Albuterol - Oklahoma City,OK

Yup... one can overdose on albuterol (rapid heartbeat leading to over or under oxygenation of the blood -depending on whether it starts fibrillating or not- ... leading to passing out &/or heart attack or seizure). It's fairly difficult to do, but very possible. Even staying at the correct dose rapid heartbeat is one of the normal side effects.

However, albuterol is given to asthmatics and people recovering from (or in acute) upper or lower respiratory illness to be self administered to assist in breathing. My brother had chronic bronchitis as a child, but not asthma. He'd use his inhaler several times a year. He didn't need to go in and get a new one each time he got sick, he just replaced it as they ran out. The inhaler kept him from having to go into the hospital, and instead meant he could be treated at home. So when you say they give albuterol it could very well be that they are using it as told to by their doc.

Melatonin is a hormone... and *to the best of my knowledge* hormones aren't addictive (aka it would have to be addictive to not be able to sleep without it). We have special light receptors in our eyes that regulate how much melatonin is released in relation to how light or dark it is outside. For nearly every teen, their sleep cycle gets "messed up" during puberty (hormones), and some of us just have brains that just work differently (adhd'ers for example tend to have perpetually odd sleep schedules). For some teens and people with atypical neuro stuff taking melatonin every night helps them sleep safely (as opposed to addictive sleep aids). Others of us use benedryl (also not addictive). Travelers also often use melatonin or benedryl to "reset" their sleep cycle to the appropriate time zone. ((Melatonin WIRES me, I have to avoid it at all costs, but I do frequently use benedryl)). So while I have little personal experience with melatonin, I do know other adhd'ers who use it whenever they have to be up at a certain time.

No... just being "natural" doesn't mean that it has less or no risk. ((Opium is natural, as is deadly nightshade, as is hemlock, as is ecoli infected cow poop)). However, it really depends on how one uses the word natural. Natural like : exercise naturally causes a person to burn calories... or Natural like : the natural foods section that is completely unregulated and untested (doesn't mean bad... Vit C is there right along with herbs that cause miscarriage). It's hard to tell whether your inlaws are looking at melatonin as natural : exercise or the <rolls eyes> ridiculous notion so many people have that "anything natural is milder and safer than synthetic alternatives". Which is baloney.

In the realm of how "safe" melatonin is: it's about as safe as vitamins, or fish oil. MUCH safer than Hylands or foxglove.

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Hi Mama-

If you're talking about the asthma medication Albuterol, it is a stimulant and has side effects. When I take it for ashtma attacks, my heart races and I feel jittery. It should not be taken for "fun", but should be taken when your child is having an asthma attack. I asked my doctor once if Albuterol was safe, and her response is that our body needs air.

As for the melatonin, I take it occasionally for sleep issues, and it works well, because it is the natural sleep inducing hormone your body produces, but I would not take it regurally. I have not seen information saying repeated use is bad, but I would assume it is.

If you're concerned, research the side effects of each medication and present the facts.

Good Luck

R. Magby

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Yes, you can take too much... in dosage... of Albuterol. AND you can take too much, if given too frequently....

I have Asthma... and I take Albuterol.

Is this child taking it as an inhaler? Or in liquid form???

WHY does your in-laws give their grandson Albuterol?
How OLD is this child in question?

Albuterol, is a prescription.... not an over the counter med.

It is not used to help someone to sleep.
It is used FOR Asthma and lung conditions. Specifically.
Does this child have Asthma?
If not, they are negligently, giving him this "prescription" without medical direction.

Melatonin... do they even know the dosage??? Sure its natural... but, this is a child... the human brain... is not even fully developed until 26 years old... and the brain and endocrine system... is affected, by all sorts of things... especially in a child's brain that is still in development....

Since my experience is with Asthma and Albuterol... WHY are they giving it to him?
You seem to suspect... that he does not need it? Or they are giving it to him, on their own? Or giving him someone else's Albuterol prescription???
Can you clarify???

all the best,
Susan

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Why do they give kids albuterol? Part of your story is missing, apparently. Yes, albuterol is okay to give to kids, kids who have been prescribed the medication by their doctor! But not just any old time they think a child is a little congested or something... what are the circumstances surrounding this?

My daughter was PRESCRIBED albuterol when she was about 9 months old, when she had RSV, and I had to use a nebulizer with her every 4 hours.

My son also used a nebulizer with albuterol this past spring (he is 12 years old) when he had double pneumonia. He now carries an albuterol rescue inhaler for if he needs it (since having the pneumonia, he developed exercise induced asthma).

But nobody should just be giving albuterol treatments to a child without a prescription and a valid reason for doing so.

Melatonin isn't harmful... like salt isn't harmful. But it is possible to consume/have too much sodium in your body. Even eating apples (an apple a day and all that..lol).. if you eat too many at once, you'll get a stomach ache (and maybe some loose stool)... the point being that there ARE limits to how much of something your body can tolerate, even if the substance in and of itself isn't harmful. WHY are they giving a child melatonin to sleep? If he is a poor sleeper, surely there are other lifestyle changes they could make that would help with that.

My husband sometimes (SOMETIMES, NOT EVERY DAY)takes melatonin. He also works shift-work and sometimes has a hard time going to sleep when he needs to, because his schedule is so funky. If he were to go to bed at the same time every night, he wouldn't bother with it. (He has to be awake and alert at his job until 11pm one night, and until 10 pm the next night, and until 8 pm the night after that, but be up and going the following day 6:00 am.... sometimes followed by a "mid"shift where he comes home at 2 pm and sleeps then goes back at 11 pm the same day... sometimes he needs a little melatonin to help regulate his sleep cycle. But a child shouldn't have much variation in their sleep schedule. What's the deal there? There is more to it, surely...

3 moms found this helpful

Albuterol never made my son sleepy. It just helped him stop wheezing and making mucus that ended up filling up his stomach so that he threw it up along with bottles of milk. What he had was reactive airway disease, which is sometimes a precursor to asthma. He eventually grew out of it.

I don't know why anyone would use albuterol for anything but bronchial issues.

If you don't want to ask the doctor, ask a pharmacist. Understanding the medicine is more important than anything else.

D.

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I think you can overdose on any medication that is not taken in the correct dosage. Albuterol should only be used when prescribed by a doctor for asthma like respiratory conditions. When used correctly, it relaxes the bronchial tubes that are spasmic and causing the cough in the first place. It does make a child a bit jittery so its best to do it at least an hour before bedtime.

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Albuterol is an asthma prescribed medication, it tended to make our daughter buzzed.. We had to give it to her for her condition..

Is this your child's medication, prescribed for this child? If so, it should be fine if they are under a doctors care.

Depending on the child's age, I would ask the doctor about the use of melatonin for any child and if it is ok, what should the dosage be..

Anytime I gave our daughter any type of over the counter or "natural type meds".. I always made sure the doctor asked it with her other asthma meds.. I also wanted them to have it in her records, in case a problem came up, they would have all of her intake information.

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I don't know anything about melatonin, but my child has asthma and takes albuterol. Why in the world would you give a child-- or anyone for that matter-- albuterol if they weren't prescribed it by a doctor? We give it to her ONLY when she's having breathing problems and it makes her miserably hyper and jittery. It's like making her breathe caffine. And yes, you can absolutely overdose on albuterol.

I sincerely hope you aren't leaving your child with these people. This is insane.

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You bet you can overdose, and it can be fatal. Here's just one of many warnings you'll find if you google "albuterol overdose":

"Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. An overdose of albuterol can be fatal. Overdose symptoms may include nervousness, headache, tremor, dry mouth, chest pain or heavy feeling, rapid or uneven heart rate, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, dizziness, seizure (convulsions), feeling light-headed or fainting."

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Yes. You can overdose on albuterol.
Side effects with albuterol include jitteryness, tremors and insomnia.

