Treating seasonal allergies in little kids? archived

Your doctor is correct that you shouldn't give him both Benadryl and Claritin at the same time since they are both antihistamines. However, if you called the doctor and he only suggested another OTC, I'd look into another doctor. The drug name of Benadryl is diphenhydramine. It's also the main ingredient used in OTC sleeping pills, so yes, it will most likely make him drowsy. There are prescription medications that can help, the most common one for children is Singulair (no, it's not just for asthma).

My husband has the same type of allergies that you describe, his eyes get very red and he also gets real dark circles under them. He doesn't take any Rx meds for his allergies since he's too lazy to get his butt down to the doctor for a script. I know there are OTC eye drops that also help with the eye symptoms caused by allergies (besides visine) but I wouldn't recommend them for a child without first checking with your doctor.

I also think that response from your doctor is disappointing. I know you like him, as I do, but his reluctance to treat allergies kind of bugs me. I feel like I have to "prove" every year that my kid is suffering enough to warrant prescription treatment. It's annoying. Giving your kid benadryl before school would be a recipe for disaster, as you might as well give him a sleeping pill.

Our son goes through the same thing every spring. Here's my list:

1. We moved "up" to Zyrtec from Claritin (also tried Allegra, but Zyrtec has been better for him)
2. Flonase nasal spray: a topical steroid spray that will help to decrease the swelling/irritation in the sinuses, helping him to breathe better and not get clogged and infected (as my son did every year prior to Flonase)
3. Prescription eye drops. Dr. Cotler will tell you to try the over the counter drops (for redness and irritation) first. IMHO, it's a waste of time and money for kids with serious pollen allergy. I personally don't like to see the kid suffer this way, and don't think it's ok to have them rubbing their dirty little paws in their eyes all day.
4. Limit outdoor play as much as you and he can stand
5. Have him wash his hands, spash his face after being outside
6. Shower before bed, get the contaminated clothes out of his room, and if possible, keep his bedroom windows closed.

I know it seems like a lot of medicine, but if your son is like ours, it's only for about a month or so, and then things will get much better. My kid only uses this stuff in the spring for a few weeks.


Good luck!

Dr. said OTC eye drops are fine, and we have been using them. To be fair, the doctor did say to let him know if he continues to be really miserable, so maybe I'll put another call in to ask about an Rx. Although I really hate to have him medicated at all. But he is SO mIserable.

I appreciate the doctors hesitancy in recommending prescription drugs, as I am hesitant to medicate unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. So, I guess it is absolutely necessary, and I'll have to ask the right question. The only reason he recommended another OTC is because I called asking "what else" I might give at night that would be stronger so he could get a good nights sleep. And, apparently, Zyrtec is not to be used on 3 1/2 year olds--unfortunately. I also hesitate to use nasal spray for two reasons 1) I don't think he'll tolerate it 2) my husband has had a dependency on nasal spray since I've known him, and I don't want to introduce that as an option for my kids!

Thanks for the pointers mjh. Since I do not suffer from allergies I have NO IDEA what kinds of things to do to help him. We've been rinsing hands and face often and bathing as often as possible, but I had no idea about "contaminated clothes!"

patinol (sp) eye drops by prescription are wonderful for allergy eyes and can be used in children, however check with your doc regarding the age. Showering before bed and making sure he is not lying on his sheets with playclothes on makes a difference as does changing sheets more frequently. Are you giving the claritin at night or in the AM? My doctor says it is more effective in kids if given in the PM,

Maybe I was a little harsh in recommending finding a new doctor, but I remember being younger (though not as young as your son) and my doctor blowing off my allergies. When I tried to explain how miserable I was, her snippy reply was to take Sudafed. I ended up at another doctors, and by then I needed Rx allergy meds, Rx nasal spray, and antibiotics for a severe sinus infection.

Just to give some personal info on where untreated allergies can lead. My son (then about 5) was showing signs of seasonal allergies which were mostly red-itchy eyes and lots of blinking. He was stuffy in am and pm but not too bad during the day. Besides using otc eye drops we did nothing. By late September he had a cough that wouldn't go away and by Oct he was diagnosed with pneumonia. The Doctor said that the build up of mucus over the summer (especially ragweed season in August) definitely led to the infection.

