Steriod Use and Inhalers for 21 Month Old?

Has you son been seen by a specialist for Asthma? My oldest son, my mother and myself has asthma, but we don't wheeze, we cough. It is a very deep cough that sounds like coupe. It happens more often when we have colds or any allergy symptons. The Abuterol inhalors don't help much. The good news is that is not usually life threatening. From the time I was 7 until I was about 13 drs kept treating me for bronchits and similar resperatory problmes. It's not reconized by all doctor's unfortunatly. Some doctor's don't believe its asthma unless you wheeze. As soon as I went on maintance asthma meds I almost never get the cough and as soon as my son started with it I took him to a specialist who reconized his symptoms as asthma. Since my son started Flovent and Singular about 2 years ago he has only had a couple of "episodes".

Hi A.,

First, inhaled steroids are used to treat inflammation of the airways. Bronchodilators come two different ways: short-acting like Albuterol, or Xopenex, and long-acting like Flovent or Serevent. Advair is a combination drug with a fixed dosage, which makes it hard for a doctor to adjust the dosage. Short-acting bronchodilators are to be used sparingly and not relied upon as the sole method of breathing for an asthmatic. That is an asthmatic out of control...if they are living on albuterol. Giving young children inhaled steroids and nebulizer treatments (with the same meds, just different delivery system) is typical. However, many doctors are quick to jump to the steroids without trying other things first. There are guidelines for controlling asthma, if that is in fact what your doctor is treating at this point. It is impossible to diagnose asthma in a young child based on the accepted methods of diagnosis: FEV (1) Forced Expiratory Volume because you can't get a 21 month old to do this test. So, your doctor may be treating on the assumption of asthma at this point. The hard part about steroids and inhalers and broncodilators is that they're a pain in the butt to administer. The child hates it, the parent hates the struggle, you don't know if you did it right, you're worried about side effects,etc. There is a chewable tablet for children down to age 2 and it is available in sprinkles down to ? 6 months that is not a steroid and works completely differently on asthma. It treats the root of the problem, which is inflammation. It's called Singulair and the FDA says the safety profile of this drug is comparable to placebo. It's in a pregnancy category along with birth control pills...that means it's extremely safe! It is also approved for allergic rhinitis (allergies). Ask your doctor to let you add this to your current regimen with the hopes of tapering off everything else eventually. The most effective medicine is also the one that is actually taken and that's a big question with inhalers. Also, remember, that in any bronchitis situation...coughs last a long time. Albuterol and Flovent will hype up a patient and make their appetite increase. Oral steroids, which some asthmatics have to take, are the ones blamed more for the puffy face look and increased weight gain and increased side effect profile. A short-term run of your current regimen is not to be worried about, but definitely ask about the Singulair.

I hope this helps. My second child had RSV and was diagnosed based on history with asthma. We did every treatment available with lots of anguish. Once we added the Singulair...life became pleasant again. After several years on Singulair and a change in the environment/states...he is off all meds. Maybe he outgrew it? I have 12 years of pharmaceutical sales experience.

This reaction does not sound right to me. I would definitely discuss this with your pediatrician right away.
I have no experience with Whooping Cough, but have had plenty with Croup. Croup is also a disease that causes a terrible cough and difficulty breathing. They prescribe Prednisone for this (a steroid) for a few days and the symptoms clear up. I have never noticed any bad side effects from the medicine.
The possible side effects of any medicine should be weighed against what is happening with your baby already. Which is more dangerous for your child ? Make your decision according to your answer to that question.

HI. I HAVE A 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WHO HAS HAD THAT FOR ABOUT 4 YEARS. WE HAVE TAKEN HER TO SEVERAL DOCTORS BECAUSE THEY GIVE HER THINGS AND THEY NEVER HELP. SHE IS LIKE YOURS, SHE WILL COUGH SO BAD AND HARD THAT SHE GETS RED, STARTS GAGGING, AND HALF THE TIME CAN'T CATCH HER BREATH. IT GETS REALLY BAD AT TIMES. SHE IS NOW TAKING ALBUTEROL, ADVAIR, SINGULAIR, AND 2 DIFF. MEDS IN A BREATHING MACHINE.....FOR ASTHMA!!! THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE SAYING HERS IS. THE MEDS HALF THE TIME DON'T DO ANYTHING FOR THIS COUGH. GLAD TO KNOW THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE WHO KNOWS WHAT I GO THROUGH WITH MY LITTLE ONE. IF YOU FIND OUT ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT IT LET ME KNOW. THANKS

