Teething-pain remedy dangers

Teething can be hard on babies. It can hurt as teeth break through the gums. While some babies weather it fine, others are downright miserable. It’s hard to watch a baby be miserable, so it’s understandable that some parents and caregivers reach for one of the products that contain benzocaine, which can numb the gums and soothe the pain. Except that it’s a really bad idea. The problem with benzocaine for teething Benzocaine is found in products like Baby Orajel, Anbesol, or Orabase, as well as products marketed for sore throats such as Cepacol or Chloraseptic. But along with numbing pain, benzocaine can change hemoglobin into methemoglobin and cause a dangerous condition called methemoglobinemia. Hemoglobin is the compound inside the red cells of the blood that gathers oxygen from the lungs and distributes it to the tissue. When the iron in hemoglobin is exposed to certain chemicals including benzocaine, it changes to a form that holds on to the oxygen instead of letting it go — which means that tissues in the body don’t get the oxygen they need. Because babies and toddlers are smaller, with less blood volume, they are at higher risk for this side effect. So are people with heart disease or lung disease, or the elderly: their oxygenation and circulation is already not working perfectly, so an additional problem with getting oxygen to their body affects them even more. Symptoms of methemoglobinemia include pale or blue skin, dizziness, headache, and other pain. As th...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Dental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs