1. Discontinue Chloramphenicol Treatment Immediately
At the first sign of symptoms of Gray Syndrome in your baby, discontinue chloramphenicol treatment. If within 2 to 9 days of chloramphenicol treatment, your baby begins to show signs of oxygen deprivation (blue lips and nail beds), lethargy, a lowered body temperature and greenish stools, she needs to be taken off the drug. It is important, however, to do this under the supervision of your child's doctor. Since the risk of Gray Syndrome with chloramphenicol is extremely high and the drug is most often used only to combat serious infections, when it is administered to your baby it will typically be done via IV and under medical observation anyway. If by some chance this is not the case though, contact the doctor immediately.
2. Determine the Toxicity Level
Once Gray Syndrome has been confirmed and chloramphenicol treatment has been discontinued, speak to your child's doctor about checking his blood plasma levels to see just how much of the drug has built up in his blood. Determining the level of toxicity can help to determine the course of treatment, both for Gray Syndrome and the infection that was being treated in the first place.
3. Treat Gray Syndrome With Blood Transfusions
The best and most effective way to treat Gray Syndrome is with blood transfusions to counteract the chloramphenicol overdose. When a baby's liver is unable to excrete the excess amount, it's necessary to remove the contaminated portions of the blood, known as aliquots, and replace it with healthy donor blood. If you're concerned about your baby receiving blood products, recruit family members to donate blood for him.
