Breathing Treatments

Hi there,
My daughters had the same thing happen to them when they were little. The Ped. wanted to put them on inhalers 3 weeks out of a month for viral onset asthma. I said no way. I took them both off of cow's milk and they have never experienced wheezing since. When they get a bad cold with a cough, I rub Vicks Vapor Rub on the bottoms of their feet and they sleep soundly with no coughing. I would serious consider an alternative to the inhalers.

Hi S.,

My name is M. and I had to do the same to my son when he was 3. It was RSV with my son as he had a high fever and also his breathing was affected. I did the treatments and they really helped him. I was terrified for him but he seemed to improve much quicker with the treatments. I think anytime the Dr. hears wheezing, especially in a child under 1, they fear RSV or pneumonia, which I believe to be much worse than the treatments themselves. Nico is fine now and has had no other problems that severe since (Thank Goodness!).

I hope that this helped.

Take care,
M.:)

SAHM of Nico-4 & Ava-2

both my kids needed nebulizer treatments when they were under the age of 2 or 3. They only needed it when they had bad colds, etc. and grew out of it.

Hi S.,

Different medications have different functions. Tylenol has several different products for cough and cold. All of these contain acetominophen for fever reduction, and some combination of chlorpheniramine maleate
(an antihistamine to "dry up" mucus production), dextromethorphan HBr (a cough suppressant) and phenylephrine HCl (a nasal decongestant).

If your baby is/was wheezing, this means that the that lining of the bronchi and bronchioli (the "tubes" inside the lungs) are inflammed (swollen) so that air cannot flow easily. Often, the small muscles surrounding these tubes are spasming as well, so the tubes become more narrow and can't dilate (open). To get an idea of this, take a narrow rubber or polypropylene tube and blow through it: listen to the sound and pitch of the air going through. Now, pinch the tube so that it is almost blocked and blow through it again. Not only is it more difficult to pass air through the tube, but the pitch is higher. This is like the wheezing that the doctor is hearing.

Inflammation cannot be treated with the medication in Tylenol, although it can be treated with ibuprofen (motrin, advil, etc.) However, ibuprofen does not cross into the lungs well (and it doesn't do anything to relax the muscles surrounding the breathing passages) so a "topical" treatment is best, which is the breathing treatment. You don't mention what medication was given, but I'll guess it was some variant of albuterol, which helps to dilate the bronchi and bronchioli by relaxing those little muscles, which opens up the passages so air can flow more easily. For inflammation, the doctor should have also prescribed either inhaled cromolyn sodium (intal) or a corticosteroid (such as Flovent or Azmacort). Inhaled steroids for short-term use will not hurt your child, however hypoxia (low oxygen level) can.

So, yes, give the inhalers to your baby. Chances are good that the wheezing are short term and related to the viral infection causing the cold. Once the cold clears up, the wheezing should too. However, this could be an early indication of possible allergies, so keep an eye on your child's breathing after eating. If it seems more labored it is possible that there is an allergic component to the wheeze and you should eliminate likely allergic culprits to figure out what's going on. The most common allergens for young children are eggs, milk, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, fish, soy and corn, so these are good places to start, depending on what your child had at the meal that exacerbated the symptoms.

Even if there is an allergy involve, though, symptoms may only occur when your child has a cold, as the viral infection can push mild allergies "over the edge" to generate symptoms that the child might not have otherwise.

One person mentioned that breathing treatments are for asthma. While this is completely true, they may be used for transitory (temporary) breathing problems as well. Some really excellent research (Boyano et al., if memory serves me, and probably some papers by Robert Hamilton) have shown that early wheezers (children under 5 yrs old) have a very high likelihood of outgrowing their wheezing and never developing true asthma.

