It also has been used in the treatment of alcoholism and in the treatment of nervous and mental conditions to calm or relax patients who are nervous or tense and to produce sleep. However, this medicine has generally been replaced by safer and more effective medicines for the treatment of alcoholism and in the treatment of nervous and mental conditions. In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.
Paraldehyde crosses the placenta.
Studies on birth defects have not been done in either humans or animals. Use of paraldehyde during labor may cause breathing problems in the newborn infant. Paraldehyde has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies. Although there is no specific information comparing use of paraldehyde in children with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people.