Girl, 5, rushed to A&E after mum finds prescription drug in Smarties given to her at Halloween
Smarties 'mini' boxes are not sealed and it is thought the box Kayleigh's kids were given came from a multipack
A HORRIFIED mum says she found a prescription pill inside a box of Smarties her kids were given at Halloween.
Kayleigh Stark, 29, gave the tablet to doctors before tests showed the drug was Diclofenac, a kind of strong anti-inflammatory.
The mum-of-two said the box was given to her kids Annabelle, five, and Joel, three, while they were trick or treating last month.
Smarties 'mini' boxes are not sealed and it is thought the box Kayleigh's kids were given came from a multipack.
Manufacturer Nestle and Greater Manchester Police are carrying out inquiries.
It is believed the pill was put into the box after it was sold. Nestle isn't thought to be at fault.
Kayleigh, 29, from Great Moor in Stockport, said she spotted the tablet on Thursday evening after she emptied the box of sugar-coated chocolates into a bowl for her son.
She said: "It was right at the top. I noticed it because it was slightly bigger and wasn't shiny like the other Smarties."
Kayleigh recalled how she phoned her husband Chris, 39, before and their shock quickly turned to panic when they realised Annabelle had eaten another box of Smarties also given to the siblings at Halloween.
The youngster appeared to be fine, but Kayleigh was advised by an NHS 111 adviser to take her to A&E to be checked over.
"We just didn't know if there had been another pill - or what it even was," Kayleigh added.
"Annabelle was fine, we could see that, but we wanted to be on the safe side.
"We took her to Stepping Hill hospital and they carried out loads of tests - blood pressure, temperature, blood sugars, urine samples, heart trace.
"She was quite scared by it all as she didn't feel poorly. I had to explain to her that she hadn't done anything wrong, but that there was a naughty pill in her brother's sweets so we had to check her over.
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"It was quite overwhelming for her."
Thankfully, Annabelle was quickly given the all clear. Doctors took the pill and identified it as Diclofenic.
Kayleigh says medics told her that if he daughter had have taken a similar pill, she could have been left vomiting.
Those kinds of symptoms usually happen within four hours.
Officers met Kayleigh at hospital and took the pill and Smarties box away. A police investigation was then launched.
Warning parents to remain vigilant in a Facebook post, Kayleigh wrote: "It was terrifying. I kept thinking, 'what if?'
"What if I hadn't seen it and Joel had eaten it? He has problems with his speech and has to have speech therapy. He can only say a few words and it scares me to think he wouldn't have been able to tell us if he was poorly."
A spokesman for Nestle said: "We are aware of this instance and have been speaking with the family involved. We have very strict controls in place to ensure the quality and safety of all of our products."
A spokesman for GMP said the force was aware of the incident - and that enquiries are ongoing.
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