FDA Issues Warning - Teething Medications

[Blackcat31]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/fda-warns-teething-medicines-unsafe-wants-them-off-shelves/ar-AAxGO20?ocid=spartandhp

"The Food and Drug Administration said that various gels and creams containing the drug benzocaine (BEN-zoh-keyn) can cause rare but deadly side effects in children, especially those 2 years and younger.

"We urge parents, caregivers and retailers who sell them to heed our warnings and not use over-the-counter products containing benzocaine for teething pain," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, in a statement.

The FDA said it will take legal action against companies that don't voluntarily remove their products for young children.

enzocaine can cause a rare blood condition linked to potentially deadly breathing problems. The pain-relieving ingredient can interfere with an oxygen-carrying protein in the blood. Symptoms include shortness of breath, headache and rapid heart rate.

Teething products with benzocaine include Baby Orajel. The packaging states: "Instant relief for teething pain." It is made by the New Jersey-based Church and Dwight Co. Inc.; a company representative could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday morning.

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend teething creams because they usually wash out of the baby's mouth within minutes. Instead, the group recommends giving babies teething rings or simply massaging their gums to relieve pain."

[Cat Herder]

I just searched for info on this as a risk for SIDS. There are cases of this being originally diagnosed as SIDS.

My heart is racing. I did use this on my son in the days leading up to his death. I don't know if they tested for it back in 1990's. I even asked them about it back then. I was told it was not possible in the dosage in one tube.

"Methemoglobinemia is a complication of benzocaine toxicity."

"The unknown significance of the benzocaine, and the circumstances of the case raise questions about the ultimate attribution of this death to SIDS" - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16382850

https://www.rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-33/issue-5/features/sids-or-methemoglobinemia.html

[mamamanda]

I don't understand why this hasn't been made public knowledge before now. The hospital personel told me to no longer use orajel type products for this reason when my second son was like 6 mo old. So 3 years ago. How can they sit on this info for so long w/o warning people? And w/o pulling the products off the shelves.

[Unregistered]

So disgusting.
I have a real distrust for doctors already because of family history with misdiagnosis leading to death of two famil member, this is ugh just another very real reminder of why I don’t trust them. It’s sad, disgusting and sad.

[flying_babyb]

i love this stuff! not for teething (it never worked for my wisdom teeth) but for numbing wounds!