BTW, a note about the changing attitude toward doctors. I've noticed that, unlike the godlike respect for MDs that was common in our parents' generation, we tend to be more skeptical and distrustful of medications prescribed by physicians. I think it is important to keep in mind that doctors are VERY smart people and have a wealth of knowledge accumulated through, at a minimum, 10 years of postcollege education and training. Most are not in it for the money and truly follow the Hippocratic oath, the main component of which states "and first, do no harm." While it is always important to question a doctor's opinion and seek an alternative, especially for a major illness, if something just doesn't make sense or feel right, remember also that you wouldn't have taken yourself or your child in the first place if you didn't trust and respect their medical knowledge and desire to heal. Modern medicine is not bad, drug companies are not completely out to make a buck (although, like any company, they do need to make a profit) and natural is not always best. After all, we now live on average 40 years longer than we did 200 years ago. That is because of the advances made in the fields of medicine.

Hope this information has been useful to you!

My niece got pneumonia and had to breathing treatments for a couple weeks after she was out of the hospital. She also has asthma so every once in awhile, especially on very hot/humid days, we have to give her a breathing treatment. It does speed up her heart a little, but just for awhile. They really help open up her lungs and allow her to breathe much easier. I think they do more good than harm for her.

yeah, my daughter had to do them (at the same age coincidentally enough). it does seem to be what docs are doing these days. xopenex tends to be the better one in terms of not making their hearts race as much, but my daughter still had "roid rage" on them. she got jittery and would bite me while nursing which is the only time she's ever done them. it sucks, but the way it was put to me is that i needed to weigh the cost vs. benefits, and having my daughter not getting enough oxygen for an extended amount of time was just obviously not ok. we sang songs and i let her watch sesame street while we were doing the treatments. that helped.

Stacy, I am assuming the breathing treatments you are speaking about is Albuterol through a Nebulizer? If so, yes, my son had to have breathing treatments throughout the winter when he was about 18 months. Anytime he would get a virus it would settle in his lungs and he would begin to wheeze. We have a at home machine and mask to help. It wasn't fun and he would fight it but it would make his breathing SO much better. In the beginning my husband and I would both have to hold him because he would fight it and cried. I would rock and sing to him. Amazingly he only had to have a couple treatments last winter and this time he wasn't scared and would put the mask on himself and sit quietly while the treatment was going on. Albuterol is so much better than oral steroids which we have had to do as well. He didn't get the "roid" rages with Albuterol. Good luck.

Hi S.:

I know it is hard to medicate a young child but sometimes we need to! My son was diagnosed with severe asthma at 1 year old and had to do breathing treatments. Sometimes I had to give him the treatments every 3-4 hours over the course of several days. Not fun but unfortunately necessary. I was told that kids airways are so small that when they get congested sometimes it is hard for them to breathe. The cough and wheezing are only symptoms of the congestion. The breathing treatment helps open up all their little bronchial tubes. Also, kids have a hard time clearing the gunk out of their lungs and the medicine helps break it up. Hope your son feels better quickly.

M.

My nephew had to do them ALL the time with smog & allergies, asthma... very common and safer than over the counter stuff.

I agree with Meredith. I've had to do treatments on my now 4 year old - I think the first time was when she was about 6 months old - also for wheezing. The small size mask was easiest to use - you can just hold it in front of your son's mouth - he doesnt actually have to wear it. Try putting on his favorite show on the tv and sit with him while holding the mask close to his mouth and nose. Good luck!

That does not sound right. My grandaughter is almost 1. She had a cough and the doctor gave her prescription cough medication (not over the counter). Breathing treatments are for asthma or bronchitis. It could have been that your baby's lungs were so tight the doctor decided to give him the treatment to give him some relief. I would ask questions. It's your right.

I have had to do the breathing treatments on my daughter once and I think she was about 2 1/2 to 3. They did them because of the "wheezing" that is not just a normal cough. The wheezing is something different. It was hard at first to get her to do them, the treatments take what seem like forever. But you should have gotten the option of two types of masks and the supplier that came to the house and set it up was great. He gave me some tips on how to get my daughter to actually sit there and take the treatments. Yes, it can make her heart race, but the reason they gave you this treatment is to open up her broncial tubes. It will help. Good luck and I am sorry your baby is not feeling well.

Hi S., I too have had the same questions. I have a now 17 month old daughter who @ 1 year was prescibed the same breathing treatments. Dont let the heart rate thing scare you to much. Yes it feels like it's going 100mph but there little bodies can handle it. The treatments do really help though. I was told the treatments were given in place of any oral medication since she is too young to take the correct dosage. Occasionaly my daughter still has to have the treaments. Another thing to put your mind at ease is to get a pediatrition you fully trust, their job is to help not to harm.

