Use of Nasonex & Singulair in an 1-Year-old

Hi! My son has had lots of trouble with allergies (primarily sneezing, congestion, coughing) since he was about 3 months old. We've tried meds for many things, including gerd, but nothing was helping. His allergist said he probably has allergic asthma (but won't diagnose him until he's older) and put him on Zyrtec and Nasonex about 7 months ago and he did great. I guess it stopped working for this allergy season so now he's on Nasonex and Singulair (granules mixed with applesauce.) He also does his breathing treatments (Xopenex and Pulmicort) when it gets really congested and coughs a lot. He's now 16 months old. He hasn't gotten sick since he was put on those meds (which is a huge deal since it's been over 3 weeks now!) I'd asked my pedi who said it was perfectly ok for him to take those every day.
Good luck with those kindergarteners, I'm a teacher as well!!

Hi Jennifer. My son (who is a little over 2 years old) has been taking Nasonex every morning, and Zyrtec every evening for nasal allergies (although his allergy testing came out negative) for about 9 months now. I believe Nasonex is pretty harmless.

My son has "asthma" when he gets sick or allergies kick in. We give him Albuterol and Broncho Saline through a nebulizer when his breathing/coughing gets real bad, and follow that up with Pulmicort (oral steroid for asthma). The doctor did suggest that I give him asthma medication every day during the winter so that his colds/infections won't get as bad (turn in to asthma), but I have yet to do it. I'm hesitant to give daily medications as well so I understand where you are coming from. From what I understand these oral steroid medications (Pulmicort, Singulair, etc...) are preventative. It does not mean that your little one will have to be on it for the rest of his life.

I myself had bad allergies when I was younger, and had to take medication, but as I got older I "outgrew" it. Today I don't need any medication for allergies or breathing.

My suggestion to you would be to try the medication. If you see it making a difference then continue. If not, stop and go in and see your dr. again to discuss.

Good luck.

K.

Hi Jennifer, My name is Debi and I have an 18-mo old son named Colin. Colin also had GERD as an infant and I found myself in the same situation you are in. He developed allergies at around nine months (I think due to his inability to breastfeed). We have used both of the products that you are thinking about using for your son and the biggest problem we found was administering the granules of the Singulair (which we usually mixed in yogurt). Colin felt so much better after a few days; it was almost like having a different child. I found that because the medications were administered in the evening, we had no problems with drowsiness the next day. Just keep an eye on the ears if he starts to have ear infections and discuss all of your concerns with his pediatrician. We no longer use the Singulair (no longer needed), but occasionally we still use the Nasonex when he has a lot of congestion. This time of year you really want to keep an eye out for colds and congestion b/c it could turn into something more serious. I also use the bulb syringe as much as he will allow and a cool mist humidifier at night.

Hi A.,
My son didn't start Singular and Nasonex quite as young as yours, but has used them both since the age of 3 with no complications. They've reduced his allergy symptoms significantly. Only thing to watch with the Nasonex is that it can irritate the nasal lining and cause nose bleeds. It's never happened to us, but the doctor warned us of that possibility.

The wheezing, as I understand it, isn't true asthma. It's almost like situational asthma; the doctor explained it to me 5 years ago when my son was three, and all I recall now is that it's not truly asthma, but is triggered by the allergies/cold. I was just relieved it wasn't full-blown asthma!

HTH.

Ali

Like you, I taught elementary children. Aren't they precious! Now, I teach my 3 children at home and absolutely enjoy homeschooling! It's much different than teaching at a public school :) I also have a passion to help other moms with using natural approaches vs. prescription meds, when possible. I have heard of wonderful success stories with using glyconutrients with babies for allergies and lots of other conditions! Because glyconutrients is only food, it can only be positive. You can find out more information at www.glycoinformation.com and scientifically at www.glycoscience.org Please call or email me if you would like more information: ###-###-#### (hm) or ____@____.com Whatever you choose, I hope your little boy will get better.