Hello,

My daughter is 16 m/o and we use flovent & her lungs cleared up very quick. She has had many respitory problems since she was 5 m/o and been in the hospital three times. I am very happy with using the inhaler and she has gotten very used to it. She has to do two puffs two times a day. We use the albuterol neb when needed. She has had asthma since 5 m/o old too. WE go to the specialist at childrens Dr carver he is a pulm Dr. I would ask to go there instead of your regular dr.

Good Luck If you have any questions just e-mail me:) Maybe we can chat GOod Luck

I would check wiht his doctor. My son has been on breathing treatments off and on since he was about 6 months old. He is now 2 1/2. He usually hacks for about 15 minutes after receiving the treatment or after waking up. He gets a preventitive inhaler twice a day and I never notice him coughing with it. Good luck and I hope he feels better.

My son (3yr old) does the albuterl but in a nebulizer. They have told me that it makes your heart race, and can up your breathing... so that could be part of the red face... We don't do an oral steriod yet... but we do pulmcort in the nebulizer, it seems to help my son...

A. as I also have a child that uses an inhaler. The red face could be a side affect of the albuteral. Albuteral makes the blood pressure high and the heart to beat rapid. Your child could be experiencing one of them. It only lasts a short time and then is normal again. I know my child has experienced the rapid heartbeat and he seems to do fine. I know it is scary to know your childs body reacts the way it does but just keep an eye on him and if you really are concerned that something might be going wrong call your pediatrician and maybe they will let him use it in their presence to see what exactly the problem is. Hope this helps you.

that's exactly what Albuterol and Prednisone did with my boys. We've experienced the same with Pulmacort as well.

Although Albuterol is designed to calm bronchial spasms it tends to loosen mucus everywhere else too. To ease the pain and forcefulness of these after attacks we would often step outside with the boys. The cold air really relaxes their lungs.

Unfortunately Whooping cough is notorious for having these terrible coughing fits and if you are tense then your baby will tense up as well. Practice slow controlled breathing when he's suffering through this. He will see you calming and it will help him calm faster.

My middle boy has been on Albuterol syrup since he was about 8 months old. then stepped up to an inhaler when he started school August of 2005. The youngest one developed Whooping Cough at about 14 months. We now have a nebulizer and monthly Albuterol neb refills on standing prescription for both of them.

Albuterol isn't like other steroids in the way it could stunt things. Asthmatics like my boys and husband are just fine using it and growing up.

I have had asthma my whole life and use the albuterol also. The point is to open the airways. If he has a cough then opening his airways will allow him to cough up all that junk a little bit easier. I know when I cough afterwards it takes a lot out of me, but when it's all out of my lungs I feel so much better. I'm sure he is ok...you can always call the docs though if you are worried :)

A.,
I know all too well what you are going through. My oldest, now 13 was always sick, alwyas trips to the doctor's office, the E.R., everything. Finally at about 2 1/2 to 3 he was diagnosed with asthma, I hated it but I was relieved to finally have someone tell me what was wrong with him.
I have struggled for years with giving my son inhaled steroids, after all he has been on meds since he was 6 for several different things, and all along he had asthma. I woudl strongly suggest you have him reseen and ask your doctor about asthma. My sons was always ilness related asthma, oh we had some miserable years let me tell you. But now I have a great doctor, and you would never know he has it.
I truly feel your pain, and frustration. You may want to check into a breathing machine, they are small and compact now and so much esier for a little one, the meds get down deeper into their lungs and seems to last longer than just taking inhalers.
Seems to me that being on an inhaler for 3 days is a little much. I was a first mom too, adn absolutely clueless about what was wrong with my child..the coughing, the breathing, it was horrible! Just talk to your doctor, you can alwyas get a second, or third opinion until you find a doctor that you feel comfortable with. Good luck to you!

