Giving Zyrtec to a 10 Month Old?

While I don't have personal experience with this, I'm a big fan of reading the information sheets regarding any medications I am hesitant on taking or giving to my daughter or husband. Here's the link to the info sheet for Zyrtec: http://www.pfizer.com/pfizer/download/uspi_zyrtec.pdf

To sum it up in layman's terms, studies have shown that Zyrtec relieves allergy symptoms (sneezing, runny nose, etc) in patients aged 6 months and older. As far as the side effects go, according to the clinical trial, the patients (6 - 11 months old) who took Zyrtec instead of the placebo were more irratable/fussy than the placebo patients. There was virtually no difference between the rate of drowsiness in each, though. In patients 12 months to 5 years old, however, the most common side effects were insomnia (9% Zyrtec vs. 5% placebo), fatigue (3.6% Z vs. 1.3% P), and malaise (3.6% vs. 1.8%). {Malaise is simply a feeling of discomfort/uneasiness}

Hope this helps you decide! And remember, there are side effects to every treatment, including homeopathic treatments.

1 mom found this helpful

Just wanted to offer that I have had severe allergies, eczema, and asthma all of my life. My youngest, now 12 months, started with a bad case of the "red bumps" all over her face and neck when she was about 3 months old. My pediatrician diagnosed it as seborrhea and told me to use over-the-counter strength cortisone on it, which did help clear it up. I was worried that it would turn into eczema, but so far, not the case. You might want to talk to your dermatologist to see whether using cortisone would be advisable for your baby. I also wanted to say that my allergy doctor has always been a huge proponent of preventative techniques when it comes to controlling allergies. The pollens this spring have been really high, and have given me the worst trouble I have had in years, so I'm not surprised that your little one is runny too. I find that if I have been outside with my kids for ANY length of time, I need to shower and change my clothes immediately when I get home. While in the shower, I try to rinse my nostrils out with a saline solution to get out all the pollens, which is (suprisingly) extremely effective. Make sure you dust the house regularly (as much as you can with a 10 month old anyway), especially in her bedroom. Don't forget the blinds, lights/fans, etc. Don't keep stuffed animals in her room, except for maybe one "snuggly" that she sleeps with, and make sure you wash that often. Look online for more tips on "allergy proofing" your house. If I were you, I'd give prevention a good try, and if she doesn't experience relief, I would definitely consider Zyrtec. I know you you're worried about how she'll feel on it, but speaking from experience, suffering from allergies without anything is pretty miserable too. Give it at night, unless you find that it causes her to not be able to sleep. Also, if you're nursing, I'd keep on chugging with that as long as possible, as it's basically the only thing you can do to help her have a less severe case of allergies. Good luck, and let us know how she does!

1 mom found this helpful

Hey A.!
I know that you have decided to start the Zyrtec, but I just wanted to let you know about our experience! My daughter who is now 9 was put on Zyrtec at the age of 4. She had numerous ear infections prior to that but her pediatrician never suggested seeing an ENT . However, I finally made the choice to take her at 4 years old and he said right off that she suffered from allergies and had tubes put in and tonsils removed. She continued the Zyrtec and Nasonex for several years after that. However, when we had her tested twice to see what she was allergic to it always came back negative to many of the common allergies. I did however finally realize that her allergies were caused by certain chemicals used. About a year ago I stopped using chemicals in my home like bleach and many others and I will say after one month she stopped taking her medications and almost a year later is still not having to take them! So I wold have NEVER thought that her problem was caused by what I was using to clean my home! Again I am not saying to stop taking the Zyrtec, but you may want to try some things so that your daughter will not have to remain on it for a long period of time! Good Luck!
C. Stork
www.forourkidz.fourpointwellness.com

Although I have never given zyrtec to a 10 month old for an undetermined amount of time, I can tell you as a person in the health care field, that zyrtec is not your classic antihistamine like benadryl. It acts as different receptors in the body and hence usually does not cause drowsiness. This is why it has become such a popular drug of choice to treat people in general with seasonal allergy symptoms. As an aside, although a 10 month old would not be able to tell you that I am groggy and don't feel well, as the concerned mother that I believe you are, you would be able to notice changes in your child's behavior and level of alertness that would tip you off to problems that your child might be having in reaction to any medication. Having said that, I think you can begin him/her on a regimen the prescribed zyrtec and see what happens; give it a chance to work. you never know how it will affect your child unless you try. if you see that your child is dragging or not as alert, take them off and seek additional advice from your pediatrician. as always, they should be made aware of any reaction that your child has.

