Behavioral Problems & Antihistamines?

I took my child off of singulair because I noticed behavioral problems as well. The dr. said its more prominent in older children and at his age he is too little (4 yrs old). I noticed a changed when he got off of them, and I do not give him allergy meds any longer. As a mom, I know my child, and regardless what the dr. says, I know the meds were not good for him. Also, as he gets older, I didnt want him to be dependent on it and develop behavioral problems and wait til he got older to address it.
Hope this helps.

This sounds like whooping cough, also known as Pertussis. Did he develope it after receiving the DPT shot?

I know of a boy that was on Singular for 5 yrs and got more and more anxious every year, finally they read that was a possible side affect, took him off of it and he himself told his mom he was so happy he didn't have those jitters and worries anymore. So, personally, I'd avoid that one!

I have a daycare boy that has been on zyrtec for a while, and no big issues. I do notice issues when he has benedryl though.

I totally agree that there could be emotional side affects, so good for you paying attention.

My daughter was having spacing out issues from the over the counter Triaminic cold medicine so we had to not use that. But she's been on Claritin for over 2 weeks now and I have to say she is behaving BETTER now, lol. Finally she is resting completely and I think that is what is making her behave better. But she is almost 10, so different body age.

Both Clariten and Zyrtec send my son into high moods where he cannot sleep and he is off the wall. He has allergies and breaks out in hives after going outside so we found that Benadryl at night and when he gets bad during the day works for us. The 24 hour pills he breaks them all down at once and that's why he can't sleep. My dad is the same way.

I would definitely get a referral for an allergist.

Hi J.,

My 3 year old daughter was diagnosed with something called "Cough Variant Asthma". Her allergist prescribed Singulair which I DON'T RECOMMEND to anyone!! Her behavior went off the charts (not listening, crying at the drop of a hat, fear etc.) She was definitely not herself until we stopped the medicine. However, she has successfully used Zyrtec for months. We give it to her a night before bed so she isn't as tired during the day. Every child reacts differently to medicine. Your son might not do well on Zyrtec. There are other medicines you might need to try. I hope you find something that works for him.

Is the cough is "episodes"? If so, I bet it is Whooping Cough. My daughter has had it for 3 week, but it is known in China as the 100 day cough. Pediatricians have a hard time diagnosing it because it is in their Pharnyx and not their lungs. Check out this website, it describe our situation exactly. My son has asthma and allergies, and I just knew that this cough was different! Always good to at least check it out. www.whoopingcough.net

J.,

It's a good thing you took your son off Singulair. Last year when my son was 3, he was also put on Singulair. His pediatrician diagnosed him with cough variant asthma. It's a mild form of asthma that is triggered when he gets a cold/flu and would sometimes turn into bronchitis. After a few days on Singualair, my son displayed very aggressive bahavior. It was very scary to see my child go from a normal active boy to a very angry hyper child. Unfortunately my pediatrician never mentioned these side effects and I accidentily (and luckily) found the askapatient website you are talking about. I was actually looking for information for my other son who had pneumonia at the time. I immediately took my son off Singulair and within a couple of days he was back to his normal self. After that, the doctor prescibed flovent as a preventative measure and he takes 2 puffs in the morning and 2 puffs at night between Labor day and Memorial Day. The Dr. said we could reduce it to once a day during the really cold months like Jan and Feb. I have to say that this has cut down on his getting sick significantly. He started this past September and has only been sick twice. At the first onset of a cough I immediatly give him his Albuteral inhaler. He only uses this when he is sick and does not need the inhaler at any otner times which is different then someone that has regular asthma. My son has been in full day daycare for 3 years already and the first 2 years before the Flovent, he would get sick with coughs, colds, bronchitis ect. several times between October and April. Hope this helps.

I'm a single Mom to two wonderful boys 4 and 6.

My son is on Allegra with Benadryl supplement when the allergies get bad. Zyrtec had a huge behavioral change and my sweet little boy became cranky and practically unmanageable. The Allegra is not enough for him, but at least it's having less side effects overall. I would see a pediatric allergist to talk about allergies. I'm trying the allergy shot treatment with my son right now, in the hopes we can get rid of the allergies.

Another thought, however, is that you might also check for reflux issues. I have a friend who's son had a chronic cough and no other symptoms and they finally treated him for reflux and the cough went away! It would be good to check that too, with your pediatrician, just in case.

