Parents typically want the best for their children. For many, that means avoiding chemical medicines and treating their children’s normal aches and pains with natural products. You likely trusted the products that claimed to bring homeopathic relief to your child’s teething discomfort. When your child became ill after using the product, it may have been a shock.
As early as 2010, the Food and Drug Administration has been warning parents to avoid homeopathic teething products, including tablets made and distributed by Hyland. Almost immediately, drug stores and other pharmaceutical companies recalled their homeopathic teething products. However, even after the FDA issued a second and third warning, Hyland insisted its product was safe and did not recall its tablets.
Children react differently to some substances
These teething tablets apparently contain soothing natural ingredients like chamomile and calcarean carbonica, substances used for generations by midwives and homeopathic practitioners. You may even have jars of these remedies in your home. However, FDA labs found that the teething tablets also contained inconsistent levels of belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade. Belladonna is toxic.
The FDA received reports of at least 400 children suffering from a wide array of symptoms after using the Hyland teething products. Some of those symptoms you may have witnessed in your own child, including:
- Seizures
- Difficulty breathing
- Lethargy or excessive sleepiness
- Muscle weakness
- Skin flushing
- Constipation or difficulty urinating
- Agitation
In addition to the many reports of illness, the FDA received information about 10 children whose deaths may also be related to the use of the toxic product. Hyland has since discontinued manufacturing the popular teething tablets but maintains that the product was safe to use.
Helping your child recover
One of the hardest things for parents to endure is watching their children suffer. If your child became ill because of a product marketed for infants, you have every right to want answers. While seeking monetary recompense could never make up for the suffering your child went through, it may relieve some of the financial burden left from medical expenses.
In addition, product liability claims tend to send a strong message to manufacturers of dangerous products that they will be held accountable for any neglect that causes harm. Speaking with a compassionate attorney will provide you with answers about the best way to proceed in your situation.