So I agree with Spontaneous: It is better to err on the side of treatment especially now that there are so many better choices then there used to be.

My two year old is suffering as well, in fact I was just at the pediatrician yesterday. The OTC Claratin does not seem to be helping, so my ped gave me an Rx for Zyrtec. I'm hoping this will help. We also have the Patanol eye drops. So it is not true that Zyrtec is unacceptable for 3 yr olds, I just got some for my 2 year old! I hate the idea of medicating him as well, but it is worse to see him suffer from the allergies.

One thing to keep in mind about allergies is about antihistimines. Whichever one you use needs to be used on a continuous basis to work. They won't help after the fact, they help to block the allergy before it occurs. I found this out with my severe allergic condition. I would take the antihistimine after the reaction until a dr finally told me that the anti-histimines are to be used as a preventative.

I don't have seasonal allergies, but friends who do say not much is working this year. Singulaire and Zyrtec appear to be the medications of choice for kids.

And about nasal spray....Flonase and Nasonex (which my company makes) are very different than the OTC spray Afrin (which my company also makes). Afrin IS addictive if used over a long period of time because of the way it feels in the nose and back of the throat. The prescription nasal sprays don't shrink sinuses in the same way and are not considered addictive. And while Afrin is more of a treatment of symptoms, Flonase & Nasonex are preventative like the antihistimines above. You have to use them on a daily basis to get the benefit (takes a couple of days). They both work GREAT though (I've used both).

Patinol are the eye drops we have for our son too.

I don't disagree with a general hesitation to medicate. However, once it has been determined that a child can't get through the season without prescription medication, I don't want to have to "prove it" every spring, e.g. wait until his face is totally swollen, he's too miserable to go to school, and then take him to the doctor to demonstrate to him that the OTC products are not good enough for his allergies. Like mod above, my son gets serious sinus infections if we do not treat the pollen allergy aggressively. And he suffers to a degree I do not find acceptable.

matb: The flonase nasal spray is not one of the type that people get dependent upon. It will not cause symptoms to worsen when it is stopped. My kid totally goes off all these meds once the pollen count drops, with no problems. I'm not pushing you toward more medicine, as I totally respect not medicating if you can help it, just letting you know it's not the type of thing that will cause a problem. My husband uses it temporarily too, without problem.

matb, my son had the same miserable symptoms, only at a later age (say 9 or 10 +), so you and #3 have all my sympathies. The following worked for him, though of course it would all have to be run past your pediatrician b/c your son is so young.

1. eye drops - OTC, B&L Opcon antihistamine drops worked well; he also used the Patanol at one time but found it stung his eyes more.

2. OTC decongestant, Sudafed, just to dry his nose so he could get to sleep (actually, when the allergies were at their worst, I would also send a tablet in his school lunch, but don't tell!)

3. antihistamines - the one that worked best for him was Zyrtec, but it's my understanding that it depends on your specific allergies, so anything is worth a try. As someone said above, any antihistamine works much better if it gets in there before there's already a huge allergic reaction going on.

4. NasalCrom (cromalyn sodium) - this is an OTC (I think it was a nasal spray) to use BEFORE the symptoms get bad, I think a couple of weeks before the expected season. It seemed to help a lot.

5. household stuff - what everyone has said above: wash hands and face when he comes inside; be sure to shower before bed so the pollen in the hair doesn't get on the pillow; also keep the bedroom windows closed and the sheets/pillow covered up during the day; a cool damp washcloth on the eyes at bedtime can reduce the itch; if he's coughing, raise his pillow or the head of the bed a little. With such a little one, it seems as though he could hardly wash hands too much, since they often have their hands to their face.

It's awful when they're so miserable and can't sleep, isn't it? The good news in our case was that at 18 or 19 the allergies just shut down as if they'd never been there, so there's hope!