Good luck!

go see a pediatric pulmonologist - any pediatrician should refer you if he has been coughing that long. also - talk to your doctor about changes in behavior from medicines - they should be able to help you - depending on what it is - it can be dangerous to just "discontinue"

Great question. We have been back & forth with concerns about singulair for the past 5 years with our almost 6 year old. He was on zyrtec for about a week and the change in him was intolerable, lots of mood swings and very emotional. Plus it seemed to disrupt his sleep, which led to more behavioral concerns. He was not diagnosed with allergies until this year, even though we had seen an allergist at about 2 y/o. I too am an SLP and pretty good observer of my darlin. I'd been concerned for years but ignoring my gut. Ped said that it wasn't because of the medicine but I felt strongly otherwise. We see a pulmonologist now for allergy/asthma management and he does much better with a different combination of medicines and avoidance of trigger foods. Good luck!

About the chronic cough, my neighbor just told me that her 5 year old had a chronic cough and was getting frequent ear infections. Her cough would get worse at night and would cough so bad that she would vomit. She took her to several doctors before one told her that it was GERD. She started taking the antacid-type medicine, I forget the name, a half hour before dinner and the cough is gone. Her ear infections have been almost illiminated as well. Just something to consider. It is something I never would have thought about to consider. Good luck

Hi Julainne,
Yes. My 5 year old has really bad allergies and a few years ago our pediatrician recommended 2 and I don't remember what they were and my son went NUTS. Its was almost scary at how different he acted.

We tried a few nutritional products and it has made a world of difference. If you are interested in hearing what we did, I would be happy to share.
B.

Drugs are a last resort for me, only when nothing else works. He probably should have a RAST test done and see what allergens cause him to have a reaction and eliminate those even mild for a while. If you have carpeting at home either pull it up or make sure it is vaccuumed often. Make sure he washes his hands frequently and learns to not do things like pick his nose, frequently touch his face and how to cough and sneeze and blow nose so he doesn't retransfer or grow extra germs. Make sure he is drinking plenty of water and if he doesn't like it plain add only things like simply lime, lemon or orange. If you have a pet make sure they are not the culprit. Also check around for mold at your house.

J.,

I gave my son Claritin instead of Benadryl for a hive outbreak once and he went bizark! He was wired for about five hours that day. I will never use Claritin again with him. My neighbors little girl has had the same cough for about as long as your little boy has. She has not been given anything to do in order to rid her daughter of the cough except for tea with lemon and honey. I read on this site before to rub Vicks Vapor Rib all over the bottom of their feet and put socks on them. Don't ask me why but people wrote in that it really worked! Good luck.

We had big problems with Zyrtec. I would give it at night because it made my son drowsy, but the next day he would still be tired and crabby. Almost like having a hangover. Anyway, I switched meds - clarinex - and it worked much better.

I just got a prescription for cingulair for my 5 year old today (different kid than mentioned above) , so now I'm going to watch and wait. He has been in bad shape and I tried over the counter meds, but they haven't worked and he needs something.

Thanks everyone for sharing!

M.

My daughter was diagnosed with asthma after a bout with Pneumonia when she was 2. It didn't lead to a chronic cough but everytime she gets a cold it turns into a terrible cough at night and in the morning so most of the winter we had coughing. Our doctor prescribed a nebulizer 3 times a day during these times and if the cough was really bad recommended a steroid inhaler as well (we only had to use that during one episode when it was very bad and she had a lot of wheezing as well). This seemed to help clear things up quickly. We also used a humidifer at night which I think really helped as well. My sisters little boy had RSV when he was a infant and struggled for years with asthma and coughing but now at 6 is doing great with no issues anymore.

Sorry i don't have any information on the allergy medication as we have not tried any.

If my daugher was on Dimeatapp for more then 2 days she would become so hyper. She would just run around the house like crazy. Sometimes this was at 2 in the morning.

My daughter had the same problem on Zyrtec! She was a little over two when she started developing problems. I started her on Zyrtec because by ped gave me a bunch of free samples. I went back to my ped doc and told her that my daughter's behavior changed and she was just mean on this med. Hitting, crying, acting up. My ped just kind of smiled and said "It's not the medicine". I was not happy by this at all, but my girls and I both really like her so I didn't let that get to me. Long story short, she was diagnosed with asthma due to seasonal allergies. I now give her benedryl EVERY night. What a difference! If she really needs it during the day I will give it to her but it does make her drowsy. That's why I always give it to her about an hour before bedtime. I would rather have her a little tired then acting like a little girl I don't even know. She sees a specialist now (on top of her ped doc) and I told him about the Zyrtec and he said that it does seem to have that effect on some kids. I have talked to several moms and no one has ever had this problem with Zyrtec so I think we are few and far between. I told him about the benedryl and he said that was great. The benedryl will help drain your son so that the mucus is not sitting on his chest causing his cough.

