Eczema,allergies, Behavioral Problems?

My son has allergy induced asthma and eczema. We go to a pediatric allergist. My son is allergic to mostly enviromental things. He showers every night and then is rubbed down in Cera Vu. He takes an Allertec pill nightly and has an emergency inhaler. My daughter has eczema and allergies (no asthma) and we do same routine for her as well. I would really recommend a pediatric allegist (we go twice a year and more if needed). I do know that having children with skin issues we have had to make major lifestyle changes (dye free everything, no perfumes, no scented lotions). I know my son when he was super itchy or suffering badly with his allergies he would not sleep well and he would get super gumpy tantrumy type thing (he is 8 now). You also may need to get a steriod cream for the bad spots.
Good luck to you, i know it is hard.

The behavior can most defiantly be tied to his allergies and eczema, simply because he's not sleeping well. From being itchy to not being able to breath, that would make anyone irritable. Look for an actual doctor who specializes in allergies. If you can't find someone to help you, try OTC allergy medication for children.

My husband is on a daily dose of OTC allergy meds for his allergies. He can not skip a day or else he's a total grumpy mess. A daily dose for your boy may help.

Good luck!

Eczema and breathing difficulties are frequently allergy related. And untreated allergies can cause internal distress that might exacerbate a child's natural tendencies towards tantrums. It's like his body is always fighting something, so how can he ever relax? How about doing an elimination diet with your son?

Feed him only the foods that generally don't cause allergies for a month. That means nothing processed. No dairy. No soy. No eggs. No wheat. If his eczema or breathing gets better you'll know you're on to something.

What doctors has he seen? Has he been to a doctor who specializes in allergies? If not.. take him.

And yes, it can be related.

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ETA: is the same child you posted about in March, with the ear wax? I responded to that question, and asked if your child had allergies, b/c my son also had a lot of wax, and has allergies. For the past few months, he has gotten almost complete control over them with the shot therapy he has been on for almost 3 years now. And guess what. He almost never has excess ear wax anymore, either.

Get your son to a doctor who routinely treats allergies. A specialist if need be. So you can figure out the triggers and eliminate them, or find a way to manage them.
Good luck.

My DD has allergies and eczema. I just started taking her to an Allergy, Asthma Immulogist who is working hard to keep her from having asthma. She has given her meds to try to elevate her allergies. We use Cetaphil lotion and wash. When her allergies and eczema are at their worst her behavior can be a little difficult. She is miserable and doesn't know what to do with herself. She is 6 1/2 as well. Her Ped referred her to this Dr and I am very happy we are seeing her. Either ask your Ped for a referral or research an Allergy Specialist and tell your Ped that you want them to refer your son to that specialist. Good luck. I know it can be discouraging and tiring but it will get better.

He has bad eczema with the dry itchy skin and he has trouble breathing. He's not getting good rest as a result. Yes, his medical condition is affecting his moods. Think of how you'd feel and act if you were dealing with those things.

If you haven't already, make an appointment with a pediatric allergist. My granddaughter was having similar difficulties at that age and her pediatrician recommended seeing one. It took several months but gradually the allergist was able to find the right combination of medications and changes in her environment to lessen her symptoms.

Moisturizing is just one facet of treating eczema. She had to use a prescription topical medication. The first one didn't help much. The second one was nearly miraculous.

Is he on an antihistamine? If not, the allergist will tell you which one to start with and if that doesn't help he'll have him try a different one. Singular helped her a great deal with the asthma but it increased her agitation and eventually she stopped using that one when he added two different antihistamines.

She also took breathing tests that showed she wasn't getting enough oxygen in her system. This was part of the incentive to find medication to allow her to breathe better.

Take him to an allergist with whom you can spend time working on these issues. Once he's feeling better and getting good rest, I suggest the behavior problems will be easier to deal with.

The very first thing you do is ask your pediatrician for a referal to a pediatric allergist. And start shopping for a new pediatrician, who will take your concerns regarding your children's health seriously. There are medications that children as young as toddlers can have that are helpful to treat allergies and breathing issues.

Meet with your allergist A.s.A.p. They can help with the eczema and allergies and start a regimen to help him.

If you're using moisturizer, make sure it's a good kind. Our doctor recommended Cera Ve lotion. It comes in a tub, not a pump bottle, and is thick. It needs to be applied after the bath, to help keep the moisture in. At night, you can try putting vaseline on the worst patches. Only have him bathe a couple times a week and just wash up the other days, if you can. Keep the warm temp luke warm - hot water aggravates eczema. The lowest dose of cortizone ointment can be used, but only for a couple of days (I think it's 0.5 cortizone - ask the pharmacist for help if you need it). Be sure he drinks lots and lots of water, all throughout the day, because moisturizing also comes from the inside. And if he's not allergic to it, fish oil is good (due to the omega fatty acids) to help some. There are fish oil gummy vitamins that are good, or check with a place like Whole Foods for other fish oil supplements. Go through all your cleaning supplies, and dump most of them. You want to get cleaners and dish soap and laundry detergents and shampoo and body soap/body wash that are unscented and dye free. You can do a lot of your cleaning with vinegar, either straight or diluted. I like Charlie's Soap for general cleaning and laundry, too, and BioKleen (dye & fragrance free) as well.

As for the tantrums, I have not heard or ready anything definitive about allergies or eczema directly causing tantrums or poor behaviour. But your kiddo sounds like he's pretty miserable, both physically and maybe emotionally (if his eczema affects how he looks). Be consistent with him about how you treat him and his tantrums.

What is your son allergic to? Food or environmental things?

Anyway, my son (turning six in a month) has also had eczema and allergies (to food only) pretty much his entire life. He does still throw tantrums sometimes, but I don't think any more so than his same age, allergy free friends. Overall, he is pretty well behaved and I haven't ever attributed his bad behavior to his allergies or eczema.

Here are some things that have worked for us in terms of treating the eczema, as well as helping improve his breathing (as he also has asthma).

He takes a bath or shower every night. As soon as he gets out, while his skin is still damp, we put Cerave lotion all over his entire body. This keeps his skin moisturized. We've been using it about 2-3 years and it works so much better than aquaphor or any other lotion we tried previously.

When his eczema flares up in just a couple of small spots, we use protopic (steroid) cream for a few days until it goes away. When the eczema covers bigger parts of his body, we use Dermasmooth oil for a few days.

We manage his asthma by using Q-var, a daily preventative medication taken via inhaler. He gets one puff in the morning and one puff at night. Not sure if this will help your son... it depends on whether the breathing is asthma related (in his lungs) or if you mean that his nose is too stuffed up (in which case it won't help).

Do you see a pediatric allergist? Or a pediatric dermatologist? You should be able to get more relief for him than your current doctors are offering.

My son has behavoiral issues and yes some of it was the foods he was eating. Think about it, if you are not feeling well, but you have felt that way all your liffe so you don;t know what is alling you.

I would immediatly get him in the allergist.

It sonds like it could be something he eats dialy.
eggs
milk
gluten

etc..

Good luck

I don't know if this lady's daughter suffers from any skin rashes or anything from it, but I did find their discovery about her 7-year-old daughter's tantrums being linked to food dyes interesting: http://ourbusyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/food-dyes-a...

My son had allergies and eczema and behavioral problems. Please get a referral to an Ear/Nose/Throat doctor because not breathing at night and not sleeping well could be due to large tonsils and adenoids. He could have sleep apnea like both of my children did. His behavior will improve when he can get some sleep. My son has also been diagnosed with ADHD and an anxiety disorder. I know he has Asperger's Syndrome as well but I have not been able to get an official diagnosis.

I wish you luck.