Can i take paracetamol during pregnancy

It may not be safe for you to drink alcohol with paracetamol if you have certain health conditions, such as liver problems. Check the leaflet in your medicine packet to find out whether it's safe to drink alcohol when taking paracetamol.

Page last reviewed: 23 May Next review due: 23 May Paracetamol for adults On this page About paracetamol for adults Key facts Who can and cannot take paracetamol How and when to take it Taking paracetamol with other painkillers Side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions. About paracetamol for adults Paracetamol is a common painkiller used to treat aches and pain. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today?

The usual dose of paracetamol is one or two mg tablets at a time. Do not take paracetamol with other medicines containing paracetamol. Paracetamol is safe to take in pregnancy and while breastfeeding, at recommended doses. Brand names include Disprol, Hedex, Medinol and Panadol. However, some people need to take extra care with paracetamol. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you: have had an allergic reaction to paracetamol or any other medicines in the past have liver or kidney problems regularly drink more than the maximum recommended amount of alcohol 14 units a week take medicine for epilepsy take medicine for tuberculosis TB take the blood-thinner warfarin and you may need to take paracetamol on a regular basis.

Paracetamol can be taken with or without food. Always leave at least 4 hours between doses. Important Adults can take a maximum of 4 doses up to eight mg tablets in total in 24 hours.

Different types of paracetamol Paracetamol is widely available as tablets and capsules. What if I take too much? Important Taking 1 or 2 extra tablets by accident is unlikely to be harmful, as long as you do not take more than 8 tablets in 24 hours.

Wait at least 24 hours before taking any more paracetamol. Urgent advice: Get help from now if you take:. Online Go to What if I forget to take it? Important Before taking any other medicines, check the label to see whether they contain paracetamol. Paracetamol is an ingredient in many remedies you can buy from pharmacies and supermarkets, including: migraine remedies cough and cold products, such as Lemsip and Night Nurse Some prescription medicines contain paracetamol combined with other painkillers, such as: co-codamol paracetamol and codeine co-dydramol paracetamol and dihydrocodeine Tramacet paracetamol and tramadol.

Information: Recommended reading Can I take paracetamol and ibuprofen together? Serious allergic reaction In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to paracetamol. Information: You can report any suspected side effect to the UK safety scheme.

Can I take paracetamol when I'm pregnant? Important If you take paracetamol in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, take the lowest dose of paracetamol that works for you for the shortest possible time.

Talk to your doctor if you take: the blood-thinner warfarin — paracetamol can increase the risk of bleeding if you take it regularly medicine to treat epilepsy medicine to treat tuberculosis TB Mixing paracetamol with herbal remedies and supplements Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking St John's wort a herbal remedy taken for depression as you may need to reduce your paracetamol dose.

Important For safety, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements. How does paracetamol work? When will I feel better? Is paracetamol better than ibuprofen? What if paracetamol doesn't work? If paracetamol doesn't work, there are other types of painkiller you can try, including: ibuprofen codeine aspirin Ibuprofen and ibuprofen-like painkillers are sometimes available as creams or gels that you rub on to the part of your body that's painful.

Some painkillers are only available on prescription. Prescriber of paracetamol. Bandoli, K. Palmsten, C. Acetaminophen use in pregnancy: Examining prevalence, timing and indication of use in a prospective birth cohort.

Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. Prenatal acetaminophen use and outcomes in children. Am J Obstet Gynecol. Masarwa, H. Levine, E. Gorelik, S. Reif, A. Perlman, I. Prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic spectrum disorder: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression analysis of cohort studies.

Am J Epidemiol. Cheelo, C. Lodge, S. Dharmage, et al. Paracetamol exposure in pregnancy and early childhood and development of childhood asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Dis Child. Bonde, B. Henriksen, J. Maternal use of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and acetylsalicylic acid during pregnancy and risk of cryptorchidism.

Epidemiology, 21 , pp. Allegaert, P. This leaflet summarises the scientific studies relating to the effects of paracetamol on a baby in the womb. This information will help you to weigh up the benefits of using paracetamol against the known or possible risks, some of which may depend on how many weeks pregnant you are. No increased risk of miscarriage was identified in either of two studies of women who took paracetamol during pregnancy.

It is mainly during this time that some medicines are known to cause birth defects. The majority of studies have shown that women who took paracetamol during the first three months of pregnancy are no more likely to have a baby with a birth defect than women who did not.

Some studies have suggested that paracetamol use in pregnancy may increase the likelihood of male babies being born with undescended testes, although other studies have not agreed with this finding. A study using mice that was reported in the news suggested that use of paracetamol in pregnancy might reduce the levels of testosterone a hormone important for male development in the unborn offspring.

Because this was an animal study, we do not know how it relates to human pregnancy. There is therefore currently no scientific proof that paracetamol causes birth defects, undescended testes, or changes in hormone levels.

No increased risk of giving birth too early before 37 weeks of pregnancy was shown in the one study which investigated this risk in women who took paracetamol during the third trimester.

No increased risk of having a baby weighing less than g at birth was identified with paracetamol use in pregnancy in the one study which investigated this.

No increased risk of stillbirth was identified with paracetamol use in pregnancy in the one study which investigated this. There is currently a lot of research into the possible causes of learning and behavioural problems, such as autism spectrum disorder ASD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD.

However, this is a very difficult area to study and there is currently only limited scientific information on the subject. A small number of studies have looked at development, behaviour, and learning in children whose mothers took paracetamol during pregnancy.

These studies are summarised below:. While one test showed that 7 year olds exposed to paracetamol in the womb may be at slightly increased risk of developing ADHD, the other test showed no increase in risk at this age. When the children were tested again aged 11 years, both of these tests agreed that there was no link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and increased risk of ADHD.

However, when children at this age were asked about their own behaviour, those exposed to paracetamol were slightly more likely than those not exposed to say that they had certain behavioural problems that might be linked to ADHD. The scientific quality of this study has been heavily criticised at scientific meetings and in letters that have been published in scientific journals. Lower levels of paracetamol use in pregnancy use for less than 28 days also appeared to be linked to problems with motor skills.

The studies described above do not provide convincing scientific evidence that taking paracetamol in pregnancy causes problems with learning and behaviour the child.