Hi there. Yes, it sounds standard when they hear wheezing. I actually had to do breathing treatments when I had a horrible cold and was experiencing wheezing. Good luck getting him to sit still.

Remember that wheezing can happen from a cold in the lungs and does not necessarily mean your child has asthma or allergies and will need them for the future. I have one asthmatic child and one that is not. The breathing treatments open up the airways which is the reason wheexing is heard. Once a cold is into the lungs the get tight and constrict. THe steriods help to keep them moist and open. the heart rate speed is not much and goes back to normal once a little time passes. THe breathing of the medicine is best since it goes straight into the lungs where is needed instead of having to be digested and then go into the blood to work. cold and cough tylenol treats most symptoms but once it is in the lungs a airesol med works best.

Breathing treatments are absolutly necessary. My son is three now and has been on breathing treatments for 2 years now due to his severe asthma. If your child needs it do it. Do talk to your Dr. about Xopenex, my son takes it and I haven't noticed any side effects from it. We do a Xopenex and pulmicourt combo every day. When he's done he always says "I can breath better now!" It breaks my heart and puts me at ease to now at least there is something that can help his little lungs take in the air they need.

My son has always been susceptible to lung problems (because of having RSV very young) and we were also told to do aerosole treatments. The amount of medicine is pretty small and I was told (here and in Europe) that it was the only way to open up the lungs - to get the mucous out. Some doctors recommend treatment for several days to a week (or longer), but our son really does NOT like it and I also don't like the idea of giving medicine, so we stopped doing the treatments when he started sounding better. From what I was told is not a replacement for the syrups because the syrups cannot act the same way. Also, the children at that age are too young to have the force to cough the mucous out of their lungs, so that is the way to do it. Good luck.

Hi S.,

My son is VERY sensitive to Albuterol (needed to be hospitalized after taking it). The doctored switched him to Xopenex which is the same concept WITHOUT the increased heart rate and other nasty side effects. He is now 6 (been using since 6 months) and still wheezes when he has a cold but thanks to the breathing treatments he no longer needs to be rushed to the ER. Ask your doctor about Xopenex instead. Many parents I know have switched over and love it.

Just remember that coughing is NOT the same as wheezing. He is coughing because he is unable to get air into his lungs. This is very serious but can be controlled with medicine.

S.,
I have encountered this myself and felt the same way you do; an inhaler (or breathing treatment) is the substitute for all the medicines that were taken off the market. My husband who has mild asthma and has used inhalers is not real comfortable with this and we only give our child a puff/dose if she is having restricted breathing. If my child continues to get worse I take her back to the doctor to make sure it has not become something else. Proceed with caution and trust your gut. Good luck.

Hi S., it sounds like the Dr is concerned this could be asthma. Both my daughters, 6 and 2, and myself have asthma and do breathing treatments. In my experience the amount the heart rate increases isn't too bad, just enough to be a bit bothersome, like after running a while. I shake a little bit for about 10 mins after, just small shaking of my hands, and I feel a bit jittery. The main thing I had to understand is that this type of medicine can't really hurt you, it can be over used and cause problems, but its not as dangerous as many other types of meds out there!
At first it was scary looking at my daughter, who was just over 1 years old when she started, have this mask on her face and doing a breathing treatment but the coughing and crying were so much harder on her than the meds.
I hope this wheezing clears up with the cold and doesn't settle but if you want more information on asthma check out the American Lund Association!
Take care and best wishes!
J.

I assume your doctor diagnosed asthma? Check with your doctor on this. You need to know if this is the case. This is standard treatment, and it should relieve the asthma and make breathing easier. The doctor must have come to the conclusion that the asthma was making breathing uncomfortable and labored for your child. The coughing is a usual part of asthma. Cough medicines, either across the counter or prescribed, may help with the cough, but they will not help asthma. There are some oral medications that do, but your doctor has determined that breathing treatments are best for now.

