A British mother has gone viral recently after she posted a graphic picture highlighting the dangers of giving Nurofen to Children after her post has been shared more than 350,000 times.
The courageous mum Hayley Lyons’ has recieved praise from fellow parents after she highlighted the dangers of giving the over the counter drug to children. Mrs Lyons decided to post the images after her son Lewis had a severe skin reaction after being given the medicine for his chickenpox.
The angry mum told reporters that doctors had recommended the ibuprofen-based medicine to help ease Lewis’ symptoms, but he ended up in hospital with septicaemia – also known as blood poisoning. Mrs Lyons further explained: ‘Chickenpox is going round again, can I please remind people NOT to give to your children Nurofen/ibuprofen.’
‘This type of medicine is anti-inflammatory, it reacts with chicken pox making them go deeper into the skin tissue.’ Four doctors had recommended the medicine for Lewis, even though recent research has linked it to skin reactions in patients with chickenpox. Meanwhile Dr Stephanie Smith, a paediatrician at Nottingham Children’s Hospital and a spokesperson for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said ‘there is a risk’, but it’s low.
‘There’s a recognition that ibuprofen has a link with skin reactions in children with chicken pox,’ she said, adding that research into the area was still relatively new. ‘It would be good to advise parents and doctors about the risks.’
She recommended giving children paracetamol to relieve the symptoms of chickenpox, rather than ibuprofen. The instruction leaflet inside the Nurofen packet also recommends not giving it to kids with chickenpox.