Zyrtec for Kids ?

My first grader suffers terribly from seasonal allergies. He's missed 10 days of school this year due to them. They cause asthma problems for him as well. He takes Singulair everyday. It is a perscription medication. We,also, use a perscription eye drop(Pataday) because his eyes suffer so much from allergies especially if it is a windy day. Sometimes I don't allow him outdoors on a particuarly windy day if it is in the spring or fall. His pedi said it would do no good to test him for allergies caused by pollen and such because even if you know what is causing the reaction, you can't do anything about it. A food or animal allergy would be different. He doesn't want to put him through the testing just to find out he is allergic to tree pollen. Good luck, allergies are no fun!

Yep, they make a kids' Zyrtec. My son is 5 and he's been taking it for a couple years. They also make children's Claritin, and kids can get prescribed Allegra. I don't know if you actually would need to have him tested (we haven't gotten my son tested), but if it seems like it's just seasonal allergies, you could give one of those a try.

Good luck!
Jen
www.morethanmothers.com

My son tried it, but honestly, it just made him really sleepy! I'm not sure if it helped his allergies. He uses a nasal inhaler now and that seems to help much more.

My youngest takes zyrtec. Give it to your child at night if you find it makes him sleepy.

I am so down on Zyrtec. A friend of mine had been taking it every day for 15 years. Every time she stopped, she'd start itching horribly. She thought it meant that her allergies were acting up and that she needed the medication. Finally, she looked it up, and it's a not-that-uncommon side effect of quitting. Talk about keeping up a recurring revenue stream! It took her several weeks to get it completely out of her system, and she was itching terribly the entire time. I'd try something else - like Claritin or Benadryl - for your kids before resorting to Zyrtec.

For instant relieve we use Benadryl, but it knocks the kids and myself out...so that is a last resort. We also use Zyrtec and our doctor recommends Zyrtec for kids. It works great for our kids, it just take a little longer to get into their system.

We've used Zyrtec at night for our child and when we don't , he awakens in the morning sneezing. in his case, we were told he is allergic to dust mites. I said how do you know without testing him and apparently there are specific signs the doctor/allergist look for BEFORE any testing takes place. So in other words, they may not necessarily test your child and might be able to conclude right then and there what the problem is. That said, we've had to put a plastic covering on both his bed and box frame, of course keep pillows clean at all times and of course, his hair is cut VERY short. some may not realize it, but things like pollen can attach itself to hair and fur (so if you have pets) they could be bringing in pollen from the outside) therefore, take note of that..
best of luck

yes they have zyrtec for kids my daughter has been on it since a year old. i recently just changed her over to benadryl because i can get the generic for cheaper. it works great. my daughter is 4 and i give her 1 tspn 3 times a day when needed. also with the congestion you can use a neil med nasal wash. i use it on my 4 year old (for about a year) it works wonders in helping her congestion. it washes out the allergens in the nose.

Zyrtec and Claritin did not work for us at all. If you want to try OTC first, try Alavert. It's a dissolving tablet so it's very easy for kids to take. It's the same strength as the adult tablets so don't stress trying to find the Children's version. We've noticed a remarkable difference in our son's allergies. We also use a saline nose spray at night just to clear his nasal passages.

I give my children zyrtec when needed. My oldest needs it right now due to really bad allergies. When he was doing allergy shots at 3 years old the doctor had me giving him zyrtec every night. It did - and does - help him.

My daughter takes zyrtec, too, and it works well for us.

Also, wash his hair every night before bed - that has made a big difference for us. Otherwise, the allergens that have landed in/on his hair throughout the day are now lying on his pillow, next to his face all night. This has been effective both for our long-haired daughter, and her little boy friends with very short hair.

My daughter started taking Zyrtec last year for allergies. Please have the pediatrician refer you to an allergist so you are more aware of his condition. Its so nice to know what your child is allergic to and how to treat it.

