With as many as 1 in 12 boys now diagnosed autistic, up from 1 in 10,000 just a few decades ago, we should all want the full story so that we can make our own judgements and choices in full informed consent.

I’ve been seeing lots of posts in the last 24 hours about yesterday’s announcement from the White House in regards to the ongoing investigation into the autism epidemic and I wanted to clear a few things up and also share my thoughts. Keep in mind that this is not medical advice, I am not a doctor and you should not make any changes to your daily routine without consulting with your healthcare provider.

Tylenol Autism Class Action Lawsuit

I shared about the Tylenol/Autism class action lawsuit last year and someone DM’ed me, saying I was being “ableist” for spreading awareness about the lawsuit. I want to be clear that I know and love many autistic people, and spent much of my teens in my mom’s special education classroom, working with children with learning differences, many of whom were autistic. From that time, I learned first-hand, how difficult it can be to care for a severely autistic person, but also that autistic people are still people who just see the world differently and have their own unique strengths. I can only imagine the frustration of being severely autistic and having to rely on care for daily needs, while having less ability to communicate.

I highly recommend the Telepathy Tapes podcast, which documents how non-verbal autistic children can develop telepathic abilities. While this seems kind of woo-woo, it totally blew my mind, and actually helped me develop spiritually.

Autism is a spectrum, and there will undoubtedly be some who feel that it doesn’t need a cure, or that the Tylenol announcement places blame entirely on mothers who now have had their one pain relief “taken away”. I have always believed in medical freedom of choice, and advocate for full informed consent, meaning that you always have the right to decline any medical treatment.

First-Hand Sources >>>

In my experience, first-hand sources are the only way to combat bias and ensure you aren’t being spoon-fed propaganda from the pharmaceutical industry who literally supply mainstream news orgs with the majority of their operational funding 👀, hence why most commercials are for pharmaceutical products, while stories about lawsuits and harms are minimized. That said, if you haven’t yet watched the Autism announcement, please watch the whole thing for yourself so you can make your own judgements. Here is a link to the White House’s Youtube channel where you can watch the entire livestream from yesterday.

Victim Mindset & Mom Blaming

Another aspect about this that I’ve noticed is a “martyr mindset” coming from those who rely on Tylenol to suppress their symptoms of imbalance and provide comfort during pregnancy. I completely understand that being told something you’ve relied on may not be as safe as previously thought might feel upsetting, even unfair. No one wants to hear that a “safe” tool may not be as safe as they thought, especially when they’re already carrying the stress of growing a new life. I imagine these women feel judgment, or like others are thinking that they’ve been a “bad mom” for having used it before.

The truth is, acknowledging new information and adjusting our choices isn’t shameful. I feel that it shows a ton of maturity, growth and responsibility. Just as we accept without question that alcohol isn’t safe in pregnancy, we need to be willing to look honestly at new evidence around other substances too. Choosing to face that, instead of reacting defensively, is, in my view what real maturity, sacrifice and love for your child looks like.

If you’re a long-time reader you know, that I have a very holistic mindset when it comes to health, and think that symptoms are your body’s way of alerting us to imbalances. Is the best course of action for moms and babies to suppress these important signals of imbalance with a pill? What ever did we do for these issues before modern medicine?

Ok, now that we’ve covered my thoughts on the discourse, let’s get into the mechanisms of how Tylenol during pregnancy could result in a child with autism spectrum disorder.

How Tylenol Depletes Glutathione

Since we know that individuals with Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders tend to have very low levels of glutathione, we could speculate that glutathione levels are somehow related to the diagnosis. Let’s explore this posibility:

When you take Tylenol/Acetaminophen, it’s normally metabolized in the liver by conjugation (glucuronidation and sulfation), producing harmless water-soluble compounds plus a small amount of toxic byproducts called N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI). NAPQI is a highly reactive enzyme that your liver normally breaks down using a mega-antioxidant called glutathione.

Glutathione is the body’s “master antioxidant,” a small molecule made of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine that protects cells from damage. It neutralizes free radicals, supports detoxification in the liver by binding to toxins and drug byproducts (like those from Tylenol), regulates the immune system, and helps maintain mitochondrial energy production.
Because fetuses and newborns have naturally low reserves, they rely on maternal glutathione to buffer oxidative stress, making it especially important during pregnancy. Glutathione is essential for cellular defense, detoxification, and healthy development.

A problem arises with high or repeated doses of these glutathione-depleting medications (or in vulnerable individuals like those with MTHFR gene mutation), that causes glutathione stores to become depleted. This allows NAPQI toxin to accumulate, causing oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell damage, especially in the liver, but also in other tissues.

Why This Matters in Pregnancy

The developing fetus has much lower glutathione reserves than adults. That makes it less able to buffer oxidative stress.
Acetaminophen readily crosses the placenta, so both the drug and its oxidative effects can reach the fetus.
Oxidative stress during neurodevelopment, particularly during synapse formation, pruning, and myelination, can disrupt normal brain wiring.

Other Medications that Also Deplete Glutathione

A number of common medications are known to lower glutathione levels, either by directly consuming it during detoxification or by increasing oxidative stress that depletes it. Here are the main groups:

Acetaminophen (Tylenol/paracetamol) – the best-known example; metabolized into NAPQI, which must be neutralized by glutathione.
Chemotherapy drugs – such as cisplatin, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate; they create oxidative stress and rapidly drain glutathione.
Certain antibiotics – isoniazid (for TB), some cephalosporins, and aminoglycosides have been shown to lower glutathione in liver and kidney tissues.
Anticonvulsants – valproic acid, phenytoin, and carbamazepine may reduce glutathione through hepatic metabolism and oxidative stress.
Psychiatric medications – some antipsychotics (like clozapine) and mood stabilizers can lower glutathione levels in the brain.
NSAIDs – chronic or high-dose use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and related drugs may reduce glutathione in the stomach and liver.
Antiretrovirals (for HIV) – several drugs in this class (like AZT) increase oxidative stress, reducing glutathione availability.
Alcohol & recreational drugs – though not “medications,” both alcohol and cocaine deplete glutathione significantly via oxidative metabolism.

