UK Mum said her infant son went floppy and non responsive after taking recommended dose of Ibuprofen.

Alison Smith, 36, rushed her four-month-old son, Jensen Pettitt, to hospital after giving him the advised dosage of Juniour Ibuprofen, reports The Mirror.

Doctors spent an agonising 45 minutes working on the infant before he finally came round.

After Alison warned other mothers and complained that the packaging did not contain all the necessary information the store she purchased it from stopped selling the product and launched an investigation.

Her baby boy became unresponsive and lost consciousness after taking just 2.5ml of the baby medicine.

She formed a Facebook campaign to advise other mothers about the product after dozens of others came forward to complain about the medicine.

Alison, from Kent, said: “Jensen had been ill so we gave him the medicine.

“We put it on his lips but he was chucking his arms about and wouldn’t take any of it so of course we force fed it to him.

“I then tasted a bit and my mouth went completely numb, while my partner Adrian got a blister on his tongue.

“At this point we thought ‘we have just given our child 2.5ml of this, we need to do something’.

“Jensen was drifting off to sleep so we phoned the health line. While on the phone he went floppy, we were banging and clapping and he just wasn’t responding.

“The operator told us to get him to A&E as soon as possible. “We took him to Maidstone Hospital where a medical team finally got him to wake up.

“He was very grumpy and disorientated but has since made a full recovery.”

A spokesman said: “Galpharm Junior Ibuprofen meets all regulatory quality and safety standards required for a licensed medicinal product to be sold in the UK.”

Recommendations

The Royal Children’s hospital recommends that Ibuprofen can be used for mild to moderate pain in children, adolescents and adults. It should not be used in children under three months of age or be given to children with bleeding disorders.

Any infant or child who is unwell, or in moderate to severe pain, should be seen by a doctor to find out the cause.

Giving ibuprofen via RCH

How much to give:
•Ibuprofen for children comes in several different strengths, for babies, for young children and for older children. Ibuprofen is also made and sold by many different companies, and different brands may have different names (e.g. Nurofen, Brufen, Advil, Dimetapp).

Common strengths include:
•200mg in 5ml (syrup for babies over 3 months)
•100mg in 5ml (syrup for children 1-5 years)
•200mg in 5ml (syrup for children 5-12 years)
•200mg in 1 tablet (for older children and adults)
•Give the dose that is written on the bottle or pack according to your child’s weight.

NOTE: It is important to remember to go by your child’s WEIGHT not the age.

How often can it be given?
•Doses can be given every six to eight hours – no more than three times a day.
•If your child has asthma, ibuprofen may cause wheezing.  If so, it would be better to use paracetamol.
•There are some rare but serious side effects that might occur if ibuprofen is given to a child for a long time.
•It is best to give ibuprofen with or soon after food or milk.

It is ok to alternate giving paracetamol and ibuprofen so that your child’s pain is well controlled.

NOTE – if you do this, it can be easy to accidentally give too much of either medicine.
Keep a diary of when you give each dose of paracetamol and ibuprofen so you don’t give your child too much of either medicine.

We do not recommend giving aspirin for pain to a child or adolescent under 12 years, unless it is advised by your doctor. It can cause a rare but serious illness called Reyes Syndrome.

Nurofen recommends DO NOT TAKE ibuprofen

•In children under 3 months of age.
•In children who have stomach ulcers or other stomach disorders.
•In children who have kidney or heart problems.
•In children who have allergic reactions to aspirin, ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory medicines. If an allergic reaction develops, stop taking and see your doctor immediately.
•During the first 6 months of pregnancy, except on your doctor’s advice. Do not use at all during the last 3 months of pregnancy.
•In quantities that exceed the recommended dose. Excessive use can be harmful.
•For more than 48 hours. If your child’s symptoms persist beyond this time consult your doctor.
•If the cap seal is not intact on first opening of the bottle.

Ibuprofen poisoning
•If too much Ibuprofen is taken, it can cause stomach upsets, or sometimes it can affect breathing and make a person very drowsy.
•Always store ibuprofen out of reach of children and leave it in the packaging that it comes in (child resistant packaging).
•Call the Poisons Information Centre (13 11 26 in Australia) for advice if a child or adult may have taken an overdose of ibuprofen.

Related stories:

This story follows a recent reminder to parents that Codeine is not safe for kids. In Australia this includes Painstop medication.

Plus a recent WARNING to parents to stop using homeopathic teething tablets and gels as they pose serious risks to infants.

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