A., My son, who is now 16, suffered from terrible coughing spells starting at about 6 months. It seemed like every month I would have to take him to the emergency room. Each time they would give him a breating treatment (Albuterol) and send us home. Each ER visit was followed up with a visit to his pediatrician. That doctor insisted my son was just prone to getting colds and would send us on our way. Finally after several months of this, my son had another episode. His normal doc was out of the office so we had to see the on call. He took one look at Zach and said this child has asthma. He suggested putting Zach on a preventive medication (It has been a long time bit I believe it was called INTOL. Don't quote me on the name, please.)for six months. With a bit of hesitation, I decided we would try. He took six treatments a day for six months. Those were a long six months but his episodes went from monthly to one a year or so. Then by the time he was entering kindergarten they seemed to have stopped completely.
I hope this info can help and I wish you and your little guy the best!! Angela

A. are you useing a inhaler or nebulizer for you child? the other product that they are giving him the steroid is it prednizone(i cant spell it but thats the name phoneticly).I might have some advice for you i just want to make shure my info is right before i hand it out. most inportantly i can tell you the results of long term use of these products.
CX2+K

You may have your son rinse his mouth, or drink something, after using the inhaler. As an asthmatic, my inhalers tend to dry out my throat. Hope this helps!

I went through this with my son but I find if we catch it early and use the nebulizer twice a day the first day and then once a day for the next 2 days he gets over the cold and it never goes into the bad cough. It seems no one on this list knows about the non-steroid medication, Xopenex. I only found it by accident. When I went to pick up the nebulizer the pharmacist there told me about Xopenex, because I was complaining that the steroid keeps my son up half the night. Ask your doctor if you can get xopenex instead of albuterol.

A., some of this advice is very good. It sounds to me like your son has asthma. I am a respiratory therapist, so I thought I would share some info with you. Everyone gets so worried about steroids because of the bad press about athletes. The problem is that there are two kinds of steroids and most people don't realize this or understand the distinction. Anabolic steroids should be avoided in young children, they are the ones that the athletes take to build muscle and stamina. Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory and this is the kind that are used to control asthma. Although there are risks when using any kind of medication, inhaled corticosteroids are generally considered safer than even oral corticosteroids. Inhaled corticosteroids work directly on the airways in the lungs and there are very few systemic affects. I would suggest you speak to your doctor about getting your son on inhaled corticosteroids (Pulmicort is usually considered the safest for young children) to help control the asthma. This will mean using it twice a day to keep inflammation down in the lining of his airways, which will help keep him form having "attacks". The albuterol you are using is a bronchodilator (not a steroid) and helps to open up the airways by relaxing the smooth muscles that wrap around the airways. Sometimes this will cause a person to cough, because the airways are open and the natural immune defenses work to remove irritants and mucus from the lungs. If he is coughing this hard, I am concerned that his airways are really tightened down prior to the albuterol treatment. This could be very dangerous, and even though you might not want to hear this, it could be that he actually needs the treatments more frequently than you are giving them. Again, talk to your doctor. There is another alternative, which is called Xopenex. This is also a bronchodilator, which has much fewer side effects than albuterol. This may be a better choice for your son. The Singulair is also a good medication for preventing problems. If you do not feel you are getting anywhere with your doctor when you talk to him about your concerns, then find another doctor. Remember this, if your son is having a cough and difficulty breathing, don't mess around with it. About 5000 people a year die from asthma. Get to the ER right away if he starts to exhibit struggling to breathe, stops talking or playing because he can't breathe, or if you notice his nail beds or lips turning a blue or grey color. If this is happening, he is in very severe distress and needs to be seen by medical professionals immediately. I hope I have helped a little. Good luck to you and your son. D.

My youngest daughter is 20 months old and she has been on oral steroids and inhaled steroids, and also on a nebulizer she gets the cough from hell also ever time she gets sick to. She also does the thing of coughing for an hour after her breathing treatment. It gets better I promise it is not so bad now that we have the nebulizer instead of just the inhailer. She got RSV twice when she was 6 months and then again when she was 8 months and ever since then we have had to use the nebulizer and the Pulmicort steriods every time she get sick. I am a mother of three 5 1/2, 2 1/2 and a 20 month old.