Qnasal for Allergies

Updated on August 28, 2013
T.M. asks from Trumbull, CT
4 answers

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if any of your children use or have used QNasal for seasonal and pet allergies? My daughter has mild asthma and took Claritin for a while during the change of seasons . . . but her doctor said that he didn't want her on the Claritin because it's systemic and can affect the whole body as opposed to the nasal sprays which supposedly work better because they are attack the route of the problem. She's only used it a couple of times so far, but my concern is that I read the insert that comes with the spray and it says that it's for children and adults 12 and over. My daughter is 9. The insert says "It is not known if QNasl is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age." . . . I get paranoid when I read side effects of medication anyway . . . and I know that they usually print every known side effect on these inserts just to be on the safe side and not everyone has a reaction. It's one thing when I'm taking something . . . it's another when I'm giving something to my daughter. Now, I obviously want her to feel better and not suffer with her allergies . . . but it makes me nervous that it says that there is no evidence that this medication is "safe" for younger kids. Why would the doctor prescribe it if it weren't safe? But then again . . . a lot of doctors push medication on people for whatever reason.

So again, my question is, have any of your children (under 12) needed a nasa spray and have used QNasal?

Thank you in advance for you help.

T. M.

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So What Happened?

Thank you for your feedback everyone. As of right now my daughter isn't suffering from allergies . . . so we haven't been using it . . . we'll have to see what happens. We see the doctor again for a follow up in October, so I'll go through somethings with him. I also have a friend who is a pharmacist . . . I guess I could ask him what he thinks also.

Thanks again. :)

More Answers

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J.

answers from Chicago on

My Child who is 9 has used Qnasal on and off again when she starts to get congested. She has not had any issues what so ever from using it. We would do 1 spray in each nostril once a day and it would clear up the congestion much faster than anything else.
She was also on albuteral, pulmicort, singular, and prednisone for many years. She had large mood swings on the medicnines i mentioned, but nothing on Qnasal.

I think it really has helped her, and she has also grown out of some of her allergies which has also helped.
If you have questions as the dr, or ask for a second opinion.

Good Luck

1 mom found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

A lot of doctors throw medication around because that's what they know. Sometimes they find prescriptions for people because they sense that the patients just want something, anything. I have no idea why he would say that medication gets to the root of the problem - no, it doesn't. Medication treats the symptoms of ANYTHING, not the cause. Some medication dosages are based more on the weight of the child not the chronological age, but others are pronounced safe for certain ages because no clinical trials have been done on younger children so they can't make any claims.

We stopped using all allergy medications because we found a way to stop allergic reactions naturally, but preventing the immune response to an otherwise harmless trigger (pollen, animal dander, etc.) - that got rid of the need to treat the symptoms will pills and sprays. We used something patented (therefore proven safe and effective) and food-based and haven't had allergies or even colds/flus for years.

I'd go back and question the prescription - if you aren't satisfied, don't do it.

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D.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

QNasal is a nasal steroid - just life Flonase, Nasonex, etc. Please note that this is NOT the same as a systemic steroid like prednisone (some people panic when they see the word steroid, but there are different kinds of steroids).

We don't use QNasal, but my son (age 6) uses flonase and it works great for him. It was prescribed by a pediatric allergist. We use 1/2 the adult dose. He has no side effects. He also mentioned QNasal to us - the mist is finer and it doesn't tend to drip like Flonase so easier for kids to use, but it wasn't covered by our insurance so we went with Flonase instead.

And your doctor's thinking is what I was also told: my OB had me use nasal steriods instead of claritin, etc, during pregnancy and nursing because it's local instead of systemic, and less likely to cause side effects.

From a pharmacologist point of view - what the note says is that they have not specifically tested it younger children. Nasal steroids have been widely tested and used in older kids and adults without side effects, so doctors assume that it will be ok for kids too - and at this point they have been prescribed for thousands of younger kids too. But since the company didn't SPECIFICALLY test in that age group, they can't list it.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.M.

answers from New York on

My son uses a steroid nasal spray. It reduces inflamation of his nasal passages so his sinuses can drain better. Extended use gave him nose bleeds so now we only use it seasonally. It helps reduce sinus headaches.

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