I sometimes suffer from asthma myself. A breathing treatment makes all the difference between a night in misery and a night with good sleep. I have never heard anything about these treatments being dangerous for healthy children or adults. They can speed up the heart a bit, but it is not a big deal.

Hello S.,

Yes, when my son was about 8mns old he got a cough, which I could hear the wheezing. My husband and I both have asthma, so we weren't surprised.

I actually like the breathing treatment over Tylenol. We didn't see any side effects, although, he could breath and fell asleep.

We even put some straight water in the machine now when he gets a stuffy nose to help him breath.

Wheezing is getting more common these days with all the pollution in the air. Not to mention the pollution in our own homes. I am not sure if you have read, doing or going to go green, but I was unware of the toxins that just our plastic shower curtain puts out. Or the fact that out of all the baby wash out there I can only actually read about 4 of the ingredients. We have started to go green and I can till our health is improving, my husband and my asthma has been doing great. Just thought I could add this in. If you are more interested in going green in the house, beauty, etc. a great read is Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano, you can pick it up at Target. Every easy read and I learned so much.

I wouldn't worry to much, unless the wheezing starts to get worst and he has to use the machine more.

Best of Luck
M.

ok i know how you feel totally. my daughter (now 16mos) got a cold (well what we think was a cold) right before xmas last year. her dr gave her rondex dm (its a cough suppressant, decongestant, and antihistamine all in one). her symptoms went away for a couple days and then came back full force. she has a super wet cough and you could see she was breathing harder then normal. i was in to see her dr every week because she just wouldnt clear up (she never wheezed like your son though her lungs always sounded clear). this went on for like 3 1/2 weeks. i bought a cool mist humidafire to help her at night and i would suction her nose every couple hours with no success at all. she got put on an inhaler (albuterol) to aide with her cough in january. i had to give it to her 4 times a day and that only helped a little bit. then in febuary she got put on the nebulizer and was diagnosed with asthma (sick induced which means that you dont really have a flare up until she gets a cold). in her nebulizer she got albuterol (4 times a day every 4 hours) and pulmicort (1 time a day). she actually got worse over the first week and had to be put on a 3 day oral steroid on top of the other two and got her pulmicort doubled up in dosage. she cleared up after that though and after we saw her dr again she gave us the ok to ween her off the albuterol and that took about 2 weeks. now shes only taking the pulmicort (which i cut down back to her orrigional dose). the medication did hype her up a little bit but after a month she got used to it (they are uppers basically). however with her having asthma if i think shes getting a cold or is coughing too much i have to start up the albuterol 4 times a day. with the pulmicort she has to take that everyday sick or not because the pulmicort is a prevenative to keep her from having an asthma attack. but here are a couple facts about asthma in young kids and babies-
the first symptoms are coughing that worsens at night and not all asthma suffers wheeze (my daughter never wheezed).
a nebulizer is really easy to use with a baby (my daughter has been on one since 11mos) and what i do is get it ready and she sits right on my lap and i let the mist blow right in her face (now she likes to put the mouth piece in her mouth) and we just sit and watch a show for the few mins it takes and its part of her nightly bedtime routine. im sure your dr knows whats best and i understand your hesitation to doing this. i hope my story helps you and if you have any other questions dont hesitate to ask! good luck!

You are right to be concerned with the meds. They do have an adverse effect on the heart. Sinus conditions and asthma can be addressed very successfully with a chiropractic approach and, yes, you can take an 11 month old in for adjustments. You can also try reflexology which is a technique of applying slight pressure to the feet. Getting a foot massage will massage your entire body including the organs. The top of the foot underneath the toes reflexes the lungs. There is a point on the outside of the big toe just above the joint that works the sinuses. Apply slight pressure in the morning and when you put him to bed at night. It's easy and effective and it feels good. This link also talks about a salt inhaler you can make. You can purchase salt lamps at many
health food stores or on line. Your son is a little young at
this point, but should this problem persist you might consider a salt pipe. They are not recommended until the child is 3.

http://www.natural-holistic-health.com/general/respirator...

