Albuterol Sulf for a 7 Week Old

Updated on May 24, 2011
M.F. asks from Palmdale, CA
16 answers

Hello Mom's, My 7 week old Baby Boy started a very nasty cough on Thursday & by saturday he wasn't sounding any better so we took Him to the urgent care! The Dr there gave Him Albuterol sulf! She said it doesn't mean he has asthma but since he was very congested & a lil of bronchiolitis! But I was reading the side affects of the medicine & I don't like it at all! Of course I'm still giving it to Him! So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this medicine before & how did your Baby react to the medication! Oh and what kind of humidifier do you guys think is better a cool mist one or warm! Thank you so much in advance! God Bless you all:)

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So What Happened?

First of all I wanna say thank you to all of you wonderful Moms and your answers! They really helped. I wanna apologize to because I do realize I didn't make myself clear! I am nursing my Baby and I'm giving my Baby the medicine by mouth! So I took my Baby to the Dr's on tuesday for follow up & everything sounded clear! he still has a cough but nothing compare to the one he had. So thank you all for your help!

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S.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

My son used Albuterol through a nebulizer for the first time at 6 months for pneumonia. He's now 3 1/2 and has been diagnosed with asthma, which is usually triggered by a cold. So he only uses it when sick. The medicine leaves him jittery and pretty much bouncing off the walls. I feel bad for him, but I'd rather have him breathing easily. I've had my own experience with asthma and Albuterol. The racing heartbeat and jittery feeling aren't fun. However, in my opinion, I'd much rather have him be able to breathe and get better sooner.

Good luck! Hope you little guy feels better soon!

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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

cool mist.

and , he is acting crazy? yeah, that med is NUTS. Don't give it to him when it is sleep time.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Albuterol- is a Bronchodilator.
It opens up, inflamed/constricted airways.
So that, the person can breathe.
And get oxygenated.

If breathing is impaired, a person can get inadequate, oxygen levels. Which is not good.

It is also given, to people who have lung infections. ie: Pneumonia/bronchitis etc.

I have Asthma. I take Albuterol.
If not, I wold not be able to breathe nor get adequate oxygen levels.
And it, reduces the inflammation/constriction of the airways in the lungs.

For an infant, it is infant dosage.

I personally do not get side-effects from Albuterol. I even had to take it, when I was pregnant with my son. It was fine. My Doc, said it was fine.

Each person, will react differently to it.
Just go strictly by the dosage instructions.

A humidifier/mist machine... will NOT... reduce the inflammation or constriction of the airways. It only serves to make it 'easier' to breathe.
It is not a Bronchodilator.

Lung health, is very important. And unchecked lung infections... can or may cause, permanent lung damage.
I know, that happened to my Mom. From unchecked Bronchitis.
She did not go to the Doctor, right away. And it got worse.

IF your son turns blue, or his fingernails or skin etc., then that means, he is NOT getting, adequate oxygen levels in his lungs or bloodstream. And you then have to take him to the ER.... ASAP.
And also if he develops a fever or worsening symptoms.
A fever, 'can' indicate, Pneumonia. In some cases for example.

Infants, do not have fully developed lungs yet.
So, take care of his lung infection.
It is, not to be taken lightly.

all the best,
Susan

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R.K.

answers from Boston on

My oldest was diagnosed with rad (around 2 diagnosed with asthma) as an infant he is often on albuterol I'll take a jittery kid over one that can't breath anyway. It can increase the heart rate, coughing is a side effect so sometimes you may not think it's helping but it is. He's been taking asthma meds for 9 years and is perfectly fine. Even OTC meds like Tylenol and motrin have horrible side effects if you google them.
We have always used a cool mist humidifier.

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J.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

Huge problem here - do not get your baby vaccinated until he is all better and has been off all antibiotics for at least two weeks (if he is on them). If he has been on antibotics, then he will need probiotics (are you nursing?). Next, get the book, The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears, and start reading up on it.

You don't say if you are nursing or bottle feeding. I would look to stop all dairy and soy until he is better. Go with www.neocate.com if you feel it is dairy related. If you are nursing, good, and just remove dairy from your diet.

This stuff is nasty and should not be a first resort. I've been on this path for a lot of years and have seen it too many times.

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi M.,

My 92 year old father had it in the hospital and it caused him to halucinate. I have no problem for using it for life threatening situations but I would avoid it in a little one that doesn't have a fully developed immune system yet.

Have you tried chiropractic care? Principled upper cervical care can strengthen the immune system to the point that his own body will fight off the illness. If you don't have one or know one you can go to www.upcspine.com and find one in your area. You can also detox your home so there is nothing that is interferring with his little immune system. Synthetic chemicals wreak havoc on a little one because their lungs are so tiny not to mention they breathe at a much faster rate, and hence breathe in more.