Good Luck, I hope this helps!

When my son was 4, he was put on Zyrtec for allergies. It's supposed to make you sleepy( it did when I took it), but it kept him awake. We finally took him off of it.

Good luck.

J. R.

My son is now 11, and has allergies. We have given him several different allergy medicines that have made him aggressive to the point of changing his personality. You can even see in his eyes that he is not the same person. When he comes off of the medicine, he is so sad and depressed about how he acted. It breaks our hearts, and it has taken a long time to figure out what was causing it. I'm so happy to see that other people have shared similar experiences. We had a bad experience of rage this week, and he told me that his dad had given him lotadine when he got home from school, a few hours before it happened. Thanks for your posting.

My son was prescribed Zyrtec for his allergies at around the same age. After three days of a completely out of control child having constant meltdowns, I took him off the medication. It was ridiculous the change in his behavior. After I took him off the Zyrtec he was back to his sweet little self. No agression, no tantrums. More recently he was prescribed Claritin. He started telling me he was scared of things that had never bothered him previously. He complained of stomach pains regularly and for the first time since he started pre-school he got in trouble at school. Little things, to be sure, but I got to thinking about the Zyrtec fiasco and took him off the Claritin. He's now back to his normal little self. Nasal sprays don't seem to have the same (drastic) effect on him. My advice would be to ask about those. Or Benadryl. Best of luck!

I am not sure about the behavirol problems, but as far as the coughing goes, it could still be allegeries or even sinus congestion. Per my doctor when sinus occurs the mucus drains to the back of the throat at times this may cause coughing. Also do u have any pets in the home? This can be another attribute as well.

This might sound strange, but has the doctor ever mentioned acid reflux? My brother (as an adult) had a chronic cough and it turned out to be acid reflux.

This sounds like such a familiar story. We lived through this for years. Our son was finally referred to a asthma specialist who changed his life. Our son has asthma that does not always include an audible wheeze (cough substitute asthma). He is now on daily flovent (no side effects we can see) and no longer coughing at night.

Hi J.
Have you tried a cool mist humidifyer? My Daughter has terrible allergies and gets a very dry cough, it really seems to help. She does take Zyrtec (no behavior problems)and the poor thing takes a very high does. The other allergy meds (claritin, benedryl etc) did not work, She also uses Rhinacort (nosespray) Maybe that would help your son.
Good luck with this, it's really hard to get it figured out. It took us a few months to get where we are today.

V.

J.:
Sorry to hear of your troubles with your litte guy and I mean little when I heard you had him on those drugs. I would defnitely get another opinion and see someone who is more holistic. Putting drugs into his system is not working as you can see. I definitely would get him tested for allergies and MANY things are caused by the food we eat - especially dairy, processed foods, sugar, pop, etc. Start limiting and then eliminating as much as possible. I would also highly recommend probiotics for your child. This will help boost his little immune system. Does he take vitamins? All vitamins are NOT alike. It is important to get our nutrients from whole food sources that the body can digest and use, not synthetic. Eating more raw fruit and vegetables is a great start.

I'd be happy to provide you with a great source that I use that has worked wonders on my family's health. We are very busy and active people and have a great track record of health! I recently got my bloodwork back and was pleasantly surprised at how excellent is was!

Let me know how I can help. He's so young to be going through all of this! Best to you and your family.

K.
Wellness Consultant

I can't respond to the behavioral issues, but as for the cough -- have you had his adenoids looked at? My now almost 4 yo had his taken out last June and the chronic cough is gone. It was an immediate change.

Chronic cough can be a sign of asthma or as your previous posts mentioned "cough-variant asthma". Sometimes it's the only symptom of asthma. Don't get nervous by the word "asthma". This can go away or can just be a symptom at this time that he is exhibiting.