http://www.portablesaltcave.com/children.html

Both my kids use the breathing tx when they wheeze. Believe me the benefits outweigh the riskd. My boy who is now 17 months had RSV when he was 2 months old and this pretty much saved his life. When their allergies kick up they need it as well usually it is only used for a short time and then you discontinue. I think we use it maybe 2-4 times a year.Sorry baby is not feeling well, but this will help. GOOD LUCK! L.

i use Gentle Vapors wall plug in vaporizer ..you can get it at the pharmacy..also check out Bioron products ..Chestal is a great cough medicine...also Cold Ease by them..and Sinusalia..all homeopathic oh and XClear is a great nasal spray..all of these can also be found at WholeFoods

my son was on daily breathing treatments (acuneb (infant dose of albuteral) and pulmicort) for about 2 months (starting when he was abou 5 1/2 weeks old). he had two back to back lower respiratory infections (RSV and then someting else) that compromised his breathing. if your dr is telling you to give your son breathing treatments, then he needs it. he's not getting enough oxygen and the treatments open up the lungs so he can breathe better. breathing treatments do not take the place of cold medicine. if your dr could give you a prescription for cold medicine if that's what she wanted to give him. yes, there can be side effects to the albuterol (which i'm asuming your son is being prescribed), but my son is perfect after weeks of daily treatments (he's 19 months old now). it sounds like the virus your son has moved into his lungs and he needs a little help breathing. your dr wouldn't want to do this if it was dangerous and if your son didn't need it.

Hi S.,
My son (now 12) had to have that once or twice when he was about 1 or 2. It was traumatic, but I trusted the doc at the time. My boy did not like the mask, I think it scared him. There were no bad side effects, and I think it might have helped him get better quicker. I'm curious to know where your doctor is located. We went to a group in Los Alamitos. Will you let me know if you are in the same area? You can "respond with message private". Thanks, and best of luck to you and your dear little one.

As others have already noted on here, wheezing is a reason for breathing treatments. One of my children (20 mths old)has had to have breathing treatments 3 times for wheezing. This last time hit very quickly and he was having a very hard time breathing. He nearly ended up in the hospital. I'm also not happy to have to give him such strong medication, but once he's wheezing, he needs to be able to breathe! This last episode with him convinced me just how serious wheezing can become. Hopefully this is a one-time thing for your son. I wish him a speedy recovery.

My son who is now 16 months had 4 or 5 colds back to back when he was 11 months and each time it went to his lungs and chest so the doctor told us to do breathing treatments to help him breath and clear his chest. It worked great and he hasn't had a cold in a while now. We got him a cute little dinosaur mask and I sat with him in the rocking chair while we looked outside at cars going by. He didn't love it but he put up with it. I think the breathing treatments and the medicine done for a couple of weeks is more benficial then not. I don't like giving my son medicine if I don't have to but I would much rather him be comfortable and be able to breath and sleep well. I also highly reccommend a cool mist humidifier when sleeping. That really helps too. I hope this helps. Good luck!
B.

Hi S.,

Two years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with mild asthma and was given daily Pulmacort treatments. They do not seem to make her unusually active and we have seen an improvement in her coughing during daily activities. You may want to ask your doctor if your son might have asthma. If he does, he is more likely to develop a cough after colds. Just a thought, but good luck with it and I hope your son feels better soon.

We've done breathing treatments on both our sons. The albuterol helps open up the breathing passages in the lungs. Your baby needs more air. This isn't an answer to Tylenol. The Tylenol will help with aches and pains but not with getting more air in the lungs. The wheezing means that the airways are constricted and you need to open them up. The albuterol helps to relax and open up the membranes so more air can pass through. They feel much better and sleep better when they've had a breathing treatment. You only need to do it for a short time. It is important to watch your younger children and babies for trouble breathing with a cough. Look at where their throat meets their chest (the kind of triangular area) and look at their chest. If it seems like they are sucking in more air or it's harder for them to breathe, then take them in to the pediatrician. Don't be afraid to ask the ped all these questions. You are paying them for their time so ask away!
Good luck with the breathing treatments. THey don't like it until they figure out it helps them feel better. We would put in a baby einstein dvd for our first son but this doesn't work on our second, so we just suffered through it.

M.