Thanks all. Mjc, yes, I am hoping he'll grow out of this. And thanks wendyn and mjh for the heads up about the nasal sprays. We just picked up a prescription for Singulaire chewables, which I will start for him tonight. The pharmacist says I can do both Singulaire (at bedtime) and Claritin (during the day) so I think I'll try that. If the eyes are not improved, then I guess I need ask for the prescription for those drops, which I completely forgot about.

As his mom--who does not suffer from allergies--it may take me a while to get the hang of all this, but I'm working on it. I'm most concerned about remembering to anticipate it next year! So many things to try to remember to plan ahead for. How will I know when to start giving the preventives ahead of time? Do I just guess? Seems to me this spring, one day it was freezing cold, the next day things were blooming all over the place and there was green stuff all over everything.

Children rarely outgrow allergies. They may develop new ones, and the ones that they have may intensify. There is a danger of complication, eg. chronic bronchitis, sinus infections, and asthma. I suffered from allergies as a child, and was treated with shots and sinus irrigation by an ENT. As I grew older, the allergic sumptoms seemed to lessen because I was being treated, but when I moved out here I was exposed to a whole new set of allergens, and I had to have treatment again. I am finally symptom free again, but I am always aware of the possiblility that something new will send me back to the allergist again.

Bottom line--get your kid to an allergist! No little kid should have to feel miserable on a beautiful spring day.

matb: Would it help to associate starting the preventatives with Easter? April Fool's day? Long before mother's day, for sure.

Yup, get your little bunny NasalCrom for his Easter basket..........(or your little lamb gets NasalCrom for Passover..........)

:wink:

We actually went so far as to get my son shots to build up his resistence. He is an avid soccer player and not being outside on bad days was not an option. (We were at the point that even with medicines we were taking boxes of tissues to games and he'd run over to the sideline when he could to blow his nose - he was seven at the time. Good thing my husband was coach and willing to stand there with the tissues!).
I'd recommend testing because, while the onset, etc, seem to indicate pollen, there may be other triggers that are making things worse (like cats for my son - not highly allergic, but we keep them out of his room in the spring and fall when the mold and pollen counts are higher).
Hope the little guy is feeling better!

forgot to mention: a HEPA air cleaner in the room can help,too.

As far as remembering to start the NasalCrom/antihistamines/whatever a little early - do you (or for that matter, himandtheboys) have a calendar you could put it on this far in advance? personally, I would write it on the March or April page of this year's calendar, then move it to next year's along with the birthdays, etc., but not everybody does that (esp. not everybody with 3 young guys).

here's to a good night's sleep for #3

Wendyn is right about the "nasal spray." Nasal spray is just the delivery system, it's not the drug. Saying that you won't let your kid use nasal spray because your husband is addicted to nasal spray is akin to saying that you won't let your child take any medicine that comes in pill form because you know someone who was addicted to quaaludes. I've had seasonal allergies for years, and so have my kids. The most effective medicine by far is the nasal steroids, like Flonase. It's generic now, so it's no so expensive. If he is congested in his nose and face, the antihistamines will not do a thing for him. Antihistamines will help runny nose, sneezing, and itchiness in the eyes and nose. In my opinion, by far the best combination of allergy meds is a nasal steroid (like Flonase) plus an antihistamine-decongestant combination (like Allegra-D or Zyrtec-D). If necessary, you can add an anti-histamine eyedrop like Zaditor, which is now OTC -- nt sure what the new OTC brand name is though.

By the way, I think Claritin is the least effective of the antihistamines.

You mean I'm NOT supposed to be giving the kids quaaludes?

Uh oh!

:shamed:

Meand,
You might try the OTC eye drops Similisan although the Patinol does work well. I think they make a child's Similisan. As far as the stuffiness---run a hot shower before you bathe him at night so the bathroom is nice and steamy---that should get things flowing. The Afrin, neosynepherine, etc.do cause a rebound, as you are well aware, but if he will tolerate it, and you think it will help,you might try a saline spray like Ocean.

Poor baby---when he sleeps at night, keep his windows closed until the A/C comes on, and invest in a good air purifier.

Give him plenty of TLC---that is the best medicine.

Calli