Skip to main content

Child Poisonings From Eye Drops, Nose Sprays


October 25, 2012 — Over-the-counter eyedrops and nose sprays contain powerful drugs that are poisonous in surprisingly small amounts if swallowed, the FDA warns.
Unwary parents often leave these products within easy reach of curious children. From 1997 through 2009, eyedrops injured more than 4,500 children under the age of 5 and nasal sprays injured more than 1,100, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Injury reports show that children can easily open the products, which do not come in child-resistant packages.
The drugs are surprisingly powerful. Swallowing less than a fifth of a teaspoon can seriously harm a child, the FDA says.
The eyedrops in question soothe redness by causing blood vessels in the eye to constrict. Visine is a popular brand; there are many generic versions. Nose drops work in a similar way, tightening blood vessels in the nose. Afrin, Dristan, and Mucinex are popular brands, and there are many generic versions.
The products contain the active ingredients tetrahydrozoline, naphazoline, or oxymetazoline.
All three drugs are in the class of drugs called imidazolines. When placed in the eye or nose as directed, the drugs only affect that part of the body. But if swallowed, they quickly have effects throughout the body.
"Generally, symptoms can occur in as little as one hour, peaking at eight hours, and resolving after 12-36 hours," a CPSC briefing paper notes. "Even though the symptoms resolve in a relatively short amount of time, ingestion of imidazolines can result in severe life-threatening consequences, such as decreased breathing, decreased heart rate, and loss of consciousness that require hospitalization to ensure recovery."
The CPSC has proposed a new rule requiring child-resistant packaging for these products. That rule has yet to be finalized. Even when it's final, the rule will give manufacturers at least a year to comply. Meanwhile, many homes have at least one of the products in medicine cabinets.
To avoid accidental poisonings, the FDA says parents and caregivers should:
  • Store medicines in a safe location that is too high for young children to reach or see.
  • Never leave medicines or vitamins out on a kitchen counter or a child's bedside.
  • If a medicine bottle has a safety cap, relock it each time you use it.
  • Remind babysitters, houseguests, and visitors to keep purses, bags, or coats that have medicines in them away and out of sight when they are in your home.
  • Avoid taking medicines in front of young children because they like to mimic adults.
The FDA lists several specific products in its warning. Here's the list, which includes some but by no means all store and generic brands:
Products containing tetrahydrozoline
Products containing naphazoline
Products containing oxymetazoline
Visine Original
Visine A
Visine L.R.
Visine A.C.
Ak-Con Ophthalmic Solution
12 Hour Nasal Decongestant Nasal Spray
Visine Advanced Relief
Napha Forte Ophthalmic Solution
Afrin Extra Moisturizing Nasal Spray
Visine Totality
Naphazoline HCl Ophthalmic Solution
Afrin No Drip Severe Congestion Nasal Spray
Visine Maximum Redness Relief Formula
All Clear Ophthalmic Solution
Afrin No Drip Sinus Nasal Spray
Walgreens Redness Reliever Advanced Eye Ophthalmic Solution
All Clear AR Maximum Strength Ophthalmic Solution
Afrin No Drip Sinus Extra Moisturizing Nasal Spray
Tyzine Nasal Spray
Opcon-A Ophthalmic Solution
Afrin Original Nasal Spray
GNP Original Eye Drops
Naphcon A Ophthalmic Solution
Afrin Severe Congestion Nasal Spray
Opti-clear Ophthalmic Solution
Walgreens Eye Allergy Relief Drops
Dristan 12 Hour Nasal Spray
Tetrahydrozoline HCl Ophthalmic Solution

Equaline 12 Hour Nasal Spray
Today’s Health Original Eye Drops

Equaline 12 Hour Extra Moisturizing Nasal Spray
Leader Eye Drops Regular Formula Ophthalmic Solution

Equate Nasal Spray


GNP 12 Hour Nasal Spray


GNP 12 Hour No Drip Nasal Spray


GoodSense 12 Hour Nasal Spray


Leader 12 Hour Nasal Spray


Maximum Strength Nasal Decongestant Nasal Spray


Mucinex Full Force Nasal Spray


Mucinex Moisture Nasal Spray


Nasal Relief Spray


Neo-Synephrine 12 Hour Nasal Spray


Publix Nasal Spray


Select Brand Nasal Spray


Sinex Nasal Spray


Sudafed OM Nasal Spray


Today’s Health Nasal Relief Nasal Spray


Tope Care 12 Hour Nasal Spray


Walgreens Anefrin Nasal Spray
SOURCES:
FDA news release.
FDA web site.
CPSC web site.
CPSC: "Proposed PPPA Rule Requiring Child-Resistant Packaging for Imidazolines."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Contact Precautions May Have Unintended Consequences

Contact precautions, including gloves, gowns, and isolated rooms, have helped stem the transmission of hospital pathogens but have also had some negative consequences, according to findings from a new study. Healthcare worker (HCWs) visited patients on contact precautions less frequently than other patients and spent less time with those patients when they did visit, report Daniel J. Morgan, MD, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, and colleagues. Moreover, patients on contact precautions also received fewer outside visitors. "Less contact with HCWs suggests that other unintended consequences of contact precautions still exist," Dr. Morgan and coauthors write. "The resulting decrease in HCW contact may lead to increased adverse events and a lower quality of patient care due to less consistent patient monitoring and poorer adherence to standard adverse event prevention methods (such...
Post a Comment
Read more

CareFusion Issues Update on Infant Breathing Product Recall

July 5, 2012 — Medical device maker CareFusion has issued an update reminding healthcare providers of its voluntary recall of its Air Life ™ Infant Breathing Circuit, initiated back in May. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified this action as a class 1 recall, meaning there is a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death associated with use of the defective units. The update was posted July 2 on the FDA  Website. On May 29, 2012, CareFusion sent an  Urgent Recall Notice  to customers and distributors stating that the company had identified potential risks associated with the Air Life  Infant Breathing Circuit. The action was initiated after the company received complaints of the Y adapter within the breathing circuit developing cracks during patient use. "If a crack develops in the Y adapter, this could potentially result in a leak in the closed ventilation system, leading to a loss in the intended tidal volum...
Post a Comment
Read more

FDA Approves Tapentadol ER for Diabetic Neuropathy

August 29, 2012 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved tapentadol extended-release (ER) ( Nucynta , Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc) for the management of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in adults for whom a continuous opioid analgesic is required over an extended time. It is the first opioid to receive this indication, the company notes in a statement today. DPN, the most common type of neuropathy, affects an estimated 16% of the more than 25 million Americans who have diabetes. The condition is often unreported and untreated, with an estimated 2 out of 5 cases not receiving care. Tapentadol ER is already approved for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain in adults requiring a continuous opioid analgesic for an extended period. It is a centrally acting synthetic analgesic, although the exact mechanism of action is unknown, the release states. "Although the clinical relevance is unclear," the company n...
4 comments
Read more