Ask your pediatirican if the wheezing is a sign of asthma in your child. If it is, sometimes a small cold will turn into a major bronchial infection, as with my son. For him, any time he gets a cough, I immeidately start breathing treatments to prevent an infection and pnuemonia. It is scary, but educating yourself and learning how to treat it is a huge relief. I'm sure your child will be okay.

my youngest has had to use the nebulizer several times since age 1 (he's 22 mos now) because he got croup. we only had to use it for a week or two each time. what a big difference! my older 2 (4 yr & 7 yr) each had to use the nebulizer once or twice while toddlers, and now we give liquid albuterol if they have any episodes. mostly it's been triggered by changes in the weather. as hard as it is to sit & do the breathing treatment, the alternative is worse. hang in there!

Hi S.,

Both of my kids (3 yrs and 11 months) have been on Xopenex for wheezing. So far, I have not seen any adverse effects from this medication. I have even done the treatments right before bedtime and throughout the night without any sleeping issues.

My daughter had quite a few breathing episodes from the time she was 9 months through about 18 months. She even was almost hopitalized, but her doctor was able to treat her in the office. She was put on Xopenex, Pulmicort (only through the flu season) and Singluair (temporary as well). Now she is 3 and seems to be growing out of the major breathing issues. She usually gets a few colds during the winter months and has to go back on the Xopenex for a few weeks, but then she is able to go off of it within two weeks.

My son has been on it twice for the same problems.

I would not be too afraid of the treatments. They are tough to do sometimes, but it has been worth it for our family.

Good luck!

Have hinm tested for asthma. My 10 was diagnoised with asthma at 1 and yes we had to give him inhalers and nebolizer machine
(spelled wrong) every night for 2 months and then the whizzing went away unless he exercised to much or got a cold. I would hold him in my arms while giving the treatments. He actually would calm down and almost go to sleep. He grew out of it around 4 but we still have the machine around just in case.

Hi,
I don't know about breathing treatments for a cough, but I do know that my son had what we thought was a common cold and turned into a seroius case of croup very quickly. he recieved breathing treatments but his 02 sats where low and his wheezing was severe. He did have to be hospitalized overnight. he recieved 2 breathing treatments and they helped him out very much. they also monitored his heart rate and his 02 sats, but I guess thats an extreme case. I guess if you are unsure about the breathing treatments voice your concerns with your Doctor. You should not do anything that does not feel right to you.

I know with me and my asthma, if I REALLY need my medicine (the inhaler first) then I take it and I'm better. If it's just shortness of breathe and I "think" I need it, it makes me really jittery and I can feel that it speeds up the heartrate. My 6 year old cannot take the inhaler, so he only has the treatments. His asthma is noticed by accessive coughing rather than an audible wheezing. Again, if it is truly needed, the medicine affects (fixes) what it needs to and doesn't affect to much else.

My son uses the neubilzer machine only when he comes down with a bad cough, it opens his lungs allows him to stopp coughing, in fact he begs for a treatment when he coughs, I found it better than the cough meds when have to much drugs in it .... he is 19 now he has never had any bad side effects from it except dry mouth, make sure he rinses his mouth good after treatment, and can leave the mouth sore rinses helps it a lot.

Hi S.,

Yes, I had this experience! My then-13 month old son had a lot of trouble adjusting to the air in Los Angeles when we relocated last year in June. He got a cough, was tentatively diagnosed with pneumonia and put on antibiotics, then it came back and got worse, and I had a horrible night with him when he couldn't sleep because his coughing was so bad. Took him into the doctor the next day and they needed to put him on a nebulizer to open up his airway because his wheezing was so bad. Then they gave me an inhaler to use on him, both inhaled steroid medication, and the "rescue" medication. I used this for about a month, and then discontinued it because he was fine. Used it again during the fires last winter as a precautionary measure. haven't needed to use it since, but I have it if he needs it!

I don't think Children's cough medicine would work on wheezing problems anyway, so this isn't an alternative to that. My pediatrician gave me a detailed explanation of why inhaled steroids to keep asthma-type symptoms under control are a better alternative than the medications needed to needing to intervene in a breathing emergency, so you might want to ask your pediatricians for a detailed explanation of what the medications are that they are prescribing and what they do.

