To ask if anyone had a lot of paracetamol during pregnancy and their baby turned out ok?

[Dazedandconfusedma]

I’ve had horrific pelvis pain since early pregnancy and have been on the max dose of paracetamol since Sept, with three months left to go. I’ve been doing everything I can to- wearing support belt, taking easy, physio and osteo (paupering myself and meaning I’m really struggling to save for my maternity leave). The paracetamol is essential though. Without it, I’m more or less bed bound which is impossible - I have a dog and a toddler, and my husband works away a lot.

I’ve been worried about the amount of paracetamol and often go on NhS website to reassure myself, there’s a page called “Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while taking paracetamol for adults” that says “Paracetamol is the first choice of painkiller if you're pregnant. It is commonly taken during pregnancy and does not harm your baby.”

but yesterday I came across another page which said “Paracetamol is the first choice of painkiller if you're pregnant.
However, for safety, if you take paracetamol in pregnancy, take it for the shortest possible time”

so I did more digging, and on other - non nhs websites - have read about other studies which have found a link between long term paracetamol use during pregnancy and ADHD and autism, and reproductive issues in children.

i called the midwife and she didn’t seem to know about the studies and said the NhS position is that paracetamol is safe, but obviously I should use the least amount possible.

i feel awful now, I’m miserable, scared and feel terrible about what I might have done to my unborn child. But I also haven’t had any paracetamol today and now I’m in incredible pain, bed bound, and I can’t do this for 3 months. I don’t know what to do.

has anyone else taken lots of paracetamol during pregnancy and did things turn out ok?!

I'm sorry to hear you're having such a miserable time. You midwife doesn't seem concerned and I'm sure you wouldn't have been advised to do so if it wasn't.

As for these studies, where did you find them? Are they from a reliable source like a peer reviewed journal?

Hi OP, I discussed this with my midwife while pregnant because I wasn’t sure what I could take for temperatures and was told that the NHS guidance is that paracetamol is “safe” however it should always be taken at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time because it does pass through the placenta, if needed beyond a few days she told me to speak to the midwife and discuss how we could go forward.

Oh gawd. I’ve been on the maximum daily dose for 5 months :-( :-( :-(

I had SPD when I was pregnant with twins. It was truly horrific and I was on crutches by the end barely able to move. I took paracetamol as I wouldn't have been able to move at all without. My kids are fine. I know that doesn't mean much as it's just an anecdote but huge sympathy for you. It was brutal.

Does your midwife know?

I was taking prescription co codamol for quite a bit of my pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding, due to a painful back injury.

It was absolutely fine. DC is now a large healthy teenager.

I had gallstones while pregnant with DD2 I took max amount of paracetamol daily for months and went into hospital and was given stronger IV painkillers I think 4 times when I had bad attacks. No affect on her at all. Absolutely fine apart from now being a surly pre-teen!

I’ve only seen my midwife once, when I was about 3 months pregnant and has been on paracetamol for two months - I told her, and she just told me to do physio and try to take it easy, she didn’t say anything about paracetamol use. When I called up the general midwife line this morning I mentioned it, she just said that the nhs position is that it’s safe. But she didn’t say it very convincingly, if that makes sense! I guess I just want to be told that everything will be ok and no one can do that.

Yes. I took paracetamol every day and I was even prescribed codeine during pregnancy due to severe pain

These anecdotes are really comforting though - thank you guys xxx

There’s a good website called BUMP (best use of medicine in pregnancy) have a look at it for paracetamol. You should maybe go back to doc and midwife to see what else they can advise for you as 5 months on max dose sounds like you’re in a lot of pain so can it be managed better? Also maybe worth seeing if can they urgently refer you to NHS physio so you’re not paying if it’s causing you difficulty.

Thank you!!!! According to BUMP -

Are there any risks of taking paracetamol during pregnancy?
No. Paracetamol has been well-studied and there is no good evidence that it harms the baby.
Although some studies suggest that paracetamol use in pregnancy might be linked to behavioural problems in children, experts have shown problems with these studies that make the findings unreliable. Overall, there is no proof that paracetamol exposure in the womb affects a child’s behaviour

although obviously doesn’t explicitly deal with long term use.

you are right that this is far from ideal and I really wish there was something else to do. I have a NHs physio appointment on 20 feb that I’m hopeful about. I might try acupuncture too, it’s just hard with money, and also time when I work full time with a toddler.

thanks for taking the time to comment xxx

Personally, I think it's better to be in less pain and keep as active as you can. Being trapped in bed for months isn't doing you any good.