These are the side effects of Dalsy, one of the most used pediatric medicines in Spain

The Dalsy is one of the drugs most used in pediatricssince it is used to relieve very common symptoms in the most frequent conditions in the little ones.

Actually, it is the trade name (owned by Mylan) for a pediatric presentation of ibuprofen, one of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) more widespread. It is used to treat fever, mild to moderate pain, including migraine, as well as arthritis and other conditions.

Like other medicines, ibuprofen can cause side effects, although they don’t always happen. They occur more frequently in people over 65 years of age, with a lower incidence of adverse effects in short treatments and if the daily dose is below the maximum recommended dose, as explained by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS).

What harm can ibuprofen cause?

First of all, you have to know that the most frequent adverse effects that occur with medications such as ibuprofen are gastrointestinalsuch as peptic ulcers, digestive bleeding, perforations (in some fatal cases), especially in elderly patients.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, heartburn, abdominal pain, blood in stool, canker sores, worsening of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease have also been observed. Less frequently it has been noticed an outbreak of gastritis.

On the other hand, they can produces general side effectsamong which are the following:

• Aggravation of inflammations during infectious processes.
• Allergic reactions such as skin rashes, swelling of the face, wheezing in the chest or difficulty breathing.
• Vomiting blood, or blood that looks like coffee grounds.
• Blood in the stool or bloody diarrhea.
• Severe stomach pain.
• Major blistering or peeling of the skin.
• Severe or persistent headache.
• Yellow discoloration of the skin (jaundice).
• Signs of severe hypersensitivity (allergy) (see above in this section).
• Swelling of the extremities or accumulation of fluid in the arms or legs.

So, taking this into account, these are the side effects that ibuprofen can produce in the different areasdepending on the frequency with which they occur, as reported by the AEMPS:

1. Cardiovascular. Medications such as ibuprofen may be associated with a modest increased risk of heart attack (myocardial infarction) or stroke. Edema (fluid retention), arterial hypertension, and heart failure have also been observed in association with treatments with drugs such as ibuprofen.
2. Gastrointestinal. Uncommon: inflammation of the oral mucosa with ulcer formation. Rare: inflammation of the esophagus, narrowing of the esophagus (oesophageal stricture), exacerbation of intestinal diverticula disease, nonspecific haemorrhagic colitis (gastroenteritis with bloody diarrhea). Very rare: pancreatitis.
3. Cutaneous Very rarely: very serious bullous reactions such as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (disseminated erosions involving the skin and two or more mucous membranes and purple-colored lesions, preferably on the trunk) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (mucosal erosions and lesions painful with necrosis and detachment of the epidermis). Common: skin rash. Uncommon: redness of the skin, itching or swelling of the skin, purpura (violaceous patches on the skin). Very rare: hair loss, erythema multiforme (skin lesion), skin reactions due to the influence of light, inflammation of the blood vessels in the skin. Rarely, serious skin infections and soft tissue complications can occur during chickenpox. Not Known: Widespread red scaly rash with bumps under the skin and blisters located mainly in the skin folds, trunk and upper extremities, accompanied by fever at the start of treatment (acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis) and the skin becomes become sensitive to light. A severe skin reaction known as DRESS may occur. Symptoms of DRESS syndrome include: skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, and elevated eosinophils (a type of white blood cell).
4. of the immune system. Uncommon: transient edema in areas of the skin, mucous membranes or sometimes in the viscera (angioedema), inflammation of the nasal mucosa, bronchospasm (spasm of the bronchi that prevents the passage of air to the lungs). Rare: severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock). In case of severe generalized hypersensitivity reaction, swelling of the face, tongue and larynx, bronchospasm, asthma, tachycardia, hypotension and shock may appear. Very rare: joint pain and fever (lupus erythematosus).
5. Of the central nervous system. Common: fatigue or drowsiness, headache and dizziness or feeling unsteady. Rare: paresthesia (sensation of numbness, tingling, numbness, etc. more frequent in the hands, feet, arms or legs). Very rare: aseptic meningitis. In most cases where ibuprofen aseptic meningitis has been reported, the patient had some form of autoimmune disease (such as systemic lupus erythematosus or other collagen diseases) which was a risk factor. Symptoms of aseptic meningitis observed were stiff neck, headache, nausea, vomiting, fever, or disorientation.
6. Psychiatric. Uncommon: insomnia, anxiety, restlessness. Rare: disorientation or confusion, nervousness, irritability, depression, psychotic reaction.
7. Auditory. Common: vertigo. Uncommon: buzzing or ringing in the ears. Rare: hearing difficulty.
8. Eyepieces. Uncommon: visual disturbances. Rare: abnormal or blurred vision.
9. Sanguines. Rare: decreased platelets, decreased white blood cells (may be manifested by frequent infections with fever, chills or sore throat), decreased red blood cells (may be manifested by shortness of breath and pale skin), decreased granulocytes (a type of white blood cell that can predispose you to infections), pancytopenia (deficiency of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood), agranulocytosis (very large decrease in granulocytes), aplastic anemia (failure of the bone marrow to produce different types of cells) or hemolytic anemia (premature destruction of red blood cells). The first symptoms are: fever, sore throat, superficial ulcers in the mouth, flu-like symptoms, extreme tiredness, nose and skin bleeding. Very rare: prolongation of bleeding time.
10. Kidneys. Based on experience with NSAIDs in general, cases of interstitial nephritis (kidney disorder), nephrotic syndrome (disorder characterized by protein in the urine and swelling of the body) and renal failure (sudden loss of the ability to function of the kidney).
11. Liver. Medications such as ibuprofen can rarely be associated with liver damage. Other rare side effects are: hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), liver function abnormalities and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Unknown frequency: hepatic failure (severe liver damage).