Mechanistic Links to Autism

There are several proposed pathways by which Tylenol-induced glutathione depletion could contribute to an increased autism risk:

Tylenol + Toxin Exposure: Tylenol is often prescribed to lower fevers and provide comfort after routine vaccinations. Vaccines are known to contain ingredients like aluminum, Thimerosal (ethylmercury) and other heavy metals, that are neurotoxic and difficult for the body to detox. The combo of tylenol-depleted glutathione levels and this toxin exposure (4 vaccines are routinely given during pregnancy), may be negatively impacting the neurodevelopment of the fetus. I suspect this is one of the key factors that link Tylenol to Autism and would love to see more research in this area.

Oxidative stress: Without adequate glutathione, increased reactive oxygen species in the fetal brain can impair neuronal development, leading to learning and developmental issues that are common in those with Autism.

Immune dysregulation: Glutathione depletion impairs detoxification and immune balance, potentially increasing neuroinflammation. Autistic individuals typically have far less glutathione reserves compared with non-autistic individuals, and thus their ability to detox toxins, pesticides and vaccine adjutants would be different from other children.

Endocannabinoid system disruption: Acetaminophen is thought to act on CB1 receptors via anandamide pathways. Alterations here may affect social behavior and cognition.

Epigenetic effects: Oxidative stress and altered redox balance can modify gene expression patterns during fetal development. There’s a common saying with autism that genetics load the gun and environment pulls the trigger. This is why siblings who have similar genetics may not all develop autism since they would be exposed to different environements throughout their development.

Epidemiological Evidence

As I mentioned earlier, you should always look for first-hand sources (e.g. read the actual study for yourself, not just an abstract) and not rely on AI, TikTok or other short clips, and even blogs like mine to do the heavy lifting. Here are some of the studies and evidence that our government health team is basing their new warnings off of:

Multiple cohort and case-control studies (e.g., Boston Birth Cohort, Danish National Birth Cohort) have found associations between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Meta-analyses (2018–2021) generally report a 20–30% increased risk of ASD in children with higher in-utero acetaminophen exposure.
Peer-reviewed overview describe how acetaminophen’s reactive metabolite (NAPQI) consumes glutathione, leading to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation during brain development.
Preclinical evidence: Animal and cell studies document fetal/early-life acetaminophen exposure triggering oxidative stress and neuroinflammatory changes, aligning with glutathione depletion as the initiating event.

Tylenol Ingredients

Aside from the other issues already discussed, Tylenol also contains some other ‘inactive ingredients’ that I would consider less than ideal/problematic, especially during pregnancy. Here’s the ingredients list from the Tylenol website, I have highlighted the most problematic ones in red:

Active Ingredient

Acetaminophen 500 mg – Effective for pain and fever, but can cause severe liver damage if overdosed or mixed with alcohol.

Inactive Ingredients

Carnauba wax – Generally safe; used as a tablet coating.
Croscarmellose sodium – Safe disintegrant; may rarely cause mild GI upset.
FD&C red no. 40 aluminum lake – FDA-approved synthetic dye; controversial due to possible hyperactivity risk in children and concerns over aluminum content since exposure is cumulative.
Hypromellose (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) – Widely used as a coating/binder; low toxicity.
Magnesium stearate – Common tablet lubricant; excessive intake may cause mild laxative effect.
Microcrystalline cellulose – Safe bulking agent; may cause bloating in sensitive individuals.
Polyethylene glycol – Laxative at higher doses; small amounts in tablets are generally safe.
Povidone – Safe binder; rare allergic reactions reported.
Pregelatinized starch – Safe filler; derived from starch, minimal risk.
Propylene glycol – Generally recognized as safe; large amounts may cause toxicity, but tablet levels are very low.
Shellac glaze – Natural coating; safe, though some may be allergic.
Sodium starch glycolate – Disintegrant; considered safe, minimal side effects.
Stearic acid – Fatty acid lubricant; safe in small amounts.
Titanium dioxide – Used as a whitener; under review for possible carcinogenicity when inhaled.

Is Tylenol Safe for Breastfeeding / Lactation?

Screenshot from pg 11 of Tylenol Full Prescribing Information Packet for healthcare providers.

Personally, given the information we already discussed above, and the fact that acetaminophen is excreted in breast milk from a typical therapeutic dose, I would not take Tylenol while breastfeeding — well, I wouldn’t take Tylenol regardless, but especially not while breastfeeding. Again, not medical advice, please consult with your healthcare provider.

Final Thoughts

The Tylenol–autism conversation highlights how essential it is to balance compassion with accountability and to demand full informed consent in medicine. I knew about this link over a year ago, but this has been a topic of debate for years within the crunchy communities online.

While science continues to investigate the exact mechanisms at play, the evidence around glutathione depletion, toxin exposure, oxidative stress, and fetal vulnerability highlights the need for caution. As families and communities, our responsibility is not to shame one another but to remain open to new evolving information, question pharma-sponsored narratives, and make the healthiest possible choices for the next generation.