Need advice - kids and singulair - HELP !!!

mikalina

My son who is (8) yrs old has asthma/allergies and it's really bad this week. Dr. gave us RX for Singulair. Anyone have their kids on it ? I just read on the bottle - side effects.

headache, mood related changes have been reported, agitation, aggression, anger, vivid dreams hallucinations,

are you kidding me, there is no way I can give this drug to my son.

Anyone put their child on the this- let me know. Thanks

mikalina

I forgot to mention; this is what he is on now.

Clariton, in the morning

Zyrtek in the evening


Q-Var (2) puffs every day during allergy season ( we us the inhaler )


Albuterol (1) time per day- to get asthma back in control - takes about 2 weeks. ( we use the nebulizer)
the "breathing machine" for this drug.


This is crazy - anyone else going thru this? Just wondering.

Jo

If your child is really a ' Special ' needs child,
then take him to another professional Doctor and get second or third opinions about his drug intake and side effects......

children are suppose to be hard to control, It is what makes you realise the kid is NORMAL!

Children are supposed to be lively!!!! Playfull. Constantly happy! Curiouse, and so challenging in thier little egos, that you think you can not handle being a parent........but .......
Thats parenting for you.

My best advise for anyone embarking on having a family is..........If you want the job done right, do it yourself.

Being a single parent is f*#king hard...don't give in. The Job will be over before you know it.....how much did you put in?
It IS true that children reflect thier upbringing.

mikalina

Jo wrote:

If your child is really a ' Special ' needs child,
then take him to another professional Doctor and get second or third opinions about his drug intake and side effects......

children are suppose to be hard to control, It is what makes you realise the kid is NORMAL!

Children are supposed to be lively!!!! Playfull. Constantly happy! Curiouse, and so challenging in thier little egos, that you think you can not handle being a parent........but .......
Thats parenting for you.

My best advise for anyone embarking on having a family is..........If you want the job done right, do it yourself.

Being a single parent is f*#king hard...don't give in. The Job will be over before you know it.....how much did you put in?
It IS true that children reflect thier upbringing.

I'm sorry - I must not have made it clear. My son is just fine. He just has bad asthma/ allergies because the weather is changing. Happens every spring and fall.

Singulair is actually a drug to help control asthma/allergies, so I'm wondering if anyone else has their kids on it because I'm not happy about the side effects it says on the bottle. Thanks

RMG14

I have 4 kids with asthma and allergies. My oldest is 8.5 and has been on Singulair since the age of 22 months. We have experience with Zyrtec and many different inhaler meds depending on age and doctor (we moved 5 years ago) and child, including Pulmacort, Flovent, Albuterol, Xopenex and Advair-- I may have missed some.

Our experience is that each kid reacts differently to each med, and each child has different needs. We've lived in the Boston and Philly area and have worked with some of the top rated allergists and pulmonologists. So far, they've each used Singulair.

I'm constantly surprised at the extent to which we need to monitor and guide medical decisions for our children. But I do believe that moms and dads know their kids best. For us, finding a trusted allergist/pulmonologist and pediatrician and working so that all three of us agree on each asthma plan has been our best path. I understand how much of a struggle it is to give your child so many meds... And then I remind myself that breathing is important! : ) Trust yourself.

Claireack

This probably won't be much help, but my 13 year old son was diagnosed with asthma when he was about six. He was given inhalers etc. Didn't like giving him anything to be honest, but never took him for a second opinion. One day changed his pillows from feather to microfibre and he hasn't needed his inhaler since.

Maybe look around at any environmental changes that can be made which might reduce his reliance on medication.

Good luck with it all.

blackredyellow

While those are scary side effects, and I'm (with no medical training) not going to tell you not to worry about it... but because of lawsuits the listed side effects of drugs are ridiculous.

Read these side effects below for a common over the counter drug:

* chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance;
* black, bloody, or tarry stools;
* coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds;
* swelling or rapid weight gain;
* urinating less than usual or not at all;
* nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
* fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;
* bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness; or
* fever, headache, neck stiffness, chills, increased sensitivity to light, purple spots on the skin, and/or seizure (convulsions).
* upset stomach, mild heartburn, diarrhea, constipation;
* bloating, gas;
* dizziness, headache, nervousness;
* skin itching or rash;
* blurred vision; or
* ringing in your ears.


While there are no mental side effects, it sounds scary, huh?


It's for ibuprofen, something that we probably haven't hesitated to give to ourselves or our children.
http://health.yahoo.com/pain-medication ... ideeffects

the wolf

the side effects listed means at least one person has had them during the trials of drug.

it could be one person out of millions, or 50 out of thousands. they just put that on there to cover their ass.

if it were me, I would give him the meds. at least this time to get him through the attacks, then maybe get a second opinion.

good luck.

