FDA Warns Popular Teething Medications Are Unsafe For Children

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers, asking them to stop using over-the-counter teething relief products that contain benzocaine. The FDA said that the medication poses a "serious risk" to young children and pointed out that the products rarely work as intended. Benzocaine can cause children to develop a potentially fatal form of methemoglobinemia, which is a rare condition in which the amount of oxygen in the blood can drop to dangerously low levels. 

Symptoms of methemoglobinemia can include a rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, pale skin and gray or blue nails. Symptoms can develop within two hours of being exposed to benzocaine. 

The FDA also sent a letter to manufacturers asking them to stop selling teething products that contain benzocaine. However, they stated that the drug is safe when used by adults and they are not asking companies to stop selling products such as Orajel and Anbesol, which contain benzocaine. Instead, companies must put a warning label on those products.

The FDA warned that if companies do not voluntarily pull the products from shelves, it will take action to force them out of stores. 

"Because of the lack of efficacy for teething and the serious safety concerns we've seen with over-the-counter benzocaine oral health products, the FDA is taking steps to stop use of these products in young children and raise awareness of the risks associated with other uses of benzocaine oral health products," FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. 

Photo: Getty Images


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