1 mom found this helpful

WHAT IS THIS = WHO IN THE WORLD WOULD BE GIVING PRESCRIPTION MEDS TO A CHILD!
I SUGGEST YOU CALL YOU DOCTOR, AND QUICK!
GOD BLESS
ALBUTEROL = My wife has dementia, and I have to give this 4x or 5x a day to help her

Updated

WHAT IS THIS = WHO IN THE WORLD WOULD BE GIVING PRESCRIPTION MEDS TO A CHILD!
I SUGGEST YOU CALL YOU DOCTOR, AND QUICK!
GOD BLESS
ALBUTEROL = My wife has dementia, and I have to give this 4x or 5x a day to help her

i recently took my son to the doctor for sleep problems and he reccomended melatonin 3mg to start and said that it was ok to increase that to 6 or even 9 mg. he's 5 years old and weighs 44 pounds. and on the albuterol, my son also has asthma along with myself. for an adult they say 2 puffs every 4-6 hrs as needed for cough/wheezing. our pediatrician says you can give a child 4 puffs every 4-6 hrs for cough/wheezing. I also work at a doctors office and have asked our drug reps for different types of albuterol (pro-air, xopenex, ventolin) and they all say that it is safe to use 4-6 puffs on a child. i was worried because an adult takes 2 puffs and a child 4? but everyone i've talked to says it's ok.Just don't give a child a medication that is not prescribed to them by their physician.

I have no idea why a child would need a sleep aid, and that's what I understood Melatonin to be. Active kids should fall asleep on their own and stay asleep until their bodies are ready to wake up.

Albuterol and Xophex are medications that are used for breathing issues: Asthma, Bronchitis, Bronchiolitis, etc...they dilate the bronchial tubes and allow the air to flow easier. We use them in a nebulizer when J has wheezing from Bronchiolitis. We often carry a portable nebulizer around with us, fully charged, or we use the cigarette lighter charger if traveling, and he can breathe easier right away.

I use Albuterol for my wheezing but I choose Xophenex for the kids since it doesn't have as many side effects. Albuterol can really cause the heart rate to go up and you can often see the kids shaking. These are NORMAL side effects and not something to worry about.

When I have Bronchitis I sometimes use sterile water from the pharmacy, it comes in plastic vials like Albuterol and Xophenx but is only salt water. It moistens the goo in my lungs when I am having trouble coughing up the goo.

I would also ask the Pediatrician to write a letter about it to give to them if he says no way. I would say if the doc says no and they do it anyway then you have a choice to keep your child at home.

Dad needs to be present during this discussion too so he can have his say and then the doc can tell him what's what. Both of you may have right and wrong thoughts on this subject and that way both of you will feel your side has been heard.

There isn't quite enough information in you post to know what is going on. I have known children who used albuterol for asthma but it is by prescription, so check with a doctor or pharmacist. You can to read the package insert but they are confusing and hard to understand for anyone with no medical background. I would not give a prescription medication to anyone other than the person it was prescribed for in the first place. I think melatonin is fairly mild but I would check a reliable source before giving it to a child. I took it as an adult and it did not do anything to help me sleep though. But I have stubborn insomnia and prescription sleep medication also didn't work on me some of the time.

It is NOT OK to give a prescription medicine to a child unless it is prescribed to them. Even if it's a medicine kids can use, the amount they are prescribed will depend on the size and weight of the child. Albuterol is a steroid and most steroids cause problems sleeping. AND, steroids should never be stopped suddenly, or severe problems can result. You have to taper off gradually. This could be a big problem if your child is getting steroid medicine in one house and not another. I would call your Dr. immediately about this.

melatonin is all natural. My friend gives her kids it and it helps them calm down and hellp them fall alseep.

I believe you can overdose on just about anything.. Albuterol, that's for Asthma... why is that being given for sleep??????? yikes.. not to mention, it can be a stimulant.. IF kids don't sleep right away. dim the lights one hour before bed.. shut off the t.v. and all other noise (if possible) this way, they will start producing Seratonin. Also, sometimes a nice warm bath before bedtime can help.. I 'd stay away from the other stuff.. esp where a kid is concerned.

I have trouble using an inhaler correctly myself, so I would hope that they've been shown how to do it by a doctor or pharmacist. Albuterol is a prescription, which means legally it should only be given to the person that exact bottle is for. Even if the child has his own prescription, he's not supposed to use someone else's inhaler. At the very least, it could spread germs.
However, In reality I have seen sharing of inhalers all the time. Whether it's kids exercising and one forgot their inhaler, a family trying to save money by sharing prescriptions, or in an emergency when a child could stop breathing and the ambulance isn't there yet.
They could keep a journal of how often they're using the medicines and what the symptoms were. Because doctors always ask how well the asthma is being controlled. If they're using the inhaler once a week, OK. But if they're using it 3 times a day, they might need something else to keep it under control.