My 9 month old son recently developed a rash on his face and neck with no other symptoms. On the third day of having the rash I took him to the doctor who said it could either be viral or an allergic reaction. He prescribed some Chlorphenamine Elixir to be given twice daily to alleviate any itching. That evening I gave him the elixir and throughout the night he was tossing and turning (he usually sleeps soundly through the night) and whimpering in his sleep. I thought that maybe the rash had started to itch and this was the cause of his restlessness. The next morning I gave another dose of the Chlorphenamine and through the day he was constantly crying and nothing would placate him at all. He wasn?t eating or drinking normally and he was very unsettled, clumsy and had a complete lack of concentration. This continued for two days and I was still giving the Chlorphenamine twice daily as instructed and the rash was still present and had begun to spread to his back and torso.
Suddenly I realised that the unhappy behaviour and the restlessness through the night had begun with the start of the Chlorphenamine, so I read the ingredients. I found it contained a preservative, E211 and on the information on the label it stated that on taking the medicine ?Children could become excited?.
I searched on Google and found the E Number in question is Sodium Benzoate and is not recommended for consumption by children as it can lead to hyperactivity. Researching further I also discovered that when ingested with Vitamin C it can react to form the carcinogenic chemical ?Benzene?, which has been classed as a Group A Carcinogenic by the Environmental Protection Agency, and its long term ingestion can lead to problems with bone marrow. Sodium benzoate can also cause damage to Human DNA by switching off certain sections of the genetic code, thus leading to an increased risk of Parkinson?s Disease and Cirrhosis of the Liver. Absolutely horrified I stopped giving the Chlorphenamine and promptly telephoned the pharmacy to enquire if there was an alternative antihistamine that did not contain E211, to which I was told that all of the antihistamines available for prescription for my son contained Sodium Benzoate. I then went back to my doctor and explained what had happened and she told me it was more likely to be a virus and that?s why he had been so unsettled and not likely to be the Chlorphenamine but if I didn?t feel happy giving it not to bother.
I have not given him any more of the medicine and he still has the rash, but since stopping the Chlorphenamine he has been back to his usual lively happy self and sleeping, eating and drinking normally!! This told me all I needed to know and that it was indeed a reaction to the Sodium Benzoate as I suspected, and not the rash that was causing his unhappiness.
This then got me thinking and I checked the ingredients of the bottle of Calpol I bought over the counter for children aged 2months + and was totally horrified by what I found!!!!! Calpol contains 5 E Numbers?E420, E214, E216, E218 and E122. I immediately researched these additives and found E214, E216 and E218 to be safe and have no harmful reactions but the reactions that can happen from E420 and E122 completely stunned me. E420 is Sorbitol and may cause severe diarrhoea in children less than 1 year E122 is a red colour which can cause hyperactivity in children and can aggravate asthma symptoms in asthmatics!!!!!!
After reading this I decided I should do something to try and put an end to these artificial colours and preservatives being used in medicines specifically designed to be given to children. I started a Facebook group called ?Campaign to free children?s medicine of Artificial Additives? and applied to the government for an e-petition
epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/53680
If I can get 100,000 signatures in the next 12 months my petition has the chance of being heard in the House of Commons. I am attempting to advertise the link to my petition in as many places as possible as I feel so strongly about this issue. We all take prescription drugs with a chance of having a reaction to one of its ingredients but even though they assume the amount of these additives in the medicines are of a ?safe? quantity, there is always the chance of a reaction and why should our children be at risk of having a reaction to something artificial in the medicine that doesn?t need to be there????
I implore you to help me promote this campaign as much as is possible and I am extremely grateful you took the time to read my story.