Hey Moms,
I'm running out of allergy medicine options for my daughter and I'm just not sure what to do anymore. I'm thinking it may be time to see a pediatric allergist, but I'm not sure what more they can do.
We have tried Claritin and Zyrtec and they both cause a huge behavioral change in her. Zyrtec was definitely worse than Claritin. Later, we tried samples of Allegra. It seemed to work okay, so I got a prescription for it. After a few weeks her behavior changed. I took her off of it for almost a month and noticed she became my sweet daughter again (as sweet as a spirited 4 can be). Last week her allergies were getting really bad again, so to avoid another ear infection I put her back on Allegra. Within a few days she was acting really weird again so I have taken her back off the Allegra. What other medicines are there? What has worked for your child? Have you experienced any behavior changes in your child that was on any of the meds?
We have tried Naet and unfortunately it didn't work. I'm not sure what else to do. If she isn't on any medicine then she gets congested and then gets ear infections.
I'm with the people that said try homeopaths, because all I know is that a doctor tried to prescribe me Singulair, and I was having severe agitation. I looked it up on a website called Ask a Patient, and all these parents had written in saying how it made their kids act like monsters. Same with some of the other allergy meds.
You need to take her to the allergist. I have horrible allergies (at 2 years old I had the highest oak count my family doc had seen in anyone, let alone a 2 year old), and I had to go on MANY meds before we realized that when they are horribly bad (I have bad times of the year) I would have to get a shot to make things better. An allergist will be able to work with you to figure out what is best for your daughter. Good luck...it is such a tough thing to have bad allergies! :)
Hi
I went the holistic route with my son. At one he was on steriods and inhalers.
I decided to look at other options. He had a full allergy test done and went on homeopatic medicines.
For us it was the best thing.He is now a very healthy three year old.He does not use any inhalers or take meds and has not been at a regular doctor since.
When I see the first sign of sickness or allegies I take him to the holistic center for a course of remedies.This usually happens every 6-9 months.
I would recommend doing lots of research to find a center in your area that has a good rep and give it a try.Make an appointment and try it if it feels right for you and your child.
Good Luck
B.
My 4 yr old son has allergic rhinitis and gets a horrible stuffy nose. Claritin and Zyrtec were useless. Our pediatrician had him start on Singulair a few weeks ago and so far I have seen major improvement. (Singulair is primarily marketed for asthma patients but a secondary on-label use is for allergic rhinitis and hay fever.) It's a berry flavored chewable tablet and you only have to give it once a day at bedtime. My son knows it's medicine but he hasn't objected to taking it like he did with the liquid allergy meds. Best of luck! I hope you find something that works for you daughter. :)
Adjust the dosage.
Some people/kids, are just more sensitive to medications. My friend is like that.
Speak to a Specialist.
And as the other poster said, maybe try a homeopathic route, but see a Holistic doctor.
And yes, any medication, can cause side effects/behavior changes... in kids.
Also, pinpoint, what she is allergic too.... if possible.
good luck,
Susan
I'm glad I read your question. We tried Claritin with our daughter when she was 2 and it give her unbelievably horrible nightmares. She now uses Fluticason nasal spray (the generic of Flonase) and it works pretty well. It's a preventative medicine, though. What's really good about it is you can ALSO use Benadryl or other antihistimine type allergy medicines with it. However, we tried it on my 2 year old son and it caused him to have very out of character temper trantrums. We and the pharmacist are pretty sure it's the steroid in it. But it doesn't cause that problem with our daughter and doesn't necessarily mean your daughter will have trouble with it.
I would be careful with a neti pot in a child. When I used them I got terrible headaches (for 12 hours after using it). It turned out there's something weird about my nasal cavities and the water wasn't all draining out. I discovered that one day when 2 hours after using it water literally poured out of my nose.
Use a Neti Pot. It will rinse all of the allergens out of her sinuses. You will need to use 2-3 times a day at first but after that only 1-2 times a day during the allergy season. It is not an end-all-be-all solution but it will help tremendously. It definitely helps with congestion - all of my family uses them and our allergies have significantly reduced. And, there is no medication so no behavior changes!
Allergy medicine isn't meant for long term. Any medication taken for weeks at a time can cause issues. She could go to the doc and get allergy shots - those do wonders.
You don't say how old your child is. She could be taking too much which would result in the reaction you are getting. The doctors do not always know what is best, you are your child's best advocate. You may need to adjust the amount of medication she is taking. Allergy medicines are only taken once a day - maybe cut them in half.
My son uses Singular, but it is expensive even with insurance.
