Baby Orajel Warning

***Jolie77*** · 08-19-2008, 12:37 AM

Quote:

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

I got this in the email. I was kind of skeptical about this email and so I checked it up on snopes.com. According to Snopes, It is undetermined. The research is in progress.

snopes.com: Baby Orajel Warning

Now my question is, Do you really believe this or not? It may sound convincing but at the same time, if it really did cause these infants to stop breathing and turn blue by swallowing the baby orajel - it would not have been on the shelves in the stores.

Bottesini · 08-19-2008, 12:45 AM

Orajel medical facts from Drugs.com

Here is another link on Orajel. It does say about the stopping breathing side effect.

Also under two years old should not get it without a doctor's advice.

Not for people with asthma either.

So I think it is possibly true, but I think they used too much or the child was too young.

dead money · 08-19-2008, 04:09 AM

killer kiddie toothpaste.

Perfect for that psychopathic babysitter.

IslandBreeze07 · 08-19-2008, 10:22 AM

I've never used oralgel----think about how long it stays on the area you put on? Not that long. I usually use pain reliever for bad cases of teething.

I'm so glad your child is okay. That has to be very scary. I bet you thought and acted FAST that time seemed to slow down.... That happened to me once.

sweetangel · 08-19-2008, 12:26 PM

Jolie77....

After reading yur post .. I was speechless ! I am very glad yur child is safe and all right ! I can't imagine how u must feel . I am glad u did post this . That is too scary !!

webexplorer · 08-20-2008, 09:41 AM

Yeah, that is pretty scary to me.

I have heard about the babies' teeth. When their teeth grow, it interferes the gum that bother them as crying because new nerves are growing that made them feel very sensitive for the first time. It is really difficult for them to ignore it. I would assume to give something a soft "safe" object in their mouth to keep their mind busy until it didn't bother them.

Off the subject, I never like the rubber object because most rubbers are made in China that had bad chemical recalls in the past.

I'll wait for the snopes.com to tell us the result. I think that the snopes did a good job.

Jolie77 - I am not sure what does it means, "when his first two teeth cut through, and never had a problem."

jillio · 08-20-2008, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bottesini

Orajel medical facts from Drugs.com

Here is another link on Orajel. It does say about the stopping breathing side effect.

Also under two years old should not get it without a doctor's advice.

Not for people with asthma either.

So I think it is possibly true, but I think they used too much or the child was too young.

Exactly. It sounds as if this child had an anaphylactic shock reaction to the anesthetic in the Oragel. Allergic reactions develop over time, and the parent admitted to having given it to the child prior. It doesn't mean that the product is unsafe. It means that for this one child, it was unsafe. Can't predict allergic reactions of this type.

***Jolie77*** · 08-21-2008, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetangel

Jolie77....
After reading yur post .. I was speechless ! I am very glad yur child is safe and all right ! I can't imagine how u must feel . I am glad u did post this . That is too scary !!

Just to clear this up - It was not my child. I posted this story from an email I had received and wanted to get some feedback on this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bottesini

Orajel medical facts from Drugs.com

Here is another link on Orajel. It does say about the stopping breathing side effect.

Also under two years old should not get it without a doctor's advice.

Not for people with asthma either.

So I think it is possibly true, but I think they used too much or the child was too young.

It'd make sense with the numbing agent that can cause the breathing to stop, if it were to be used more than what is said on the direction. I wanted to know more about the baby orajel since it might have different formula than the ones for the adults.

Quote:

Originally Posted by webexplorer

Jolie77 - I am not sure what does it means, "when his first two teeth cut through, and never had a problem."

It means the parents were using the baby orajel on the child when his first two new teeth were freshly growing through the gum and never had a problem.

deafbajagal · 08-21-2008, 11:29 PM

I actually have heard of this happening. Baby Orajel contains Benzocaine. Generally anything with "caine" for an anesthetic poses possible risks of the child having an allergic reaction. It is also possible to overdose on it as well. Baby Orajel is indeed a form of medication.

jillio · 08-22-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deafbajagal

I actually have heard of this happening. Baby Orajel contains Benzocaine. Generally anything with "caine" for an anesthetic poses possible risks of the child having an allergic reaction. It is also possible to overdose on it as well. Baby Orajel is indeed a form of medication.

