This was a huge story in the small community I am from. A daycare worker gave a few of the children in her care Benadryl in order to "help them with their sleep." One of the boys, Dane Haagem died a week after his first birthday. Below are excerpts from the original news story and the link to the full story is at the bottom along with the link to the lady's sentencing of 5 years in prison. Note the final part where it's noted that Benadryl can also make children hyper and combatitive:
Dane Jordan Heggem died Jan. 31, a week after his first birthday, after being supervised at Tiny Tots Daycare, 412 Montana Ave., in Laurel. The death certificate filed Friday in Yellowstone County lists the child's cause of death as homicide from a "toxic dose of diphenhydramine." The medication, an antihistamine, is known by the brand name Benadryl...
Diphenhydramine can make a child drowsy, and an overdose can make a child unresponsive and could shut down the respiratory center in the brainstem, an expert said.
Edward Ezrailson, who holds a doctorate in biochemistry and consults on legal cases in which medications are given incorrectly, said the antihistamine is a central nervous system depressant.
"A toxic dose, especially to a young child, would lead to loss of consciousness," Ezrailson said. "Benadryl is a good way to calm children down, even make them unresponsive....
Pfizer, the drug company that makes Benadryl, cautions that even the children's formulas should not be given to children younger than 6 without consulting a doctor...
Jill Mackley, a licensed practical nurse at Deaconess Billings Clinic, said health professionals there seldom give cold medications to children younger than 2. With medications such as Motrin and Tylenol, which are more commonly given to toddlers, dosing amounts are carefully based on age and weight, she said. Cold medications are not recommended for children younger than 6 months, Mackley said....
Jill Mackley, a licensed practical nurse at Deaconess Billings Clinic, said health professionals there seldom give cold medications to children younger than 2. With medications such as Motrin and Tylenol, which are more commonly given to toddlers, dosing amounts are carefully based on age and weight, she said. Cold medications are not recommended for children younger than 6 months, Mackley said...
Antihistamines have varied effects on children, she said.
"Some would sleep and some would get very hyper, even combative" Mackley said....
Original news story:
http://www.billingsgazette.com/newdex.php?display=rednews/2003/03/15/build/local/08-boy-died.inc
Followup and sentencing:
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/08/news/local/20-tinytots_z.txt
