Eye Drop & Nasal Spray Warning

There is a new warning out about something many of us have in our medicine cabinet that could be more harmful than most of us think.

We're talking about simple eye drops or nasal sprays that most of us have in our houses and probably don't give a second thought about. But the FDA is warning that they could prove toxic to children who accidentally get a hold of them.

The products they are warning us about contain the active ingredients Tetryhydrozoline, Oxymetazonline or Naphazoline. All these ingredients end in chemical compound word Zoline. They are sold under a variety of brand names like Visine, Dristan and Mucinex as well as the generic equivalents.

According to the FDA, a child swallowing as little as 1/5 of a teaspoon can have serious adverse effects. Thankfully no child has died from an overdose yet, but over the last few years children have been hospitalized after swallowing small amounts of these medicines. Problems have ranged from nausea and vomiting, to fast heart rates, excess sleepiness and even comas.

These medicines can be very helpful if used correctly. And that means storing them in a safe place out of the reach of children, especially since the vast majority of their bottles don't have childproof tops, something the government is trying to mandate.