A.,

I had my first at 38 and my second at 44. It has been great. My oldest had sinus issues and was given Zyrtec by one of the doctor's that saw him when his ped was not available. I never gave it to him. My ped agreed when she saw him. Most babies are going to have nasal issues. I found a cool mist humidifier worked wonders. Also, my two year old has been plagued with small red bumps since she was a few months old. They come and go. She also has excema that comes and goes but the doctor could not identify the red bumps. She still gets them now and again but has never been bothered by them. Hope this helps.

B.

my daughter had several ear infections her first year and i requested she be put on zyrtec. i gave it to her everyday for about a week and then when the symptoms improved i backed off. now i only give it to her when she starts getting a runny nose and we haven't had an ear infection since.

Sometimes medicine given to a child has a different (often opposite) effect when given to an adult. For example, Benadryl may make a child hyper rather than drowsy. Either way Zyrtec is supposed to be a non-drowsy antihistamine. My son has taken it (when he was about 18 months old) and I have taken it as well. I never noticed any adverse side effects with him or myself. Of course each person may have a different reaction to any medication. Be prepared that Zyrtec may not work for your daughter or it may work great. It has worked for me in the past but not for my son. He is now on chewable Singulair. I hope you can find something to give your daughter some relief.

i have been giving zyrtec to my daughter all winter...she is 2...it has helped tremendously!! hers isn't allergies, it's just bad sinus problems...but the dr put her on the zyrtec and it has kept her from getting really sick...i give it to her at bedtime and it helps her sleep but she doesn't seem groggy the next day. so maybe try at bedtime and she won't have the "medicine-head" i don't know how we would have made it through the winter without the zyrtec!! good luck!

I'm not sure about Zyrtec, but I have my 2-year-old and 9-month-old on Nasonex. It works for the most part. I've been giving it to my oldest since he was nine months during the Spring and Fall. You may want to switch to that. It won't give the "medicine head" feeling to them. Good luck!!

my 2 oldest children were having similar problems. In addition to the runny nose and congestion, my now almost 2 yr old was having bad discharge from her eyes. Both children are on Singulair Granules. It has helped tremendlessly and has no side effects. It comes in pre-measured packets and is given once aday. You can sprinkle it over their favorite food or mix it in a cup of juice. My girls hav to have their sippy cup of juice first thing in the morning so that is when i give it to them. Autumn was 10 or 11 months when she started taking it.

Hi A., I do not give my children prescription drugs unless I absolutely cannot find anything else. I hope you can find a health food store near where you live or an herb shop. They have homeopathic sinus treatments that have no smell or taste that work like a miracle for my boys and me and my husband. YOu can also do a search of homeopathic treatments online and find something there too. I am not sure about the bumps. Those could be from the body wash you are using or the laundry soap is having causing a reaction. I know that household cleaners will cause sinus congestion especially lysol and oust. I work for a company that manufactures products that are people friendly and environmentally friendly. You can visit my website and read some more valuable information.

I do hope this helps

Sincerely,
K. S
www.kristies.fourpointwellness.com

my son took zytec and it seemed to help his doctor to me to give it to him before bed that way he wasnt groggy during the day.

My friend had to give her son zyrtec for about 10 months, on a daily basis. She had the same concern that you have about "medicine head". But her son's case was kind of serious, and he couldn't breathe at all through his nose. Fortunatly, Docs know what they're doing when they give Zyrtec instead of recommending an OTC antahistamine, because zyrtec has none of those groggy side effects. I think it says it does on the information about he medication, but I've been on the medication, and it did not leave me feeling funny, like say benadryl does. It did not have those side effects on my friends son. So, I would recommend that you try if for a few days, if it does make your daughter groggy (you will notice if she sleeps more, or acts sluggish) then stop giving it to her.

Hi my son took medicane at that age it doesnt usually effect them the same way. but i am not saying it cant it made mine hyper
the only thing that actual made my son sleep was actuyal benedryl for some reason zyrtec didnt have the same effect but it sure made him feel better. You are the mom here and you know best for your own baby but if conjestion is bothering him maybe just give it a test try so he can get some releif of the conjestion at least for a little while . I kinda hate to tell you this but i feel as a mother i have to worn you lol but it can make them hyper to instead of sleepy so i thought i would add that last. I know this probably didnt help but i just didnt wont you to think you were alone i went through it to i just put the faith in the Dr. and just watched and see sometimes thats all you can do.

