my son is almost 3 and has terrible allergies with asthma flair ups. He has been "sick" for over a month. with nose issues itchy eyes..asthma and cough that will NOT go away. after 2 antibiotics and nothing has changed. yesterday we were outside at a halloween party and all the kids were rolling around in the leaves. wouldnt u know it my son had an asthma attack from the leaves. so i called the dr. and asked about singulair which he did just call in for me along with a portable breathing machine.
im just curious if anyone has had luck with this medication and if there are any Side effects. OTC allergy meds make my sons heart race out of his chest
thanks !
My son took this with no issues at all in terms of side effects. Unfortunately, it didn't really help him, the only thing that works for him are the nasal steroids. But, he just has allergies and not asthma. Singulair is supposed to be really good for asthma. The good news is that it starts working pretty quickly, you should know within a few days if it's working for him. Good luck.
I agree with both preveious posters- definitely see a ped allergist. My son's regular pediatrician was not nearly as good as the PA. Treating this is really a specialty b/c it can go so wrong so fast. Mostly when they end up getting sick with a flu.
Singulair does work but I felt it changed my son's personality so took him off of it. He became really clingy and insecure.
What works great for us now is Zyrtec. But my son has pretty much outgorwn his asthma at 8.
Dry leaves harbor mold spores. Antibiotics will not clear up allergies, but they will help if there is a secondary sinus infection.
Have you tried all of the different OTC allergy meds (Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, Benadryl)? It may be a matter of finding the one (or combination of a few) that is right for you. A steroidal nasal spray may also offer your son some relief.
Secondly I would recommend you see an allergist and ask about allergy shots. It is a process of desensitizing your immune system from the allergies that it feels are potential threats. It takes time to desenstitize your body but I can tell you that the process is MUCH faster in children that adults.
Singulair is not an antihistamine but a lucotrene (sp?) receptor. It is typically used in addition to antihistamines but works differently. (The allergist will need to determine why your son's heart races with the meds.)
I have heard of children having behavioral issues on Singulair. My daughter's experience was different. She actually developed joint pain all over her body. After a battery of negative bloodwork I suggested it might be the Singulair. She got off of it and all of the pain went away. All medications effect everyone differently. Just stay aware so that if you start to notice changes in your son you can discuss them with his doctor.
We did give it to my boys when there were younger. But decided it was best to take them off of it. For some it works great. Just watch him for changes in his mood and behavior. My kids personality changed when I took them off of it. But like I said it effects different people differently so try it and see if it works for him.
Good luck and God Bless!!!
I would get your son to a pediatric allergist.
If you haven't already I would recommend you take your son to an allergist so you know exactly what triggers his asthma/allergy attacks. I thought my daughter's allergies were seasonal mostly but as it turns out her biggest allergen is dust motes. Ugh!! She gets exercise induced asthma attacks mostly and since she plays basketball almost year round she is on singulair to prevent bad attacks and she uses claritin daily and uses her inhaler as needed. She has not had any side affects so it's been good for her. Give it a shot. Good luck.
My daughter is 7 and has been on it since 2. She kept getting bronchitis and this is the only thing that helped her. When we take her off in the summer she is okay but as soon as fall kicks in she starts with the runny nose and cough again, so she goes back on it and all is well. We have never had any side effects from it.
A friend's child had terrible problems - meds, nebulizer, sick 3 weeks out of every 4, and so on, plus the dark circles under the eyes. I had really bad allergies as well as chronic bronchitis - 4 cases per year for a month at a clip, no sleep, miserable. Every little cold went right to my chest. Another friend has 3 kids - 2 had asthma (and one couldn't take steroids so went to the hospital with every attack) and the third kid had allergies and was supposed to get tubes in her ears. If it's allergies, the antibiotics won't help. We've used nutritional supplementation for some years and no one has been sick since, no one is using breathing machines. It might work for you - let me know if you want to try something to get rid of the problem rather than treat it after it occurs.
My son is on it (4mg chewables) and has been for about 1.5 years. He's 4.5 now. He's done really well on it, and when I have taken him off - thinking he didn't need it - the symptoms came right back. My son hasn't ever shown any of the side effects you hear about with it - emotional, angry, moody... I've been happy with it. I also agree w/ other posters, you can go to a children's allergy specialis too to make sure you have all of the options and info you need. Best of luck!
My daughter was on it from ages 2-9. She seems to have outgrown her problems, so we took her off of it and all is well! She is now 11. We never had any side effects whatsoever. There shouldn't be any long term side effects either (that's what the ped told me)
My son (15) was on it for a few months. Like Zyrtec and Claritin, it made him very angry and aggressive. So we took him off and he's back to his sweet self again. He doesn't react to Allegra that way, but then again, Allegra does nothing for his allergies. Neither does Nasonex. The only thing that works is Benadryl, which also makes him super sleepy. So he gets Benadryl at night so he can sleep restfully. In the AM, we do a nasal spray (OTC, called XClear) if he needs it. He's pretty good right now, but managing his allergies over the years HAS been challenging.
I have taken it and it works wonders. My daughter has been on it for about 1.5 years and it has kept her from having many more "flare ups" and helps keep her allergies in check. However, her allergies are quite broad and cane be quick to cause symptoms and it does not prevent all problems but does help to control it.
Both of my girls take Singulair and I can't sing it's praises enough. It has seriously changed our life. My oldest who is now 7 was sick all the time on the nebulizer constantly and in and out of the doctors office and a few ER visits. Her's was also allergy induced asthma. They finally put her on Singulair when she was 15 months old and although she still gets the occasional flare up it is much less than before. Then my youngest was starting the same cycle and they started her on the Singulair at 10 months and we have been so happy with the results. I talk to our pediatrican at every visit and we both agree to keep with it until they are a bit older. We experienced no side effects at all with Singulair. Good luck and I hope it brings you the same wonderful results it has given us!