Very true. Benzocaine, novocaine, lidocaine, carbocaine....all pose a potential threat for allergic reaction not just in children, but adults as well.

Aleser · 08-27-2008, 09:14 PM

Anything ingested has the risk of provoking an allergic reaction.

Tons of babies are allergic, sometimes dangerously so, to cow's milk and soy milk, so a regular infant formula could, indeed, kill them- and these allergies can develop suddenly. Should we pull regular infant formula off the market and stock the shelves with the hypoallergenic alternatives, like elecare and neocate? No, that would be silly, because the product does what it's intended to do with minimal risk to MOST people using it. The fact that SOME people react doesn't make it 'bad.'

08-19-2008, 12:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
Bottesini Elf Assassin Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Sneaking up behind you Posts: 5,855 Blog Entries: 2	Orajel medical facts from Drugs.com Here is another link on Orajel. It does say about the stopping breathing side effect. Also under two years old should not get it without a doctor's advice. Not for people with asthma either. So I think it is possibly true, but I think they used too much or the child was too young. __________________ AllDeaf

08-19-2008, 04:09 AM	#3 (permalink)
dead money Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,266	killer kiddie toothpaste. Perfect for that psychopathic babysitter. __________________ mike matusow...or god for short.

08-19-2008, 10:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
IslandBreeze07 I do Ameriplan!!!! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Sunshine State Posts: 399	I've never used oralgel----think about how long it stays on the area you put on? Not that long. I usually use pain reliever for bad cases of teething. I'm so glad your child is okay. That has to be very scary. I bet you thought and acted FAST that time seemed to slow down.... That happened to me once. __________________ http://www.iboplus.com/KGraber http://www.mybenefitsplus.com/KGraber Life is like a farm. You have to get up early and do the chores

08-27-2008, 09:14 PM	#11 (permalink)
Aleser Woosh. Yes, Woosh. Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 568	Anything ingested has the risk of provoking an allergic reaction. Tons of babies are allergic, sometimes dangerously so, to cow's milk and soy milk, so a regular infant formula could, indeed, kill them- and these allergies can develop suddenly. Should we pull regular infant formula off the market and stock the shelves with the hypoallergenic alternatives, like elecare and neocate? No, that would be silly, because the product does what it's intended to do with minimal risk to MOST people using it. The fact that SOME people react doesn't make it 'bad.' __________________ "She thinks... she can make people do what she wants or needs, what is right, by the sheer force of her own talent, not by forcing them... she can teach them and persuade them... that they'll catch it from her. This is still faith in their rationality, in the omnipotence of reason. The mistake? Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them."

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08-19-2008, 12:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
sweetangel Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: sweet home Posts: 84	Jolie77.... After reading yur post .. I was speechless ! I am very glad yur child is safe and all right ! I can't imagine how u must feel . I am glad u did post this . That is too scary !!

08-20-2008, 09:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
webexplorer I'm listening to everyone Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: New England Posts: 3,458	Yeah, that is pretty scary to me. I have heard about the babies' teeth. When their teeth grow, it interferes the gum that bother them as crying because new nerves are growing that made them feel very sensitive for the first time. It is really difficult for them to ignore it. I would assume to give something a soft "safe" object in their mouth to keep their mind busy until it didn't bother them. Off the subject, I never like the rubber object because most rubbers are made in China that had bad chemical recalls in the past. I'll wait for the snopes.com to tell us the result. I think that the snopes did a good job. Jolie77 - I am not sure what does it means, "when his first two teeth cut through, and never had a problem."

08-21-2008, 11:29 PM	#9 (permalink)
deafbajagal Jasmine's Tiger "Lilly" Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: USA Posts: 2,107	I actually have heard of this happening. Baby Orajel contains Benzocaine. Generally anything with "caine" for an anesthetic poses possible risks of the child having an allergic reaction. It is also possible to overdose on it as well. Baby Orajel is indeed a form of medication.