Our doctor told us 2 months ago that we could give our son 2.5 ml(half the dose due to his age) of Claritin to see if it would help with his ongoing congestion. They keep telling me he is too young to be test for allergies, but said I could try the medicine to see if it would help. We have been giving it to him daily, but it wasn't until about 5-6 weeks after doing the Claritin daily that the congestion went away. Congestion was clear for 3 weeks until this Monday after we stopped the medicine for 3-4 days (but he also goes to daycare so could be a cold) For those moms with kids with allergies; First, could it take that long for the medicine to really work? and for those of you who give your kids allergy medicine, is it okay to give it to him EVERY DAY for months on end?
Ask the doctor but my daughter and I take allergy meds every day. Daily allergy meds may be what he needs. I wouldn't stop if it's helping him.
My son takes allergy medication daily - has since he was about 10. We did not know that he had allergies when he was little. He had chronic ear infections (fluid in ear) and always seemed to have a cold - he was going to daycare. We had tubes put in - so he could hear. He had eczema - which was brought on by allergies. It was all kind of a hard thing to figure out - ENT, paediatrician, allergist, dermatologist ... finally by age 10 we knew it was all due to allergies.
When he was very little - he was tested for allergies but came up with nothing. So I don't know how that works.
As for taking allergy meds daily - yes, he has to. I can't remember how long they took to kick in. I do know if he misses a day, he's scratching and his eyes get red. He also will get congested - sniffles.
What does your Dr advise you to do? We do t know your situation, child's health or diagnosis. We can't tell you what to do, diagnose or tell you to stop/start meds.
Call your Dr and ask.
You see that it worked because when you stopped the congestion came back. Ask the Dr.
We take Zyrtec daily and have for years. Actually we alternate so we don't get too used to one allergy pill. When I need to buy another bottle, I'll buy Claritin and we alternate with Claritin and Zyrtec.
I'm in TX and never had an allergy until I moved here almost 30 years ago. My dog has an allergy pill she takes as well.
He needs to build his immune system. I would think he shouldn't have any allergy meds unless it was causing such severe congestion he couldn't breathe. I would ask a pharmacist in all honesty, they know more about meds than any doc I know.
The short answers to your questions are: No, it normally won't take that long for an allergy medication to work, and Yes, it is generally OK to give this drug long-term to treat allergies.
So, the way allergy medication such as Claritin works is to suppress part of the immune system that responds to histamine. (I found a great easy-to-understand video of how anti-histamines work if you are interested, youtube link below) For people with allergies, if they take the medication before an exposure to something they are allergic to, it prevents the reaction, or makes any reaction that occurs to be less severe than normal. People who take these medications after they have already begun a reaction may need a few doses to overcome their body's response to the allergen.
You don't mention if the congestion improved when you initially started using the Claritin, only that it resolved after >1 month of use. It is *possible* your son has allergies (discontinuing the Claritin resulted in a return of congestion), but also possible that he may have been dealing with a virus that finally resolved weeks after you initially started the Claritin. At this point, I would recommend a follow up with the doctor, to see if continuing the medication is advised, or if something else should be tried.
For the most part, giving an antihistamine long term to treat chronic allergies is considered safe - most side effects will resolve when the drug is discontinued. 1st generation antihistamines (Benadryl) have a lot of side effects like dry mouth & drowsiness, because the drug is not as specific & can cross into other areas of the body where receptors recognize the structure. 2nd generation (Claritin, Zyrtec) are more specific, and tend to have fewer side effects.Your doctor or pharmacist can explain what the most common side effects are to expect (you are probably aware of what they are by now), and if there are rare/serious issues you should be aware of.
Title: How does Claritin (loratadine) work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACZrelZMNMY
Hopefully this was helpful, & I wish your little one feels better soon! T. :)
