Gripe Water Side Effects
Are you tempted to try gripe water but are wary about the side effects on your baby? This article discusses all the known gripe water side effects and what you should know about gripe water before trying it.
As with any medication that you give your baby it is extremely important to know how suitable it is for your child and whether it is safe to be given.
Gripe water is known as a purely herbal concoction. Many people assume that herbal implies natural and is therefore safe. This is not always the case.
Most if not all of our known medications such as aspirin and paracetamol are derived from plant based chemicals that can be lethal when taken in large quantities. These days gripe water consists of many different ingredients and it can be very difficult to differentiate the good from the bad.
The original gripe water contained alcohol, sodium bicarbonate, dill oil and fennel. In 1982, the United States government prohibited its sale as it was regarded as an unsafe drug mainly due to the use of alcohol and sodium bicarbonate.
Ingredients & Side Effects
The side effects of the most common ingredients found in gripe water are listed below. You should be wary of any brand that lists these ingredients.
- Alcohol can cause drowsiness and is not suitable for infants.
- Charcoal can cause intestinal occlusion and dehydration in some cases.
- Citric Acid is not recommended for ingestion by infants as there is a high case of allergies.
- Dairy-lactose intolerance in babies is common.
- Essential Oils are not deeemed safe for ingestion.
- Herbs- Herbs such as peppermint can cause an aggravation in babies suffering from reflux.
- Gluten can cause serious allergies in infants.
- Simethicone- not recommended for colic at all as it can worsen the symptoms of indigestion and wind.
- Sodium Bicarbonate also known as baking soda can lead to problems in the hydration of the body, blood pH and critical nerve and muscle function.
The most common gripe water side effects are allergies and the worsening of the symptoms.
If you think about it, gripe water does not actually treat the cause of colic. It only soothes some of the symptoms of colic. It is very possible that it can make some of the symptoms worse as it is impossible for one solution to treat all symptoms.
To really treat colic you need to know what the underlying cause of colic is and treat the cause, and not the symptoms.
Find out what causes colic and how it can be treated quickly and effectively in this FREE Report ‘The Truth About Colic’ .