Do you have a nebulizer? Very important to have one on hand. Keep in mind - the bronchodilator medications that are used in the nebulizer can also make a child more energetic/aggressive. Someone mentioned flovent and, those medications are cortico-steroids. They are used to reduce inflammation and are are a good preventative medication, however, they can also pose side effects. If this is an asthma-induced cough and is so severe that his face turns red, he should have some kind of bronchodilator/nebulizer on hand. I've had asthma for over 20 years and am very familiar with these medications. I have even gone through allergy shots for many years.

If your child is off any kind of antihistamine for at least 48 hours, your doctor can write a scrip to bring to a hospital to get the RAST test, which is a very simple blood test that can give you an amazing amount of information, in days. You don't need a specialist to write a script - request it from your pediatrician or ENT. They are giving you the run-around! He could even have a food allergy which is something to discuss with the drs. Yes, GERD can be a concern but with his history of RSV this past winter, I would still be focusing on the bronchials/lungs/breathing. Regarding medications, unfortunately, for children, the side effects can be much more noticeable or they can be more sensitive to them.

Someone mentioned "whooping cough"....I believe your doctor would have been able to pick up on that. My son, at a very young age had RSV and it took a long time to rid him of the cough (he took albuterol-a bronchodilator-in a liquid form for a short time).. I, too, questioned whooping cough, as it has started to make a comeback. The dr. heard his cough and ruled it out. Hopefully your dr. has done the same and eased your mind.

My children have taken Claritin without any side effects, yet, we've tried Zyrtec and Benadryal and both have side effects for us.

Yes, his aggression could be age but with the symptoms that you are describing, he sounds like he has an underlying medical concern and it's good you are addressing it. At the very least, get a script for a nebulizer and medication and see if the dr. will give you that medication for the RAST testing.

Good luck.

We had major behavior problems with Zyrtec and Nasonex. I had to stop giving all allergy meds and try more natural saline solutions. Those have helped. My daughter is 2 and a half, I may try the medication again when she is older.

Patience; I have a 2-year old grandaughter at home. At this age they are very curious; so just gather a lot of different toys and sit with them and talk and explain what the toys are. When they get tired of one toy after about 5 minutes start with a different toy. You will have to sit there with them, because as long as you are sitting there they will be more interested. If you need to do something else, just continue the talking with them and show your interest. You can cook and clean at the same time; just let them help or think they are helping. Hope this helps.

I can't believe the doctor put your baby on those allergy medications without knowing if he even had allergies!

My daughter had the same cough situation, and she finally went through the battery of allergy tests and discovered she is allergic to several things. Singulair is working great for her, but she is 10.

Find an allergist (pediatrician can't do the whole thing) and get him tested...THEN decide your course of action. Hopefully you can find something that helps him without such strong drugs. He's too little for that.

Hi J., I too have a toddler with this ongoing coughing. But he was dx. with asthma/bronchital. I found what help for my baby was a humidipher and some vicks rub on his little chest and throat. It also makes the cough not as dry for him and more productive to spit it out. If you do put the vicks on him make sure he's cover up. I like the all in one blanket- sleepers (personally), and you should also try to give him a spoonful of honey with a squeeze of lemon. He'll love it, and it works. I do however continue to give him the claritin that also helps him alot. As far as the behavior problems they go through this stage, as long as we stay firm, they will realize wrong from right.

I also like to ask you a personal question, if its okay. My 3 year old hardly talks, he is doing a little better, he was refreed to a speech specialist. But he can't see them untill the beginning of the school year. How can I help him? His grandfather he said he didn't speak until he was 6. Any suggestion. A little about me, I' am a mothter of 5. My four boys are 14,14, 17 and my 3 year old soon to be 4. My only daughter of 20 and she has a 2 yr. old boy. I work part-ime as a teacher's assitant. Tutoring with reading and math for an after-school program . I love my job (wish it was more hours).

My sonn is 4 and has the same problem as your son. He's always had chronic cough, and recently, over the past 3 months, he's had problems similar to yours. We've tried everything over the counter and several different meds the doctor has prescribed. We'd have to listen to him cough off and on throughout the night...however...

try a Neti pot. It's a little water pot that has a saline solution that rinses out the sinus cavity. We've done it at night time mainly, and we haven't heard him cough at all. Follow the directions on the box, and after the rinse is done, you'll be amazed at what gets blown out of his nose. I think that the cough is just from a constant supply of yucky snot stuck in the sinuses. It's great because it's not a medicine and it's perfectly safe. The hardest part is to have your son breath through his mouth while you are doing the rinse.

Anyways...that's my two-cents worth.