Warning on Baby Orajel

I got this email from a friend and usually don’t give much stake to such emails, but this one made me do a little Googling, and it appears such a situation is likely to occur when using Baby Orajel.

Here is the content of the email:

Dear all,
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Some of you already know, but we wanted to make everyone aware of a terrifying experience that we had over the weekend. Thank g-d, everything’s ok now but we thought friends and family would want to be aware and would want to advise others with babies

Zane’s been teething pretty badly for the past few days, and we decided to give him Baby Orajel on Sunday afternoon. We’ve given it to him a few times previously, when his first two teeth cut through, and never had a problem. Scott and I were both sitting with Zane on the floor in his room when I rubbed a dosage on his upper gum. Seconds after I gave it to him, he made a face as if he were crying but no noise came out. I picked Zane up and he immediately went limp in my arms and his face turned blueish. He was not panicking or gasping for air – he was lifeless. This lasted for approximately 15 seconds, but felt like an eternity. Words cannot convey our feelings during that time (or even now, ever) as we attempted to revive our son. No parent should ever experience such a feeling and no person should ever see something like this happen to a loved one. Without a doubt it was the scariest moment of our lives. Ultimately, Zane “came to” and began to cry hysterically. Thank g-d!!!!!!!!

We spent the evening at the hospital, where Zane underwent numerous tests, all of which came back normal. We also spoke with Zane’s pediatrician, who stated that she advises against the use of this product because its purpose is to numb and if it gets into an infant’s throat, it
may stop them from breathing. Obviously, we wanted to learn more about this product and why this happened so we conducted some internet research. Interestingly, we came across some postings of parents with similar experiences. Further, one website listed a side effect as, “difficulty breathing and grey/blueish face.” Also, when we called Zane’s daycare to let them know what happened, the owner said that she’s heard of this happening before. It’s surprising then that no such warning is on the bottle and that more people do not discuss the negative and possible deadly implications of the use of this product.

We don’t want to imagine what could’ve happened if we had given this to him at night, in his crib, as we (and many others) have done in the past, and then walked away (although, of course we monitor him throughout the night).

To reiterate, the reason we share the above with you is to strongly advise you to throw away any Baby Orajel products you have at home and please advise your friends and family of the same. Trust us, it’s not worth the possible side effects.

Best,
Scott and Allison

Again, this is an email I received, so can’t vouch for the validity, but it seemed realistic enough. They did not mention how much of the product was given — did they give more than the recommended dose or give more doses in a 24 hour period than the directions stated? It sounds like normal use, but again we don’t know, so I felt it was worth sharing, if not just as a reminder to use medications as directed.

I did run a snopes.com search on it and the status is undetermined and they are researching it.

In my Google search, I came across this warning on Orajel in general, which does list symptoms as those seen in the baby mentioned in the email. The most alarming is that an overdose can result in death. Good to know, but I don’t remember seeing such info on the packaging, and their website does not give any reference to this either.

To each his own when deciding to use Orajel or not for your baby, if you do, as with ALL medications — only use as directed and keep out of reach of children!

If you want a safer alternative, try Hylands Teething Tablets. They are homeopathic and work like a charm — better than Orajel in my opinion. It eases the pain just as fast but it lasts a lot longer. Plus, if you have a teething toddler, giving them a couple teething tablets is tons easier than trying to get your finger in the back of their mouth to apply Orajel, not to mention the definite possibility of getting bit! 🙂

I will keep watching out for the validity of the email (I don’t want to spread anything but the facts), but again, things like this are always a good reminder to use medications only as directed.

FDA Warning on Kids’ Cold Medicines & Alternatives to Medicines

In October 2007, the FDA issued warnings on giving cold medications to kids under the age of 6. This week, the FDA affirmed that warning for kids under the age of 2 and warned parents to avoid these medicines because of “serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.” Actually, the FDA has never approved cold medicines for children under 2.

The FDA is still investigating the effects of cold medicines on the 2-11 age group. These warnings come because of several concerns.

1. Parents can very easily give the wrong dosage
2. Parents are giving these medicines to children without consulting their pediatrician
3. These medicines do not appear to be effective on infants and toddlers
4. There have been rare, but serious side effects from convulsions, rapid heartbeat and even death

Parents, if you give cold medicines for children over 2:
1. NEVER give more then 1 type of medicine without consulting your child’s pediatrician. Just because it is over the counter, does not mean it is safe. Same goes for mixing with herbal remedies.
2. ALWAYS use the proper dosage in the provided dropper. Never use a cereal spoon as these are not accurate measurements.
3. ALWAYS follow the dosing instructions. If it says every 4 hours, don’t cheat and give at 3.5 hours.
4. Only treat the symptoms your child has. If he just has a cough, do not use a medicine that also treats a fever and congestion.
5. NEVER use an adults version, even if you are giving a smaller dose. Kids medicines are formulated for kids and adult medicines are formulated for adults.
6. Even herbal remedies can have side effects. Just because these are more “natural” remedies does not mean they are safe for children. Consult a professional.

There are better and more effective ways to treat your child’s cold and cough.
1. Use homeopathic remedies, such as those by Hyland’s (makers of the famous teething tablets). Homeopathic remedies help your body fight infections by boosting your immune system, which is why these are more effective than over the counter meds (that just mask the symptoms). Hyland’s products are good – I just used the cough syrup for my 21 month old and she cried for more. She would have drunk the whole bottle if I let her.
It does taste pretty good. 🙂
2. Breast milk in nose for congestion – just pull her off at letdown
and aim for her nostrils! Seems to work almost immediately for us.
3. Vicks on the bottom of her feet (Vicks makes a milder baby version
and so does the same folks who make the Little Noses saline drops).
If you get the baby stuff, you can rub on her chest too, otherwise,
stick to the feet.
4. Use a humidifier/vaporizer. Some suggest this is not effective in getting into the tiny airways of infants, but I have always found it useful in when my daughter was an infant.
5. You can also run hot water in the bathroom and shut the door and let
her breathe the steam for 10 minutes or so. When my daughter had a cold as a
baby, I sat her bouncy seat in the bathroom while I took a shower.
6. Raise the end of the mattress so her head is elevated, will help her
drain and prevent further congestion. To do this safely, put a pillow or rolled up towel under the mattress rather than in the bed with baby.
7. Give lots of fluids to help break up the mucus – breast milk and
water are best.
8. I have recently heard of Sinupret. It’s supposed to be an herbal remedy but it is also 8% alcohol. It’s also NOT recommended for kids under 2, for pregnant, lactating or soon to be pregnant women. I am a skeptic, but it is widely used in Europe and is apparently effective.
9. I have also had some natural vapor bath stuff. It may have helped, but was not as effective as the others.

FDA press release

Dr. Sears on treating kid’s colds

CNN report