JaneNY

Its a hard decision to make. That stuff does work. It can give you nightmares, but it stops happening for the most part. The hard part with a child is they are less equipped to deal with side effects than an adult, but I can tell you from experience the hard part is that Singulair does help. I use it. I don't like using it, but I breathe way better when I take it, and it means I can use way less inhaled steroid, and as you know esp. for kids you don't want them on too much inhaled steroid either.

mikalina

Thank you everyone for the info; It's hard to see your child suffering during this allergy season. You're right about trying different meds to see what works.

Thanks again everyone; I'm sure we will be talking with the Dr and allergy specialists.

canoegirl

ahh, advair i think this med works, singulair... well all meds have side effects, its up to us as parents to voice our concerns, i do not know how long your child has had this dx it is important to see the seasonal yearly patterns in this chronic illness and do not be afraid to ask your doctor questions good doctors will explain in lay terms so we as parents can make the right choices also children with this dx are more apt to getting infections allergy sx can lead to respitory infections so monitor his sx if they are not getting better do not be afraid to ask about antibiotics and short term oral steroidal meds do help to strengthen the lungs while they heal, evaluate the pros and cons of his singulair use as well as his other meds -assess, dx, plan, implement, and so very important evaluate-ADPIE if the cons of this med out weigh the pros go back to the dr with your concerns, its all about finding a balance that works best for your child, keep a journal with his meds and do try your hardest to look at enviromental and stress factors and make necessary changes, i hope that he grows out of this some do with time, and omg do make sure when you go to the dr that they check his spo2 at every visit with his other vs

justam

My son is twelve. He's been taking Singulair for a number of years. There have been no side effects for him.

If it's a low dose, I think this is a good Asthma drug. He also takes Advair during the winter and has an inhalor for emergencies.

dasvidana

I am wondering if he's had allergy testing to verify what he is allergic to. If not, I would definitely recommend it. If it's the usual stuff (pollen, dust, smoke, pet dandur, etc), then you need to remove the trigger. Sometimes it warrants quitting smoking if there is a smoker around, moving away from pollen if pollen is the trigger, getting rid of rugs if dust mites are the trigger, etc. If you've done the allergy testing already, then verify whether or not there is an allergy shot you can get to desensitize his immune system to that trigger. Good luck!

Franny

mikalina wrote:

My son who is (8) yrs old has asthma/allergies and it's really bad this week. Dr. gave us RX for Singulair. Anyone have their kids on it ? I just read on the bottle - side effects.

headache, mood related changes have been reported, agitation, aggression, anger, vivid dreams hallucinations,

are you kidding me, there is no way I can give this drug to my son.

Anyone put their child on the this- let me know. Thanks

My son is 5yo and has been on singulair for 2 years now. He has it for both asthma and allergies. He was previously taking flixotide junior and nasonex junior, with the addition of ventolin, and claratine or phenergan when required and would get 2-3 bouts of croup every winter, so that added predmix to the routine. Not fun for a 3yo, and the ventolin and predmix would make him really cranky and short tempered.

Since starting the singulair, he hasn't had to use anything else. I actually threw out the ventolin puffers a while ago as they had expired!!

We still have occassional use of claratine or phenergan, but that is generally only when people around our area have fires as he has an allergy to smoke.

As for the side effects, he has had absolutely none. I think the actual risk of side effects is minimal, but legally they have to publish any side effects that have been experienced by people taking the drug.


Coming from a family with multiple generations of asthma and allergy sufferers, and being one of them myself, I only wish singlair was available when I was a kid. My 11yo nephew has also been taking singulair for the past 4 years and he hasn't had attack since he started it either.

Jo

By all means, use whatever drugs are available that work, but I think these children also need to experience this discomfort to build up thier own immunity and learn to fight for themselves.

I know that may sound aloof, but what is going to happen if thier body relies on outside help to get them through a sticky patch?

Hearing that " generations" have been on the same medication sounds like ' indoctrination' of an unhealthy practice.

I am no one to talk......I have 2 people in my household who's next bee sting could be thier last.......
I live 25 minutes from a hospital, they have 20 minutes until they swell so much they can't breath.....
Drugs can be a life saver.

Franny

Jo wrote:

By all means, use whatever drugs are available that work, but I think these children also need to experience this discomfort to build up thier own immunity and learn to fight for themselves.

There is a bit of a difference between discomfort and being able to breathe. My sons first attack was when he was 18 months old, and trust me it was the scariest thing I have ever experienced. Then to have to rush him back to hospital in the middle of the night (1/2hr drive), for 3 consecutive nights is not something I would wish upon anyones child. It's distressing for both the child and the parent, and medicating a child of such a young age is not something entered into lightly. At the end of the day it comes down to what is best for the health of the child.