Baby almost dies after mother gave her 'too much' Bonjela for teething
A mum claims her baby almost dies after using too much Bonjela to ease her teething pains.
Jessica Vermunt, from Napier on New Zealand’s North Island, wrote on Facebook she gave Bonjela to her seven-month-old Athena over a number of days.
Bonjela is a brand of oral treatment used to treat teething pain, ulcers and dental sores.
"She kept screaming at us,” Ms Vermunt told the New Zealand Herald.
The mum continued giving Bonjela to her bub but things took a turn for the worse.
Athena was rushed to Starship Hospital in Auckland.
In a Facebook post Ms Vermunt wrote Athena was “just minutes from dying”.
Ms Vermunt told the Herald the little girl stopped breathing after four hours. She was sedated and placed on a breathing machine.
‘I’m begging you’
'They diagnosed her with salicylate overdose,” she told the paper.
“Salicylate is the active ingredient in Bonjela.”
Salicylate can be found in various foods including raisins, broccoli and radish. It’s also in mint toothpaste, mouthwash and shampoos and conditioners.
The mum added on Facebook the ingredient can cause a baby’s blood to become acidic and cause renal failure.
However, she admits Athena “had a lot more” Bonjela “than normal”. The recommended dose is about 1cm of gel to the affected area, repeated every three hours if necessary.
“I'm begging you, if you do use Bonjela for your baby please, please, please the smallest amount as little as possible,” she wrote.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted Starship Hospital for an update on Athena’s condition.
In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, a Bonjela spokesperson said the company is aware of the incident and is trying to contact Ms Vermunt “to understand exactly what has happened”.
“Meanwhile we are sending our best wishes to the infant for a quick recovery,” the spokesperson said.
“The health and safety of our consumers is a top priority for us,” the statement added.
All Bonjela products in Australia and New Zealand are reviewed and approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the regulatory body for therapeutic goods in Australia and the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe) for safety and efficacy.”
The spokesperson added parents should only use oral teething and mouth ulcer gels “only according to directions”.
“We welcome our consumers and Health Care professionals to contact us if they have questions on the information in the patient information leaflet,” the spokesperson said.
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