4 Year Old Always Thirsty

IT could be the asthma meds, but please take him to the Dr. That is a sign of diabetes. Is he constantly hungry and eat like there no tomorrow? That is also a sign.

You should definitely talk to his Pediatrician about his excessive thirst to rule out anything serious. I would imagine with the allergy/asthma medicine, he is either taking some type of antihistamines or decongestants, which are very 'drying' and can dehydrate. With the additional medicines, who knows. I have always thought that ringworm was treated with a topical medicine. If the combination of medicines is causing this, maybe his doctor can take him off of the Ringworm Meds and give him an ointment for that.

I would suspect that the allergy meds are to blame--increased thirst is listed as a side effect of Zyrtec, Claritin, Singulair, etc. Check the side effects included with your prescription or look them up online--you would be suprised about how little doctors know about the side effects of many drugs.

Diabetes can be difficult to diagnose in your children, some symptoms are:
thirst
weight loss
tiredness
frequent urination
tummy pains
headaches
behaviour problems

If your son is experiencing two or more of these symptoms, then you should have a discussion with your pediatrician.

Give him all the water he wants to drink. Dilute juices and avoid added sugar or corn syrup--full-strength juices and added sugars can increase thirst.

Hi B.,

Definetly have him checked for diabetes. I have a 9 year old daughter who was diagnosed Type 1 when she was 5---excessive thirst was the reason I took her in.

Good luck,
D

Hi B.,
It could be a result of the antihistamines that your child is having excessive thirst from, but to be SURE I would definitely take him to the pediatrician and have him checked for Type I Diabetes. My own son was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes at age 4. His symptoms were excessive thirst and excessive urination. The symptoms were vague to us because it was in the middle of the summer and all kids are thirsty from the heat. Other symptoms are dark circles under his eyes, and extreme hunger in addition to extreme thirst. I don't want to alarm you, but if the pediatrician were to diagnose him with Type I Diabetes, he will need insulin immediately. The test to determine if he is diabetic can be done by checking a simple urine sample and/or a simple finger prick in the pedi's office. If a child IS insulin-dependent diabetic and not treated early enough they can go into a diabetic coma. This is life-threatening so you don't want to wait. Please make an appointment to see his pediatrician as soon as possible, or if his symptoms have become more prominant please notify his pedi that you are taking him directly to the ER.
Best of luck!

I don't know what the weather's been like in Beckville lately, but here in Austin, it's been in the triple digits!
I'm wondering if he's just making up for lost moisture. Any outdoor activities will take more moisture from his body than they would have even a month ago.
If you're not experiencing the chapped lips, perhaps you wear lipstick or chapstick? Maybe reminding him to carry a tube of the latter and use it often would be helpful?
Is he really drinking all day long? That is, could it be that he doesn't really drink a lot for a good portion of the day and then he drinks a whole lot?
Dehydration could also cause headaches.

Hope that the pediatrician or nurse is able to help you

HTH
K., mama to
Catherine, 5.5y
Samuel, 2.5y
Baby, 9/09

Hi B.,

Your son may have a Sodium Diabetes condition. I would consult his doctor. My newphew has this condition, and it is really hard for my sister-in-law and her husband because their son wants to drink water all the time. Hence, he doesn't eat as well as he should.

Nikki Puder
Houston,TX

I would check with his pedi and rule out diabetes just because that could be so dangerous. If it's not that, he could rule out something else.

A great whole food vitamin is Pana C 315. Can't recommend it highly enough. You can get it at your health food store.

This could very well be related to the antihistamines he is on. I have been on them for many years and they do dry you out; I have never experienced dry cracking lips though. However, it couldn't hurt to call the nurses line at his pediatrician's office and talk this over. You never want to overlook the possibility of diabetes. Maybe they will want to do a test. We had my son tested a year ago because he went through a spell where he was always thirsty too. I didn't even have to take him in. I just picked up a lab slip and we had his blood drawn. Fortunately, it was negative.

