Teething tablets contain deadly nightshade, FDA warns
If you use Hyland's Teething Tablets to try to ease your baby’s misery, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urges you to do this: Throw the stuff away and report any harmful symptoms. The melt-in-the-mouth tablets contain belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade, a plant with a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic — and poison.
By Inquirer Staff Writer Marie McCullough:
If you use Hyland's Teething Tablets to try to ease your baby's misery, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urges you to do this:
Throw the stuff away and report any harmful symptoms.
The melt-in-the-mouth tablets contain belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade, a plant with a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic — and poison.
In a consumer alert issued Monday, the FDA said its lab analyses have found that Hyland's Teething Tablets contain varying amounts of belladonna. FDA has also received reports of children suffering symptoms of belladonna toxicity, including seizures, difficulty breathing, lethargy, excessive sleepiness, muscle weakness, skin flushing, constipation, difficulty urinating, or agitation.
The manufacturer, Standard Homeopathic Company, agreed to "voluntarily" recall the product from the market after an FDA inspection found the firm's manufacturing operation was "substandard," the alert says.
The company advertises the tablets as making teething "easier for mother and baby for years."
If the tablets have done quite the opposite for you and your baby, the FDA urges you to report side effects to the MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program: MedWatch or by calling (800) 332-1088.
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