bonjella warning

[ubba82]

Hi,
just found this on yahoo7! news.

Children under 16 should not be given mouth pain relief gels Bonjela and Bonjela Cool mint gel, a British health regulator said.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency issued the alert for the gels, warning they contain salicylate salts which have the same effect on the body as aspirin.

Aspirin is not recommended for children under the age of 16.

The agency said there were concerns that products with the salts could lead to children developing Reye's Syndrome, a rare condition which leads to serious liver and brain damage.

No cases of the syndrome have been confirmed in connection with Bonjela. But three children have been hospitalised in Britain after suffering serious reactions to mouth gels including Bonjela.

Another four cases were reported to the agency of children suffering vomiting or diarrhoea after using Bonjela. In three of the cases the children were given the gel for teething pain. All of the children made a full recovery.

"This is a precautionary measure only and there are no new safety concerns," the agency said in a statement.

"The advice is being introduced due to a theoretical risk these products could increase the possibility of a child developing Reye's syndrome - a rare but serious condition."

"There have been no confirmed cases of Reye's Syndrome associated with Bonjela or Bonjela Cool, which remain safe and effective treatments for adults and children 16 years and over."

Bonjela Teething Gel for young children contains a different formula and is unaffected.

[Indadhanu]

Great so TEETHING gel can't even be used as TEETHING gel?

[BellyBelly]

Hopefully one day more people will realise the cons of using so much chemical crap on babies... and adults all the same. More and more products are proving to be harmful, hopefully people look MORE to naturopathic/homeopathic remedies and the like... it concerns me the crap we put in babies mouths, on their skin... I mean even baby wipes for goodness sakes, can get pen off my sofa... so whats it taking off baby's skin....? This is no surprise and there will be more warnings.

[LimeSlice]

Leash -

Bonjela Teething Gel for young children contains a different formula and is unaffected.

But I agree with Kel - not surprised really....something has to sink in eventually

[BellyBelly]

Everything you put on skin gets absorbed, of course it does... explain how nicotine patches or hormone replacement therapy works....

What are you feeding your family's skin?

... a recent study by Dr Philippa Darbre found parabens in human breast cancer tissue, raising obvious questions about the ability of parabens to accumulate in our bodies. Their detection in human breast tumours is of further concern since parabens have been shown to be able to mimic the action of the female hormone oestrogen. For more information on parabens see this report.

Check this out about Johnson & Johnson stuff too: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/com...hp?comp_id=753

[CrazyLady]

I agee with all of the above but people have to be careful with natural remedies too. These can be just as toxic. If in doubt do in depth research.

[Bathsheba]

I completely agree Kelly. The more we see technological advances around us the more, I think, we get swept up in the idea that the human body is a part of these advances and it's not! We are organic beings... the best things for our bodies are organic solutions... meaning things should be solved the way nature intended if at all possible. Our choice-drunk society seems to think that the products on supermarkets shelves require simply one thing: to choose or not to choose... I especially hate the Panadol ad "Because it's my choice". People forget you need to make an educated choice not just one directed by your budget, your lifestyle and how much you need your toddler to stop crying
I agree Charlottesmum, you need to be prepared to do your research but sadly this is all too hard for a lot of people Thankfully it's sites like BB that are getting people thinking and raising awareness.

I've used Bonjela... but only about twice per child... I think i might save it for when i get an ulcer now rather than using it for my children.

[tenar]

I think that anything we use, especially any kind of medication, should be researched. This news is a reminder of that.

I am particularly worried about the effects of naturopathic and homeopathic remedies, because they don't generally have to pass the same kinds of stringent testing as other remedies do. They are also generally made up of more complex chemicals, being derived from organic substances. So we have even less idea of what is in them and how it interacts with our bodies than we do with other medications where the ingredients are pure. It's not as if organic stuff is necessarily safe in general either - there is the whole range from apples to oleander out there...

Basically, if some remedy is strong enough to work, it is also strong enough to do damage. I don't trust anyone or anything! In my opinion, using things that are very well tested and that comply with sensible trading standards, whatever their origin, is the most important thing.

Hmm, and I gave my DD paracetamol for the first time in the wee small hours of this morning... At least she made it to 4 months before we had to medicate her with anything, but still, I wasn't too happy about doing it.

[Visitor8]

meh **** everything causes problems. Half of it is bullcrap IMO and I will continue to panadol/bonjella and posion my kids cos I am such a bad horrible mother that doesn't want her kids in pain.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

I agree with missymoo84. They are always coming out with products that are "harmful" i remember a few years ago they said tomatos caused cancer and then came out and said it can help prevent cancer...wtf??? i just think they are being too quick in jumping to the causes of children getting sick. Bonjella has been used for years in babies and i have never heard of any of them getting sick. If you think about it everything has the potential to be dangerous unless they put a permanent ban on a product i am not going to refrain from using it.

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

meh **** everything causes problems. Half of it is bullcrap IMO and I will continue to panadol/bonjella and posion my kids cos I am such a bad horrible mother that doesn't want her kids in pain.

hehehe....i agree

i think a lot feeds on parents "fears" of the "what if's"......which of course are valid in some instances, however, when is too much, too much? - If i believed or freaked out at everything i read/heard etc, i dont think i would ever have had a child nor be going back for number two! - Of course, be aware of what is out there and what is good, bad, or ugly, but like trying4baby88 said, unless there is a permanent ban on something, i'd still continue to use it (after doing my own research is that is

[CrazyLady]

I am not anti medication as Charlotte is on losec for reflux.

I just try not to resort to pain relief medications. Frozen dummies are working just fine right now but I'm sure I'll need something else soon.

Just remember it is YOUR CHILD and YOUR RIGHT to do what you feel is best for them so don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

[Bathsheba]

Yeah... I guess we could just wait until there is more proof... people used to think that smoking was good for chest congestion, that it loosened the phlegm... what a bummer that it turned out to be so bad. Ignorance can be bliss I guess.

[Visitor8]

I wouldn't say im being ignorant using something that is older than me.

I haven't been effected by it, and surely by now if panadol and bonjella were SOOOOO bad it would be known.

[Bathsheba]

Increasingly ill effects are not becoming evident until long after the use. I'm sure that the old folks who built their homes using asbestos would have laughed if somebody had said at the time that the dust from it would kill them. Just because something fails to immediately show a bad side affect doesn't mean that harm hasn't been done.

I don't get why people are annoyed with hearing that research is being done why is it so inconvenient to hear? My high-school level human biology/chemistry taught me that the human body is a fragile system... easily changed by things introduced into the system. You can compare the human body to the environment: 50 years ago the government PAID people to fall trees and clear land... they didn't know that this would lead to rising salt levels in the Murray Basin... it's only now that it has dawned on them "whoops"... billions of dollars might not even save the situation... surely people would do better having a more conservative approach to things and actually acknowledge that once you change one element of a system the whole will be affected in some way.