The medication was definitely very necessary for my son at the time, and I didn't notice any side effects. Hope this helps!

C.

I do believe that your doing a great job!!!!Yes, sometimes breathing treatments has to be done to prevent ANY lung/breathing problems from getting worse.
Even though technically he's not an asthma patient, asthma "measures," and treatments are done A LOT, that way it won't get worse. When it gets to the wheezing stage, cough medicine cannot clear it up (cough medicine is not made to clear wheezing in lungs), needs the stronger type asthma medicine to clear the lungs.
Scary when the heart rate speeds up, etc.. but, A LOT scarier if a childs lungs gets sooo congested/wheezing, that hospitalization, (breathing treatments around the clock) is the only way to get the child healthy. Anyway, no worries, it's just some strong medicine to attack the problem, clear it up, and hopefully won't have to take it again.

Hi S.,

You may want to consider using the nebulizer with either Xopenex or Pulmicort...but contact your pediatrician first prior to it's use. I use it for both my boys 3 & 4 & it works VERY well. Hope all goes well.

-S.

Does she want you to do the treatments just this once, or with all future colds/coughs?

I'm assuming you're talking about Albuterol, and it's a harmless lung medication that's been on the market for many, many years. The only downfall is that it does speed up the heart rate, but for my son, it wasn't a problem most of the time. (It can make them feel jittery and have a little trouble sleeping when given at every 4 hours. We always tried to time it so that we didn't give a treatment right before bedtime and instead gave it to him while he was asleep...) Are you giving the treatments every 6 hrs. or every 4 hrs.? It's a special medication that opens up the airways and reduces inflammation so they can breathe easier. As another poster mentioned, it has nothing to so with the cold/cough tylenol. This treatment is taking care of his constricted airway and the tylenol cannot do that. Some doctors try to prescrible liquid Albuterol, but I went to an asthma workshop with a bunch of board certififed asthma specialists and they were all snorting and laughing about that---said it was a joke and in order to give them enough to make a difference you'd have to OD the child. You have a good doctor who truly recognized how to deal with your child's wheezing. Good luck and I hope it's just this one time!!

Dear S.,

This is not my area of expertise - and I am long past this stage in my own life (2 of my children will be in college this fall!) - but I thought I would share my experiences with you.

I do not believe this is due to the inavailability of Children's Tylenol Cough and Cold - the key here is the fact that the doctor heard a wheeze when she listened to his chest. My son had some wheezing at two and the doctor said it was RSV and my son had breathing treatments for it. My nephew had a chronic cough that no one could "fix" - that was finally diagnosed as asthma and both he and later his sister needed breathing treatments for THAT . . . She isn't treating the COUGH as much as what it may be causing it (and the wheeze she heard) - your daughter just never went through something that needed to be treated with a medicine given in this manner. (btw, my son could have taken Albuterol orally in liquid form, but because my sister-in-law had two machines for my niece and nephew, we borrowed one temporarily - the medicine works better and faster given this way)

Oh, and one more thing - my son also told me once when he was Jr High that he was wheezing - I let it go for a bit - and when I took him to the doctor finally, she told me I should have listened to him. She said he had "seasonal" asthma. He spent the winter using a nebulizer. I didn't know if this meant he would need the medication every winter, but he has never needed it since (he is now in college)

Good luck!
B.

Wheezing and coughing are two very different things. Coughing can be caused by post nasal drip as well as lung congestion. Wheezing is caused by blocked airways. The treatment your child recieved is the only way to get medication into those blocked airways so he can get air into them.

My son, almost 3, also gets wheezy when he gets a respiratory infection. We started using a nebulizer and it really helped him feel better quickly. I only need to use it if he gets sick.

And yes, wheezing is different from just coughing.

I was concerned about using steriods and other meds quickly, (I'm pretty conservative with meds and like to give the body a chance to fight off stuff first) but my Ped. told me that using the drugs quickly actually helps reduce the chance he'll develop full-blown asthma, and also helps prevent damage to his lungs. Now I take him in as soon as I think he might be starting to wheeze, and he's back on his feet faster.

good luck to you!
C.