Ped is recommending it but I've read some harrowing reviews by parents whose kids are on it. Mostly a change in behavior... more aggressive, irritable, depressed, night terrors. I was curious if anyone had any similar experiences? My ds has seasonal allergies and could be mildly asthmatic.

By Trina~moderator on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 05:49 pm:

My DD (7.5) has allergies and was recently diagnosed with asthma. Our ped. prescribed Singuliar, and DD was on it for one week. It did nothing for her allergy symptoms and her asthma didn't improve. We have since been to our Allergy/Asthma specialist, who said Singulair only works for 40% of children who take it. He prescribed Flonase and a Pulmicort Turbo Inhaler for DD. However, DD used the Flonase once and absolutely refuses to try it again. Can't say I blame her. I've used it in the past and it's nasty. LOL! She is now back on Claritin, which she had been on for the past several months. Her peak flows are much better! My DS also has asthma and allergies and is also taking Claritin and Pulmicort. We have not experienced any negative side effects.

By Amecmom on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 06:13 pm:

Had negative effects with zyrtec, but not with singulair. Singulair helps my son with allergy symptoms if he doesn't take it for too long.
Ame

By Pamt on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 09:10 pm:

My oldest DS has asthma and allergies. He has been on Singulair for several for several years. It doesn't do a thing for his allergies (and he is on other meds for that), but it does make a big difference in his asthma. If your DS has asthma, it is the drug of choice, but if the primary problem is allergies then you might try something else. One thing to be aware of is that my DS has been on allergy meds for over 10 years and he gets acclimated to them. We have found that we have to switch every few months from Flonase to Zyrtec to Claritin to Allegra because they quit working. No adverse effects with any of the meds.

By Feonad on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 07:31 am:

John takes for like a month or two a year. His allergies must be very mild. The doctor refused to give him an inhaler because benadryl works for his real allergy attacks. He gets scatchy back and coughing when allergic. This is how the doctor prescribed it. When he is exposed to too many allergians he gets symptoms. ( he has allergy in fall and to hydronated oil.) maybe slight milk allergy too.

I have to watch out for negative reactions... I haven't noticed them. John got diarrhea for claritin. Guess every kid is different.

By Debbie on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 08:23 am:

My youngest takes this for his asthma. I have noticed that it also helps with his post nasal drip. It has had no effect on his behavior and he has been on it for a year. Our ped told us the same thing that Trina's doctor told her, it either works great or doesn't work at all, and it is only 40-50% effective for those it is prescribed too.

By Kernkate on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 09:50 am:

My DS who is 11 has been on it for a few years now and it has helped him greatly. I never noticed any side effects from it.

By Tklinreston on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 01:13 pm:

Thanks for the info. It really is so scary reading the bad reviews on medication but it's so hard to tell whether the symptoms are a result of the medicine or just a phase. I guess you just have to try it and see. Right now I have ds on Claritin and Nasonex. He seems to be doing ok but the other day I noticed he had alittle trouble breathing after running around and we recently went to Wal-Mart and as we walked into the toy section we both felt the air suddenly getting very heavy and our bodies feeling funny. We left the area immediately. Ds definitely takes after me. As I grow older I become more intolerant of the environment and allergic to more things. If fact, I'm allergic to the Design Center for our new house and so dh has to go there all by myself. Poor ds. Has anyone tried allergy shots?

By Kernkate on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 01:44 pm:

DS has just gone through the 1st series of allergy testing and goes back the 9th for more. The allergist said they he may need allergy shots but nothing definite yet. My oldest DS whos is now 20 had shots when he was younger and it really helped him with his allergies. He has not had shots now in 10 years and seems like his has outgrown his allergies.

By Tklinreston on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 02:57 pm:

Kathy, that is great to hear. I'm glad your ds has outgrown his allergies. Yay.. there is hope. Do you recall if the allergy shots were painful? I should get them but I'm so afraid of needles. I'm such a baby....

By Debbie on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 05:00 pm:

My brother had allergy shots for several years when he was little. He had bad allergies and asthma too. He outgrew both by the time he was 9. The shots weren't too bad. My mom actually gave them to him at home(this was 35 yrs ago) He never seemed to mind the shots and they helped a lot.

By Tklinreston on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 10:41 am:

I'm glad that there is an option for both of us. My son is soo afraid of shots. Probably gets that from me too. I do have a prescription cream for him that pre-numbs the area so he won't really feel it - if needed. Thanks for giving me hope you guys. I always dread this time of the year. I love spring but not the pollen that comes with it. Trina and others who have kids with allergies and/or asthma, have you ever considered allergy shots?

By Pamt on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 02:06 pm:

I have never done allergy shots because my DS only has allergies to cats and mold and they are not severe. His allergies most flare up in the spring and fall when things are blooming or shedding leaves. The thing about allergy shots (DH used to take them as well as my brother, sister, and dad) is that they are such a time consuming pain. You have to go to the doctor's office, have the shot, wait 15 minutes to make sure you don't have a reaction and have to do that at least once a week and sometimes several times a week faithfully. The shots themselves are just in the skin and not in the muscle so they don't hurt. My dad used to give the shots to himself and my brother, but I don't know if they let you do them at home anymore b/c of liability.

By Kernkate on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - 02:15 pm:

Joyce when DS had shots he was about 8-9 years old. They weren't bad at all.
I agree with Pam, they are time consuming. At first DS went once a week then every 2 weeks and finally just once a month. So it wasn't to bad. And it was worth it. But as I said at age 20 he is showing no signs of allergies. I am hoping that DS who is 11 outgrows them also.