Do any of your little ones take any medications regularly?
If you don’t mind, Please chime in and tell me what they are taking, frequency and why.
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I’m asking because my Dd just started oral immunotherapy for her numerous food allergies. They want me to give her. 1.25 ML Zyrtec daily.
Their explanation was to keep the immune system as calm as possible while we start introducing/dosing her food allergens.
I’m not feeling great about giving her medicine regularly if she’s not having allergic reactions to those foods and passed that food challenge.
As far as I’ve read from the moms with kids in the program they follow the directions and give the medicine. I’m not super against giving it and so far I’ve given it daily for a week. I just dont feel great about it.
Please chime in. Thank you.
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@iluvboba637: my DD takes Zyrtec for her seasonal allergies. I very much dislike that I have to give it to her, but kick myself everytime I stop dosing it too soon (before the allergen is gone). In our case, I can see how much it helps her and how miserable she is when we realize too late that the season has started and she needed it earlier.
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Hi! I think it’s very common to feel weird about giving our kids (prescription) medicine. I gave both of my sons Zantac for close to 6 months. My first, I felt very conflicted until I saw how well it worked for him. My 2nd, any worry went out the window
I just reminded myself to trust my doctors, and if I didn’t trust them for such a basic medication, maybe I should find a new doctor.
I also weighed the benefits - something like Zyrtec could (potentially) be lifesaving when introducing allergens, so that to me would be worth it.
You could always voice your concern to the doctor and phrase it as “it’s not you it’s me. It’s not that I don’t trust you, I’m just a mom who is scared and want to know of any potential side effects or concerns with giving this medicine. Is there a way to only take it when new foods are being introduced vs foods we know are safe?” I think that as long as you don’t go in hot, and ask questions kindly and with geniune concern, all they will do is answer kindly and give you any reassurance you need.Oh I also reminded myself that my baby wasn’t on some kind of clinical trial for a new medicine - it was a common drug used for years and years and certainly thousands upon thousands of babies before mine used it. The potential for any unknown issues to pop up in my kid were basically zero. I would feel the same about Zyrtec.
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@iluvboba637: my son is almost 6 and has been taking a daily antihistimine at bedtime for almost 2 years, for sleep though not for allergies. It has been life changing for us and I was nervous about it at first too but have seen no negative side effects and have absolutely no regrets.
We just started a tiny dose of an ADHD medication as well. Also nervous and cautiously optimistic. We are watching closely and weighing the benefit vs side effects for this as well.
I think you have to trust your gut feeling, but recognize that unless you are a trained medical professional they know more than you about the medical stuff. That doesnt mean they get the final say...but if you share your concerns and they still think it is the best, and you have no concrete reason not to trust them, my thought is usually to trust their judgement.
I say that as a mom who has also been told repeatedly to treat my daughters occasional constipation with preventative miralax and have ignored this recommendation. We use it as needed and most of the time it's enough. 🤷♀️ If the problem gets worse, I know what to do, but for now occasional constipation isnt worth daily meds to me.
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My older son did Zantac for like 8-10 months as a baby, then daily orange puffer and blue puffer as needed for a year or so, and has taken a preventative dose of Restoralax for over a year.
I dunno, none of it ever bothered me because I just wanted to do whatever I could to improve his health/quality of life. -
Both my sons are on daily prescription medications for their asthma. My oldest is on Advair and my youngest is on Flovent and Singulair. These medications have kept us out of the ER and kept us from hospitalizations (both kids have been hospitalized twice due to their asthma), so I'm a HUGE fan of these daily medications!
Whenever we're seeing our in-laws, they also get dosed with Zyrtec, since they are allergic to their dogs. It's a huge help so we can hang out with them longer before the sneezing and itchy eyes begin.
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My DS (4) has taken Cetirizine since he was 1-1/2 due to terrible allergies (and to help dry up the fluid in his ears and sinuses). My DD (nearly 11) has taken Ranitidine for acid reflux (made worse by 2 minor hernias) since she was 4 mos old, AND Flonase for seasonal allergies and allergies to mold and mildew, since she was around 2.
With both children, I felt conflicted at the start of each treatment; however, I soon realized that they were taking the lowest dose approved for each AND that the benefits of utilizing the medications outweighed all adverse effects. I am glad DD and DS were able to find relief with said medications. Good luck with you and DD as she begins immunotherapy!
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@SweetiePie: @muffinsmuffins: @Mrs. Lion: thank you. I guess i just got a little guilt ridden and side tracked and didn’t think realistically about how many people take allergy medications, with Zyrtec being one of them.
@SweetCaroline: glad to hear that Zyrtec works for your dd. I guess I forgot that people take allergy meds to *prevent* allergy symptoms when they are exposed to the allergen. I was thinking of how we have Benadryl at home for hives from accidental exposure.
@Kaohinani: Sorry to hear about your kids’ allergies but glad that you found something that worked for them. And thank you for your good luck wishes as we embark on this OIT journey.
@Adira: thank you. I always appreciate all your responses with my food allergy related questions. I hope both your sons have been doing well. Also glad to hear that Zyrtec works for your kids dog allergy. My dd tested 0.35 for dog sander too. Allergies suck. Fortunatley medical science has come a long ways when when it comes to allergies and I pray for our kids and all kids to be free of all allergies or find major major relief in their lifetime.
Thank you everyone for your responses. I feel so much less guilty now.
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This is not prescription, exactly, but W takes Restoralax daily, and has for about 18 months, at the advice of a paediatrician. I don’t feel great about him taking it every day, but when we’ve tried to wean him off of it he very quickly gets very constipated, so it is what it is. The doctor said to keep him on it until he’s potty trained, and then I guess we’ll reassess.
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Between 2 and 7 months, my LO took medicine for reflux, initially 3x per day. We tend to be a somewhat anti-medicine household, in that my husband spent a lot of time studying side effects from medication for a previous job, so is very familiar with the negatives. However, he saw how painful reflux was for my LO and decided it was worth it.
We also gave him benadryl fairly often for a period due to really severe eczema. It was better than it getting infected and needing antibiotic. Once we discovered his various food allergies and removed those entirely from our home, we were able to easily wean. Did not notice any side effects...
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My situation is a bit different, but my son takes Trileptol for a hereditary seizure disorder. He takes 2mLs twice a day. My daughter has also taken this medication (for the same reason) but she has outgrown the disorder and is off of the medicine now. We had some issues finding the right medicine that would work, but we never had any reservations about giving this type of medicine to our kids. Seizures are terrifying and I would happily do ANYTHING to make them stop.
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