We use a cool mist as it doesn't breed germs or mold and I add a drop of high grade tea tree oil to the solution.It's aromatic and it heals.

Hope this helps.

M.

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P.M.

answers from Portland on

I never had to use it for a child, but used albuterol as an emergency inhaler myself for several years, until it started giving me an uncontrolled fast heartbeat. Until that point, it did make me jittery, but was a much better option than struggling for every breath.

I agree with Mimi that it may help to eliminate as many chemicals from your home as possible. To this day, being around strongly-scented products, especially fabric softener sheets and air fresheners, makes it almost impossible for me to breathe. There are many children who are more sensitive to these.

Be cautious when using natural products that give off vapors, too. Tea tree oil and mentholated products also kick up asthma and chest congestion for many children. Research shows that Vicks and similar remedies simply should not be used routinely for children experiencing chest congestion. It helps some, but harms others.

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J.C.

answers from Seattle on

What worked best with my son was a warm vaporizer as opposed to a humidifier. It creates steam that makes it easier for him to breathe. Once they are older and mobile it can be a bit more dangerous because they could disturb it and burn themselves, but when they are little like yours and confined to a crib it works great! We never had to use albuterol, so i can't help with that, but good luck!

B.C.

answers from Dallas on

While I didn't have to use the albuterol until mine was 2, we did it and she was so much better so much sooner! It made her a little on edge, but she could breathe!
As far as the humifier, get a cool-mist.

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M.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

My baby daughter had bronchiolitis and the hospital said cool mist only. They also told me to keep it as close to her crib as possible and move it around with her during the day. Basically, always have it next to her. The medicine is what will keep the bronchi open, it was a life saver for us. It has been 4 months now since she was sick and there are no problems from the meds.

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S.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Are you giving your baby the albuterol through a nebulizer? Albuterol is a steroid (corticosteroid) and unless you child really has asthma, I can understand why you wouldn't want to give it to him. When my son had some bad coughing a few years ago (around 1.5 yrs old) our pediatrician prescribed Xopenex via a nebulizer. Xopenex, unlike albuterol is not a steroid, but also acts as a broncho-dilator (opens up the airways). Our ped told us to give him the Xopenex (via nebulizer) whenever my son (now 3.5 yo) has a bad cold with breathing/coughing problems. It definitely works without all the serious side effects of albuterol. You may want to ask your dr about using that med instead... Best wishes.

K.L.

answers from Redding on

Im taking it right now in an inhaler for asthma and pneumonia and it makes me shaky and nervous for about an hour after. It does help open my lungs and I breathe better. Lets hope neither your lil baby or I need it for long. Cool mist is better. Be sure to put a towel in front of it to soak up the dampness, and cover any good wood furniture with something to protect it and dont shut the door all the way or it may swell from the moisture and get stuck. Happend to me,,lol Hope he is better fast.

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J.B.

answers from Phoenix on

We had to use albuterol at 4 weeks and continued of and on until 18 months. It could make him a little jittery or keep him awake and restless for a bit afterwards but most kids don't have a bad reaction to it and it helps them breathe soooo much better.

It is not necessarily for asthma. It is a broncho-dialater. It opens up the bonchials (airways) in lungs. If he has congestion or swelling/irritation in there then the airways get tight and not as much air can move through them. Albuterol just opens them up and keeps them open for awhile allowing oxygen to move better and thus he should breathe better and hopefully not cough as much.

I think they usually recommend a cool mist humidifier for safety reasons. We found we had better results with a warm one for our son.

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

my daughter has been on that since 9 months. it would make her a little hyper until she got used to it. is he getting this in an inhaler or nebulizer form? if your baby was older im sure he would have gave your son a 3 or 5 day oral steroid but that has a greater risk then the albuterol. keep giving the albuterol as directed and then when he is no longer coughing ween him off over the course of a week or two.

humidifier wise get a cool mist humidifier :)

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

My son had pneumonia at 1 yr old.
Albuterol is a bronchodilator - which means it makes it easier to breathe.
A baby s breathing passages are so very small.
If they are having difficulty, they need any help they can get to keep the airways open.
I'd be less worried about the medication and more worried about the cough/congestion.
And with whooping cough making the comeback it is, any cough in an infant would scare me out of my mind.
When my son was little we preferred cool mist humidifiers.
My son is fine and doesn't have asthma, but those first few years had me very worried about him.

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H.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

if your son should develop asthma, you need a cool mist humidifier. warm mist can be deadly for an asthmatic. i would follow up with his ped if you are having concerns. whenever we've taken our son in to urgent care, frequent ear infections and croop when he was smaller, they always told us to follow up with his ped the next day.

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