Amber teething anklet - adverse side effects?

[auldmaw]

Hey

Not entirely sure how mumsnet works so apologies if this thread exists and I just can't find it.

My son is 4 months old. He was born with a full tooth so it's unknown if his teeth bother him as it's likely all he's ever known. However, he has been chewing everything in sight, dribbling etc... so I got him an amber anklet on the advice of friends who swore by it.

I put it on him 4 days ago. For the last 3 nights for about half an hour around 7.30/8 he's screamed uncontrollably. I've never heard anything like it. The first night he had diarrhoea. The 2nd night nothing seemed obviously wrong and he stopped himself and tonight he was sick. We've also noticed he's generally been more grumpy and unsettled during the day.

We've been very lucky with our son, he's not a sicky baby (could count on one hand how many times he's been sick) and he's generally quite settled so this screaming seems to have come out of nowhere.

I totally accept our bubble may just have burst and it could be caused by other factors.

Just because of the timing, I'm wondering if it could be connected to the anklet and if anyone else has experienced this. I can't find anything online about adverse side effects. This may be because they don't exist.

I've taken the anklet off and I suppose time will tell. But, if it's not that, I'd want to use the anklet! So, just looking to see if anyone else has had a similar experience?!

Thanks in advance

Just sounds like teething to me. Or he's picked up a bug.

These amber things don't actually 'do' anything to get side effects from.

Sounds like coincidence, there is nothing positive or negative to be gained from using the amber apart from placebo effect.

Choking is a fairly serious adverse effect from using these bracelets.

They won’t cause diarrhoea though-there’s no scientific mechanism by which they can do anything.

My son used to have amber anklet - they dont do anything if they are on legs! They wont cause any side effects - promise( Im from a county where amber has very old traditions in being used as "teething painkiller") You child is most likely having a bug x

Are you bf op?

sciencebasedmedicine.org/amber-waves-of-woo/

This is a nice debunking of these ridiculous amber nonsense things.

Shouldve explained - it needs to be amber necklace to actually help with the teething pains. Ive seen quite a lof of young children lately even in the UK wearing amber necklaces so must work x

Probably chewed it and it’s a bit grubby?

Ive seen quite a lof of young children lately even in the UK wearing amber necklaces so must work.

I am hitting my head against a desk in frustration at the utter stupidity of this comment.

My grandma wears amber necklace for all sorts of pains and it helps her a lot! But it is 100% natural baltic amber as she lives by Baltic sea. X

She might think it does justme, but it doesn’t do anything. You need to look at the science associated with this. There is none.

Choking HTH

They do literally nothing to help teething just pose a risk to your child.

Just sounds like normal teething.

Get some anbseol liquid it does wonders if you rub a little on their gums and maybe ibuprofen or calpol if they're in lots of pain

Thanks everyone, you've reassured me I've not accidentally poisoned my wean!

@PinkyU no, he's formula fed. Not had any problems apart from a bit of colic that seems to have worked itself out.

Thanks @JustMe9 I'm too feart to put a necklace on him for all the obvious reasons. I don't want to take any risks.

I know there's 2 camps where amber is concerned. I dunno whether I believe it works or not. Just figured it was worth a shot on the basis of; what's the worst that could happen 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hopefully just a wee bug that will pass. It's brutal listening to him in that much pain and discomfort.

Adverse side-effects?

Well there is one - you've wasted money on something that doesn't work.

Lol

@PurpleDaisies she is a grown woman so I am sure she knows when something can relieve the pain. But Im not getting into this discussion as some people obviously much rather poison their children with calpols than try something with less or no side effects first

Thanks everyone, you've reassured me I've not accidentally poisoned my wean!

@PinkyU no, he's formula fed. Not had any problems apart from a bit of colic that seems to have worked itself out.

Thanks @JustMe9 I'm too feart to put a necklace on him for all the obvious reasons. I don't want to take any risks.

I know there's 2 camps where amber is concerned. I dunno whether I believe it works or not. Just figured it was worth a shot on the basis of; what's the worst that could happen 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hopefully just a wee bug that will pass. It's brutal listening to him in that much pain and discomfort.

@5zeds it's an anklet. It's not anywhere near his mouth.

@PurpleDaisies she is a grown woman so I am sure she knows when something can relieve the pain. But Im not getting into this discussion as some people obviously much rather poison their children with calpols than try something with less or no side effects first.

Calpol is entirely safe when given according to the instructions.

People are very bad at recognising whether things help or not. Read about the placebo effect.

Except you won’t because you won’t listen to proper scientific evidence. You probably don’t vaccinate your children.

it's an anklet. It's not anywhere near his mouth.

You’ve never seen a child pull off their socks and put them in their mouths?

Sorry didn't mean to post my reply twice!

@PurpleDaisies @JustMe9 didn't mean to start a big debate on if amber works or not. Each to their own. I also use calpol and will take on @Mintypea5 suggestion.

I'm not some homeopathic nut but I equally don't want to limit myself to traditional medication either.

@PurpleDaisies of course I've seen a wean pull socks off. At this moment in time, my son doesn't know his feet exist.

Next time you have toothache try wearing an amber necklace to see if it actually works. Personally and professionally I would always recommend paracetamol.
Also a lot of teething pain is probably earache, the symptoms are very similar.

didn't mean to start a big debate on if amber works or not

You’re asking if it can cause side effects. Whether it “works” or not is critical to whether it can cause side effects.

as some people obviously much rather poison their children with calpols than try something with less or no side effects first or really any effect at all.

Children touch their feet and then put their fingers in their mouths. I expect it was packed by someone with a tummy bug, or stored somewhere with rodents. Safer not to have choking hazards near babies, but if you must do clean it well and given the tummy upset disinfect.

Just to clarify, I'm not solely relying on an amber anklet to relieve his discomfort. I'm not daft (although, that's perhaps debatable!) I've also been using calpol, teething mitts, Sophie the giraffe, those teethers you put in the fridge and dentinox. Happy for any other suggestions.

The amber anklet is just a supplementary thing that I figured wouldn't do any harm to try.