# Abidec (peanut oil question)



## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Dear Maz

This isn't an IF question but it is something I have been wondering about for a while now, and I wondered if you could help!  

Our wee poppet was born two months premature and was started while in SCBU on a double dose of Abidec (which I think is standard practice for premature babies).  She continued to be prescribed this till she was six months old. It wasn't till sometime afterwards that I realised that Abidec has a peanut oil (arachis oil) base.  

The problem is that my DH has asthma and has allergies to hazelnuts and chestnuts.  I am therefore avoiding giving her any nuts until she is at least three years old (in fact, one of my books recommends keeping her off them until she is five).  I know that peanuts aren't nuts strictly speaking but I believe that people with nut allergies can also be sensitive to peanuts.  I also understand that it is best not to expose any young children to peanuts to avoid possible peanut allergies being triggered in the future.

In a nutshell (so to speak!), therefore, I have been wondering whether having had the Abidec could be a problem for her in terms of possibly triggering an allergy down the line.  Or is the peanut oil in Abidec refined in some way to make it lose its allergens?  No-one in SCBU asked us about any family history of allergies, and I must admit that my brain was not functioning fully when she was in there (or for quite a while afterwards ) so it took me quite some time to notice what the ingredients were. 

PS: She still gets a vitamin supplement but I use the Boots one for babies/children now which isn't peanut-oil based.

Sorry for such a rambling post!  Thanks in advance.

Ellie


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## mazv (Jul 31, 2006)

Hi Ellie,

No problem if it's not IF related, makes a change for me to be able to answer something I know about off the top of my head   

Abidec is not recommended in children with a known peanut allergy (or soya) but is fine for anyone else. The committee on safety of medicines (CSM) says there is no evidence to support that exposure to arachis oil in medicines leads to an increased risk of peanut allergy/sensitisation in later life.

The advice on eating nuts in children is to avoid until older (think I read 5 years too). It is true that allergic conditions do tend to run in families but hopefully DD will be fine   and won't take after her Dad too much 

Hope this helps 

Maz x


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## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Thanks very much, Maz, that is reassuring.  

Ellie


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