B.,

Please definitely take his to the pediatrician to have blood work done to rule out diabetes. When my daughter was three years old she was thirsty all the time, lost some weight and had no energy. We took her to the doc who ran the blood work and were told she had type 1 diabetes. As you said this is so serious and shouldn't be put off. I'm praying for you that the results will be different. Our "baby" is now a 28 year old woman who just had a baby of her own. Her diabetes is still at the forefront of her like but it is something you can manage.

Take care,

D. B

It may just be his allergy medication needs adjusting (dry mouth is a common side effect), but I would probably request a visit with the pediatrician just to be on the safe side.

what type of asthma medication is he on? sometimes the side effects of the medications are excessive thirst. read up on your childs medications.. it's ok to be thirsty!! some kids just drink alot especially with it being so hot now. other symptoms of diabetes is headache, sweating, nausea, shaking or if it is low blood sugar inability to stay awake. and it makes them pee alot too, but if they are drinking alot they are going to pee alot too!!!!!

The meds. that he is taking for allergies is most likely also making him thirsty. Along with this they will also make him go to the bathroom (liquid) more often. Big circle. Watch him and see if he is licking his lips mine did this and we made it so that he used chap stick several times a day. Good luck

Hi B.
Bless you for your courage and loving concern. I would think that all the meds this child is on is totally absorbing all the fluid in his little body. I would try to gradually get him of some of them if possible and look for alternative solutions instead of meds for allergies etc.
Then, I would have him checked to see if there is something else going on with him. If he has anemia I would try to give him natural blood building foods if possible...he is at an age where he can take a good vitamin- but not one over the counter (flintstones etc ) NO>NO>NO< get him a good natural one if you..there are several out there just for kids...feed him foods that are high in iron also.......but mostly have him checked by a really good pedi.
good luck and blessings

Hi B.,

My daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was three. She is now 7. One of the symptoms that she had was excessive thirst. That being said, there were other symptoms present as well. I don't want to scare you unnecessarily, but I'd rather you catch it earlier than later if you think it might be diabetes, as it can be very dangerous. My daughter was also very hungry and went to the bathroom all of the time. She hadn't gained weight in almost a year. There are other symptoms, but those are the typicals ones. Please let me know if you have any questions.

T.

My daughter had very similar symptoms.

She started out being very thirsty ALL the time.  Then she would be sick.

She would seem to get better for a few months then relapse.

After browsing the web for a long time after she became sick again, I noticed a trend regarding Type 1 Diabetes and increased thirst.

I took her to her pediatrician and inquired as to he thought Type 1 could be a possibility and he dismissed my concerns and said she looked like she nay be getting a throat infection (she'd been vomiting!).

One week later she started vomiting and could not stop.  I took her to the ER where they found her blood sugar to be 964 (normal is 80-120 and coma is possible over 600)!  Type 1 was confirmed immediately.

PLEASE if your child is displaying these symptoms INSIST your doctor does a glucose test.  You can also buy a Relion glucose meter and test strips for $25 at Walmart.   No prescription is necessary!

You need only the meter,  strips,  alcohol wipes, and a little finger lancet to draw a small drop of blood.  Remember that 80-120 is a normal sugar (very slightly higher after a meal is normal), anything over 200... go to the doctor!  I wish every day I had known how easily I could have just checked her myself and helped her sooner.

SymptomsBy Mayo Clinic Staff

Type 1 diabetes signs and symptoms can come on quickly and may include:

Increased thirstFrequent urinationBedwetting in children who previously didn't wet the bed during the nightExtreme hungerUnintended weight lossIrritability and other mood changesFatigue and weaknessBlurred visionIn females, a vaginal yeast infection

http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Prime-Blood-Glucose-M...

http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Prime-Blood-Glucose-T...

My daughter is like that but she has always been since a infant. She took more bottles than the average infant/ She sweats all the time even when inside. She has a high metabolism. She needs lots of liquids. Maybe you should not worry so much.

Hi B. -
I would talk to his pedi about it - if he's drinking a lot and still dehydrated he could be having some difficulty absorbing it..?? Mainly I just wanted to applaud you for being a mommy to your nephew, we need more angels like you. He is a lucky little boy. God bless you both!!!