You may remember last year when the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to parents about giving infants homeopathic teething tablets.
Now, the FDA is confirming the news: teething tablets that contain belladonna could cause harm to infants and children.
In a newly-released report, the FDA found “inconsistent amounts” and “sometimes far exceeding” amounts of belladonna, a toxic substance, in the tablets produced by Standard Homeopathic Company, the manufacturer of Hyland’s homeopathic teething products.
Belladonna can cause “seizures, excessive sleepiness, muscle weakness and skin flushing in children and infants,” according to FOX News.
In September 2016, the FDA issued a warning to parents that the teething tablets — which are not FDA-approved or evaluated — could do more harm than good. And a month later, Hyland’s halted production of the tablets but has not issued a recall of the capsules.
Still, the FDA is urging parents to toss the tablets in the trash.
“The body’s response to belladonna in children under two years of age is unpredictable and puts them at unnecessary risk,” Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release. ”We recommend that parents and caregivers not give these homeopathic teething tablets to children and seek advice from their health care professional for safe alternatives.”
Teething typically begins around six months for infants, according to WebMD, and many parents are desperate to find relief for their little one during the process. Homeopathic teething tablets, like those produced by Hyland’s, have been around since the early 1900’s, reported CNN.
But the FDA said these homeopathic teething tablets, which could be linked to 10 infant deaths, are not the answer.
The pills first came under scrutiny by the FDA in 2010, and officials have heard “more than 400 reports of adverse events,” such as seizures, “linked to teething products that contain belladonna” since then, according to CNN.
“Since the body’s response to belladonna in children under 2 years of age is unpredictable, using such products places them at unnecessary risk,” FDA spokeswoman Lyndsay Meyer told CNN. Therefore, the FDA recommends that parents stop giving babies any product that contains belladonna “and dispose of any in their possession.”
The tablets were sold at major retailers like CVS and Wal-Mart. If you’ve got them in your pantry, we say toss ‘em out.