Im a 37 Yr old mom of 3 14 yr old son and 8 Yr old son and a 4 yr old daughter

My son is 10 1/2 - he began taking allergy and asthma meds at about 2 years old. He has been taking Zyrtec in various dosages since for years. He takes it at night so there is no problem with grogginess and it makes a huge difference. He is out growing the asthma, but will have allergy issues all of his life since he inheirited it from me.

My niece took Zyrtec for her allergies at that age it it worked great for her. She seemed just a cheerful and 'normal' as usual, it didnt really seem to bother her.

I am wary about giving medicine to my kids and always try a homeopathic remedy first (if one is available for the ailment). Have you tried rinsing her nose with a saline solution or warm salt water? I do this daily and it really helps my allergies..
Hope this helps!
~S.

Hi! My daughter at 14 months took it for about a week after a bad allergy attack. I couldn't tell she was taking anything. Her nose was still running all day long! The Benadryl worked alot better. And it was the same dosage, which if I rememeber correct was 4ML. Not sure about dosage now. But the benadryl did make her sleepy, but not the Zyrtec. Hope that helps. Good luck!

Hi A.,

I don't have an infant that I gave Zrytec to, but I did give it to my son that was 6 years old at the time. He had real bad allergies and the Zrytec helped him so much. It didn't cause him to be sleepy or affect him in any other way. He actually was my child that had alot of problems when he was small and I didn't like to give him medicine either. But I did and he has actually grew out of the allergies, but he is still taking Zrytec just when the pollen and all hits, but he don't break out like he did. I hope this helps you.

My nephew will be a year old next month. He's been taking zyrtec since he was about 8 months old, but it's only given to him at night. He sleeps better and it doesn't make him all groggy like it would if he was taking it during the day.

My daughter also was congested for the first 10 months of life. At three weeks the doc told me it was just her body getting rid of mucus from being in the womb. She was put on a daily antihistamine at 10 months(had to take her off of it after 3 days), I was told it was sinuse problems. I made yet another appt with the doctor. A friend told me to try her on soy milk because maybe it was a milk allergy and after the doc said it would be fine to try, I did. After about 1 week she began coughing quite a bit and after 2 weeks she was congestion free. She is allergic to most things with milk in them except ice cream. When she does have something she is allergic to she breaks out in red spots either in patches or all over.

We give the zyrtec at night so it doesnt disrupt daily life. I dont think it works like benadryl, it works a little different not as sleepy. This is the season for allergies, and the meds probably only need to be taken for a couple months, so it wont be long term. Just imagine how yucky you feel when you are itchy, sneezy and runny, she just cant tell you how she feels! I am sure after a few days of meds thing will get better and she will be feeling great1
M., mom to 3

Ya know, it doesn't have to be all or nothing here. Try it you can always stop. Does the nasal congestion seem to bother her or does it bother you? If not them maybe do nothing. If you want to deal with it then try the Zyrtec. She can't tell you when she feels fuzzy but you'll notice some change in her behavior or alertness if it does. You can always stop it if you judge that it's not a good choice. Could you ask the doctor for a few samples so you can try it and see if it works?

Hi there, I am 38 and have allergies and asthma. I have taken zyrtec for about four years now. It really helps, but it isn't an antihistamine like you are thinking. I take one pill a day at night. It has only a slight groggy effect for a few hours, I guess since I don't have a problem with being constantly tired. I am alert and active throughout the day. My 15 yo son is on claritin and it is the same for him. I would recommed giving it to her. Being constantly congested and unable to breathe freely really makes a person tired - all the time. You can't even rest well because your sinuses get worse at night. So start giving it to her and see for yourself after a couple of days. You will be able to tell a difference. L.

When my son was 6 months old I had to put him on Zrytec. I found that he really didn't have a problem with the side effects as long as I gave it to him at bedtime. He was on it for a little over 6 months, now he is 5 and hasn't really had any allergy problems since. So as far as how long I think it just depends on the child. But while he was on it the problems with the congestion stopped. It really was worth it for him.

A.,

My daughter just turned 17 months, at 4 months we were given a Zyrtec presciption, because from the day she was born she was congested with running nose cough the whole bit. It was ok for her. However finally at 6 months they finally decided she had asthma, so they started treating her with the nebulizer. I am not trying to scare you but you might want to bring that up to your doc. That made a world of difference for my child.

