirin helped and instead of giving just Tylenol to alternate with those remedies as well. Not sure if you’ve read Robert Mendelsohn, M.D.’s book “How to Raise a Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor,” but he has excellent recommendations both for strep and for fevers. Highly recommended.
Aspirin isn’t recommended in anyone under the age of 25. Can cause Reye’s syndrome.
There is an association between taking aspirin for viral illnesses and the development of Reye syndrome,
I wish you would provide citations for your claims, what 12 studies?
The full citation information for most of those studies can be found in this exhaustive review by Duke and Harvard researchers. Here is the link to that article, which is also included in the post above: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0300060517693423
Also helpful are these two articles by William Parker, Ph.D., at Duke: 1) https://safeminds.org/blog/2015/09/11/acetaminophen-as-a-cause-of-the-autism-pandemic-it-makes-absolutely-no-sense-at-first/ and 2) https://safeminds.org/blog/2017/03/31/data-points-acetaminophen-exposure-children-potentially-inducing-autism/
Thanks for the informative article. However, this also begs the question: What can be given infants/small babies/pregnant moms to reduce fever? It would be helpful if the article also talks about alternatives, if any.
Thanks for asking. We are working on a follow-up post to address this issue. In the meantime, Aviva Romm, M.D., has some excellent suggestions for pregnant moms in this article: https://avivaromm.com/headaches-in-pregnancy/
What is safe to give to reduce a fever? My daughter is 3 and runs very high fevers when she’s sick. She’s had a febrile seizure so I don’t like to let her fever just run.
Madison–thanks for asking. We’re putting together a post to answer that question. I am not a medical doctor, I am a researcher so this is mom-to-mom advice for now: The short version is that reducing a fever by sponge baths and cold compresses is one way, skin to skin can also work (your body temperature helps regulate theirs), giving turmeric (a natural and effective anti-inflammatory that can also reduce fever, is used widely in Indian cooking, and is a root like ginger) is another, and a third is to return to baby aspirin in small doses. Aspirin, of course, should not be used with chicken pox or viral flus and adults need to be careful not to take too much because it can cause ulcers so it’s not perfect. But it’s also does not deserve the bad name it has gotten since the 80s. It seems to be as or more effective than Tylenol and may also be a safer alternative.
Jennifer listed very good natural alternatives.
Read in book Prescription For Nutritional Healing for giving the enema as a alternative.
Although aspirin irritates the GI tract, the fear it induces Reye’s syndrome (rare but often fatal high ammonia after flu or chickenpox) was effectively debunked by Orlowski and colleagues. They pointed out salicylates like aspirin have been used to alleviate fever and pain since the early 20th century, yet Reye’s syndrome was not reported until the early 1950s. Furthermore, Reye’s syndrome disappeared from countries like Australia that had not given children aspirin since the 1950s, as well as from countries like France and Belgium that continued to give aspirin throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Closely examining U.S. Public Health Service studies between 1980 and 1987 that associated aspirin with Reye’s syndrome, Orlowski et al. found serious problems in all – even doubt the researchers were studying Reye’s. They noted other studies worldwide showed no association. As for the argument that Reye’s syndrome disappeared after aspirin use declined in young children, Orlowski et al. showed the incidence of Reye’s was already falling by 1979. (from Good P. Did acetaminophen provoke the autism epidemic? Alt Med Rev 2009;14(4):64–72.)
Considerable evidence corroborates acetaminophen depleting glutathione is its primary danger: Schultz et al. 2008, Shaw 2013, and Kerry Scott Lane 2015.
Lane KS. reply to SafeMinds post: http://www.safeminds.org/blog/2015/09/11/acetaminophen-as-a-cause-of-the-autism-pandemic-it-makes-absolutely-no-sense-at-first/#comment-127434>
Orlowski JP, Hanhan UA, Fiallos MR. Is aspirin a cause of Reye’s syndrome? A case against. Drug Saf 2002;25:225–231.
Schultz ST, Klonoff-Cohen HS, Wingard DL, et al. Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use, measles-mumps-rubella vaccination, and autistic disorder: the results of a parent survey. Autism 2008;12:293-307.
Shaw W. Evidence that increased acetaminophen use in genetically vulnerable children appears to be a major cause of the epidemics of autism, attention deficit with
hyperactivity, and asthma. J Restorative Med 2013;2:1–16.
What would you do if you suspected a child on the autistic spectrum was injured by the over use of Tylenol as an infant. Is it possible to detox or use glutathione to reverse it?
I have the same question
This is an excellent question, Regina. I am not aware of any peer-reviewed research on this topic.
My 14 year old daughter suffers from debilitating menstral pains. We have tried essential oils and a hot water bottle to ease the pain. We have been using Advil as well when the pain is terrible but have read this is not a good option so we switched to Tylenol. After reading this article I am wondering if there are any better solutions to get her through a rough few days every month? Do you have any links that may offer a better option? Thanks
Turmeric is a much better safer option, Victoria. I buy organic ground turmeric and put it in capsules (as it’s MUCH less expensive that way.) It will take some tries to get the dosing right but a half a tablespoon or a tablespoon will most likely do the trick. I will also say that I think that aspirin is a safer option for pain. It’s gotten a bad rap in recent years but it has been used since Egyptian times. Just don’t take it when you have an infection. And make sure you don’t take it on an empty stomach. Exercise also always helps. And I would recommend you try acupuncture or even Mayan uterus massage as well.
Thank you! I’ll try the turmeric. Would love such an easy solution!!
Very good informative auricle!
As Gail told above, the enema!
When need to reduce a fever in my home sponging is done. Cold juice and lots of drinking water. Catnip tea. Keep hydrated! Never give Tylenol or other OTC junk. And most of the time an enema is given.
Recently I administered a late night cool water enema to my 6 yo b. Fevers always seem to come about late at night in my home. The fever came down after he was given the enema.
Of course making sure there are no other signs and symptoms of something else. Where one should talk with doctor or take to ER. Then I give an enema.
The enema brings fever down. Hydrates and cleanses. Helping to remove harmful toxins is important for the healing process.
Many moms today are not aware of the benefits of giving enemas.
For those who don’t know… a cool water enema is given. NOT cold. Given with the rubber reusable enema bulb syringe. NOT the fleet enema!
Given enemas on table. Across my lap and on the bed. Putting towel on lap, table or bed. Never had a mess. The enema has always worked. Administered the enema the other night on bed. Took bulb, pan of water, towel and vaseline jar to bedside.
No the enema is not painful or messy to give.
Talk with your holistic doctor.
Love this blog by Jennifer.
Not giving medical advice. Don’t take as such. Talk with your provider.
Also given sponge baths/rub downs. Cool water soaked cloths. Applied at Jennifer told above. Cool fruit juices and water.
Yes, the enema. Hydrates, removes harmful toxins and brings fever down. Also, good for the constipated child.
Every time I have given the enema the one who got it was up and about seemed within hours. Works every time.