I took my 6yo DS to an Allergist yesterday and he tested him for allergies. He was allergic to 25 out of the 26 he tested him for. He is allergic to trees, dogs, cats, grass, weeds, etc. They put him on Nasonex daily and Cetirizine as needed. I don’t really know anything about allergies but haven’t heard very good things about children being on allergy medicines long term. Not sure what I do want to ask, but can someone give me some insight as to where the best place to research this is or any advice really? Do you give your child his allergy meds. All the time or only if they are miserable? Do you give them something natural that works? Like I said, any advice would be great. Thanks for the help.
My daughter did not actually have a lot of allergies, but she had severe reactions to mold/mildew as part of an autoimmune disorder. We gave her the Nasonex daily because to not give it along with Claritin and Benadryl as needed would cause her throat to swell shut. She was also on breathing treatments and the like. For us, the consequences of not taking the medicine was far, far worse than any side effects of the medication in the short term. She has since grown out of the severity of her reactions, but we also built a brand new home to prevent any reactions associated with mold. I took allergy shots as a child, but it has been my experience to expose yourself to your allergens if you can at all tolerate it to build immunity naturally. I know "studies" suggest that honey doesn't really work, but I use locally made raw honey almost daily to help expose me to pollens I'm allergic to. I used to be very allergic to cats, but since I worked for a vet for a few years and brought a cat into our home, I no longer react to them. I rarely ever need to take allergy medicine (benadryl if I do at all), and I was one of those kids who would end up in the ER with an allergy induced asthma attack. It is possible to get over allergies naturally, or at least get them to a tolerable level.
I reacted to 24 of the 27 things tested for when I was a kid. The doc joked that it was a good thing we didn't have cats since cats would probably kill me. We had 4 cats at the time! Exposure really helps! (Which is why pollinated local honey helps - You have to be careful, though, since many honey companies filter out the pollen.)
My oldest dd15 is allergic to pollen, mold, dust, furry pets, grass, trees, and shrubs. She has been since age 4 1/2. She takes allergy shots and takes Zyrtec and advair diskus. I can't say for a certainty that the shots have done much of anything and she's been on them for almost 4 years. I will say to be careful about the meds they put your child on. Singular (pill) can cause depression and suicidal thoughts. My daughter had depression (even though the Dr said it was not connected, but later medical studies showed it to be so). Once we changed to Advair and she did not have any other issues with depression. Also be careful with the nasal sprays as they contain fluticasone that causes some mind-altering properties. Yes! My daughter would have very vivid dreams (seeing 'ghosts', hearing cries, nightmares, and even sleeplessness). She NEVER had problems like this, nor does she read or watch any ghost or demonic-type entertainment that might influence her mentally. Dr, again, said it was not related but we could test her by taking her off the meds. YES her vivid, scary ghost dreams went away. We put her back on it, they came back. Took her off again this past year and again NO OTHER PROBLEMS. If you search for info on fluticasone you can read about those weird side effects. My daughter says the nasal sprays did work well to control her symptoms but it's not worth the side-effects. Watch for allergy-induced asthma. My daughter developed this, as well. She has to take her rescue inhaler probably 2x a week still. Sometimes she has a more moderate asthma attack and we end up in the urgent care for a breathing treatment. That probably happens 2-3 times a year. I don't know of anything natural to take. Frankly, I'm a little reluctant to try things on her. Once, when she was little, I gave her echinacia and she had an asthma attack. So I just go with Dr's recommendations (although those aren't so trustworthy, either, with those side effects). We just try to get though.
mom_2_3 Thank for the info on what to watch out for! Great help. Do you remember how old your DD was when she developed allergy-induced asthma?
One of my boys has had allergies from the beginning and was on Nasonex and Fexofenidine for a couple of years, but neither were working very well at all. I also tried several other medications to no avail. In the end, we started using the nose strips, a dose of benadryl, and glycerin nose drops (Little Noses) at night before going to bed. It has been a miracle for him. He now is sleeping through the night, which he never did before. During the day, his symptoms are not as bad and when he does need something, I usually give him claritin.
If you prefer more natural methods, My 7yo DS had been diagnosed with allergy induced asthma when he was 5 and a half, and it was severe! His PFT revealed numbers only 15 points away from immediate hospitalization. After 6 months of treatment (5 different meds, and I refused the steroids), his numbers came up but still not to the normal range. Dr. insists I put him on the steroids, I took the script but never filled it. Instead I researched natural ways to help him, without the use of so many prescription drugs. I found some information on using essential oils for Asthma. So we started diffusing oils nightly in his room while he slept. Instead of albuterol inhalers I carry a bottle of essential oil with me. I took him back 6 months after the doc gave him a script for steroids, and his numbers were normal, doc insisted that I had given him steroids (I showed him the unfilled script). I told him what I did and he didn't believe me, but the proof is in the pudding so to speak. The oils I use are not cheaper than filling 5 scripts every month (with insurance), and they are safer. He has not needed his oil "inhaler" except maybe 3 times in the past 6 months (and those were times when we were inside a smokers home). I even have his allergies under control with essential oils. I spend around 100.00 every 3-4 months on his asthma oils. My copays for his scripts was 165.00 a MONTH for 5 meds (an allergy med, albuterol in two forms, and two additional inhalers)
I Pm'd both of you, as I didn't want to take over your thread as it was not a simple question to answer. If anyone else would like the information, feel free to PM me and I'll provide it for you!
My son has been taking Benadryl on a fairly regular basis since he was rather small. Now he takes a Zyrtec and Claritin each night for about 6 months now. He hasn't had any adverse effects.
My daughter was on Singulair, Nasonex, and Claritin daily as well as Benadryl and breathing treatments as needed. She never had any of the adverse side effects, either. She was taking all those for two or three years and any break in treatment resulted in a swollen throat and/or intestines.
My daughter was about 5 when diagnosed with allergies and allergy-induced asthma. I agree, also, with Brooke. Any break in treatment will cause more flare ups. Make sure the meds are taken regularly for best control. You might want to try any of the OTC medicines (Zyrtec, Benedryl, Claratin, Allegra) for a few weeks and see which controls your sons particular symptons best. For my daughter's, its Zyrtec. The others don't do a thing for her. Hope this helps!
I'm interested, too. My 9yo DD has allergies and allergy-induced asthma. She is on a steroid inhaler daily (which I hate) and also a Loratadine pill daily. Originally, we were just treating the asthma (per her pedi) but I finally took her to be allergy tested. The idea now is to get her allergies under control so she can stop the inhaler. After having pneumonia 2x in 2 months and not being able to exert herself physically for some time, she is finally on the mend.
