Washington DC - Dr. Mehmet Oz, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, tried to walk back some of President Donald Trump's more extreme claims about the effect of Tylenol on pregnant women.

Trump on Monday shocked the medical world by announcing an unproven link between acetaminophen – the active substance in Tylenol – and autism, urging people to avoid taking the drug during pregnancies.

In an interview with TMZ on Tuesday, Oz desperately backpedaled on the claims, which drew condemnation from health experts and autism associations alike.

While Trump originally suggested that pregnant women should "tough it out" and avoid the use of Tylenol altogether, Dr. Oz pushed back and offered opposing advice.

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"If you have a high fever, the doctor is almost certainly going to prescribe you something," Dr. Oz told TMZ Live. "Tylenol might be one of the things they give."

"That's not the problem," he explained. "Take it when it's appropriate. Acetaminophen's probably your best option, but take it when you really need it."

Acetaminophen is the most commonly prescribed and recommended pain relief medication for pregnant women and is often used to reduce fevers.

Trump's claims are not supported by scientific evidence. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists state on their website that Tylenol is one of the safest medications for pregnant women and has no causal link to autism.

Mel Merritt, head of policy and campaigns at the National Autistic Society, slammed the Trump administration for its claims about Tylenol, calling them "dangerous" and "irresponsible."

"President Donald Trump is peddling the worst myths of recent decades. Such dangerous pseudo-science is putting pregnant women and children at risk and devaluing autistic people."