Blessings,
A.

Hi Jennifer

I have a daughter who is 4 and has allergy induced asthma. Since she was 2 she has been on medications such as the ones you have ?'s about. She has only used Nasonex when she gets really bad but the Singulair she uses quite a bit (since she was about 2) and has no problem with either. My only advice is that if he has a sensitivity to medications I would be more careful (as my 5 year old does). I know on alot of medications the side effects look pretty bad. I just watch very closely in the beggining.Hope this helps.

Hi, my daughter is one and I have the same fear as all of you. I have read terrible reviews on singulair and I'm scared she will also get a reaction. I will start the treatments tomorrow. All of your post are great help!

to start, we have experienced nothing like yours, but have had a host of medical issues in Sam's 17 months. I would just recommend that you trust your instincts if you think a doctor is a little hyper to medicate. As long as your co-pay is reasonable, don't ever be afraid to seek a second opinion. We have seen vastly differnt diagnoses and treatment proposals in teh SAME practice before. Oh and we ADORE Dr. Shelly Harvey at Medical City (Allergy & Asthma). Good luck! Such a tough decision.

Hi Jennifer,

I just wanted to let you know I have the same fears about the use of medications in my baby. However, I have found that daily maintenance on the medications does improve my child's quality of life and keeps his asthma symptoms from getting scary. Ever since we started the Nasonex, my son has not been up coughing all night. (Trust me, I know how that is...). Also, I want to mention to you that my son has had one nosebleed since he has been on the medication. It was very slight and didn't hurt him at all. Other then that, I have seen no side effects from this medication. Doctors seem to steer from diagnosing asthma in babies. However, my pulmonologist is calling it reactionary airway disease. That means that your baby is reacting to his allergies in this way to try to cope with them. You may be free and clear in a couple of years. This is pretty common with little ones. This is why they refuse to diagnose asthma so young. I know this can be very scary, but I've found that the right medications CAN help your baby feel much better.

I can't guarantee that we did this but almost sure. We did alost of stuff with my son when he was small. He did have asthma and also Bronchial Hypoplasia (small airways), so he wheezed alot. Dr. Pfaff is our Pulmonologist. I know we did Singulair but I think he was a little older maybe 2 or so. Nasonex is pretty much harmless, its just gonna open his passage ways so he can breathe. I hope that this helped. Good Luck to you. D.

Jennifer,
Our son has been on both of those meds (as well as many others) since he was 8 months old, so around a year. He has not had any side effects. Those just have to be listed because at least one person had them during the clinical trials. Chances are, your little one will not.
I agree that you should find a pulmonologist for your son. It's better to get this checked out now. Also, GERD does go along with allergies and asthma, so a pulmonologist would be a good person to have in your book. We have seen Dr. Mandujano at Medical City, but are now with Dr. Schochet at PHOP and Presby Allen. Good luck!

Hello Jennifer
I have 3boys ages 5 3 and 3mo. My oldest two have been on singulair and nasonex for quite a while. My oldest has done very well on both. My 3yr old had to stop nasonex due to it causing nose bleeds. However, they both have asthma and allergies. Not severe but they have it all the same. Singular basically is a preventative for asthma as well as I believe allergies. I am not a doctor or a nurse but I am sure your child will be just fine. They both also had reflux/gerd problems. Just take it slow and watch him. If you notice something you don't like just call the doc. Again I feel like he will be just fine starting on two new meds. I have had to give my kids so many new meds at different times and I didn't have any problems. If I did notice something I didn't like I called the doc and we did something different. Like with the nasonex my 3yr old and the nosebleeds. We just stopped that med and started using saline and sucking the stuff out. It kept his nasal passages moist which help the nose bleeds not be as often. I hope this helps. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Good luck and I hope he gets to feeling better.
My 3 yr old sees Dr Harvey and my 5yr old sees Dr Mandujano(SP)