My daughter was prescribed Zyrtec when she was about 8 months old. The dr. told us to give it to her 1x daily but at night before bedtime. He said that it works for about 24 hours so giving it to her at night would still benefit her during the day. We did not see any noticable side effects. She slept better at night and it helped clear her sinuses.

I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to give your baby a perscription like that. What you may want to try is a more natural approach. I don't know off the top of my head what you could do for her, but perhaps if you have an herbalist in the area you could go see it would be helpful. I know local honey is supposed to help,but your baby is too young for that(honey may contain botulism spores and shouldn't be given to children under the age of 1). Try the herbalist or just go to your local health food store. They treat the whole person and may be able to shed light on the bumps as well as help with the congestion. If you can't find one, try searching online for natural remedies, or go to the library and peruse the books. Good luck to you!

Hello A.! I am sending the following information from the drug book we use here at the hospital: Lexi-Comp's Pediatric Dosage Handbook, 10th Edition, 2003:
Cetirizine - brand name Zyrtec
Usual dosage for infants 6-12 months is 2.5 mg once daily
Patient Information: May cause drowsiness and impair ability to perform activities requiring mental alertness or physcial coordination; may cuase dry mouth. May cause photosensitivy reactions (eg., exposure to sunlight may cause severe subnburn, skin rash, redness, or itching); avoid exposure to sunlight and ariticial light sources (...tanning booth/bed...); wear protective clothing...use a sunscreen...

Hope this helps. I believe it would be okay to give so long as the dosage your doctor prescribed fits the recommended 2.5 mg per day.
;))
V., RN

I had the same problem with my daughter starting at about 1 month of age. After many trips to the DR we tried Zyrtec at 4 months old and it has worked wonders for my daughter. She is turning 3 years old next month and we now only use it during the times that I know her allergies are prone to flaring up or when I see that she is starting to get a runny nose (about 6-8 months out of the year-we are usually off of it from late summer to early fall). I give it to her at night so she is not a medicine head during the day-it also may help with sleeping, although I never experienced that!

Hope that this has helped!

M.

Hi,I understand about not wanting to give meds to your child,I would love to not have to as well,but sometimes its needed,in my situations I have a 23 month old who has been on Zyrtec for over a year they just switched her to Singular,because Zyrrtec was not strong enough for her allergies and she also had bumps which I was not very concerned with(neither was she) until one day it she had what seemed to be a VERY bad case of dandruff,the doc said she has exzema...this could be your childs case as well they all seem to run hand in hand. Also I have a 6 month old who has been on Zyrtec all his life as well as thet also just put him on Singular(which I like alot better,seems to have less sleepy side-effects) I give the Zyrtec at night around bed-time in case it does make them sleepy. I also took up my carpet which seemed to help. Hang in there they keep telling me it gets better after age 2...let's hope. Also my after a couple weeks on the meds my what I thought were already happy kids seemed much happier, ate and slept better,so i'd say at least try it for a while and see how it works. Any more ?s,feel free to msg me. Hope this helps.
Love-N. J.

Hello!
I have taken Zyrtec before and it is a good drug, I was just told by my doctor not to give anything to my child undre the age of 1 onything but triaminic the orange color for infants because their bodies can become immune and not be able to take it later in life. It is pollen season and my son who is 12 months has a runny nose too. It is the weather. It is good to use saline nose spray because the body can never become immune to it. Ocean spray for infants is good, she might be coming into contact with something outside that might be breaking her out. U can use an oatmeal bath on her by Aveeno..It is really good to use for things like that. I was also told that humidifiers are great to use at night. It helps purify the air and makes them rest better at night. It might be good to use during the pollen seanson. Just hang in there, her nose will soon go back to normal, it takes a while sometimes. As long as there is no fever, you have nothing to really be concerned about. THanks! Let me know if you need any other help! A. form Mississippi

I not sure what I would do either but do discuss your concerns with her doctor before doing anything. I know zyrtec can make people drowsy but I take it and it doesn't do this to me or my son either but I would definetly consult the dr with your concerns . If your considering the natural approach remeber herbs are drugs also and the side effects of most herbs is unknown and could be very severe or even fatal if not given in the proper dosage.

My daughter is almost 3 and has been taking Zyrtec forever. Give it at night that is what my doctor told me to do and it really works. She also takes Singulair but she takes it in the mornings. Last July she had her 2nd set of ear tubes and her adenoids out, so now she is even better. But I think you will be happy with the Zyrtec. Let me know how it works.