Claritin is really good for allergies in kids. Benedryl will make him sleepy so I do not suggest that.

My son has had to take Zyrtec during alergy season for the last couple of years. I (like you) am thinking it's probably time to get him tested and see if there is a more proactive solution to his allergies... and mine, come to think of it :)

HTH
T.

Claritin works for me, and it's ok for my son, but the best we've found for him is children's Allegra. It was just approved for OTC in the last month or so, and it works great. He's outside all the time, plays competetive soccer and practices 3+ nights a week plus 2 games on the weekends - and the Allegra doesn't wear out on him and he has no side effects.

ETA - try getting some local honey as well. Look for a farmers market around you, or Sprouts/Whole foods and see if you can find a honey made within 30 miles of your home. Take 2 tbsp a day, after a couple days you will see a huge improvement. I buy mine from a local goat farmer here in keller, it's worked quite well.

Our Allergist gave us and RX for Allegra for our son. I am so happy that it is now available over the counter. We started out with Zyrtec but I didn't like how tired it made him. Our allergist said allegra is truly the only allergy medication that is non sedating, even though Claritin is supposed to be not drowsy.

My son suffered from the same symptoms and even failed his eye exam at school due to congestion & swelling. The doctor said to put him on a decongestant, like Claritin D, or Zyrtec D, but it needed to contain psuedephed (sp?). It has changed his life, not to mention appearance. No more puffy eyes, bad breath, congested nose, etc.
But note that although it's not a prescription, you must obtain from a pharmacist behind the counter. Generic Claritin D - 24 hour is about $6 at Sam's Club for 15 tablets.

My son, 5, also takes Children's Zyrtec. Since it was recalled, though, we just started using the Kroger brand children's all-day allergy. We still use it as it has worked just the same and it's cheaper than the brand name.

We use Claritin (1 24-hour pill each morning) and, when it's really bad, add a Benadryl before bed. Benadryl is best, but it makes my daughter so very, very sleepy -- which is tough on a school day.

We found Zyrtec was not as effective as Benadryl and made her sleepy and a little nauseous. Claritin takes the edge off, though it doesn't totally eliminate the allergy symptoms; still, it doesn't make her sleepy & she can function well. Consistent use helps -- even when the allergies aren't that bad. Get in front of it, rather than react.

BTW -- we have 3 dogs, 2 horses and live in the woods. Can you say "Allergy Zone"?

Good luck!

My oldest daughter (now 16) has suffered similar to C.T.'s son. By the time she was in second grade she was in awful condition during the spring, especially her eyes. But I disagree that testing doesn't help. It helps in the sense that, if you know which allergens your son reacts to the worst, then you can target them rather than overarching treatment for "everything" which may require him to be on more meds than necessary. Plus, certain allergy meds work better for certain triggers than others. My daughter cannot take Zyrtec because it makes her very, very sleepy. So she takes Allegra. She used to take Claritin but she became desensitized to it. And in the fall we started her on allergy shots for her worst triggers (live and virginia oak, black walnut, timothy and burmuda grass) . . . but it will take 2-3 years before she really gets any relief because of the shots. The shots help build your body's immunity to the trigger . . . so eventually she won't be allergic to those particular triggers anymore. FYI . . . she started allergy shots in third grade but then we moved here to TX (from the Northeast) so the allergens are different and for several years she had no problems. Unfortunately, her body became sensitized to the TX allergens (her doctor said that might happen!) so that is why we had to start allergy shots again.

Zyrtec fir kids is awesome and I have seen no side effects. My son has taken it every night for a couple years now and it really helps with his allergies. He takes 1 tsp. at night and just turned 7.

My boys and I live on Zyrtec during the Spring months.

My daughter has severe allergies. She gets the swollen eyes, stuffed nose, etc. Gave her claritin & zyrtec and didn't seem to do much. Most of her reactions come out on her skin - really dry, itchy and almost hive type spots. Took her to an allergist and turns out poor kid is allergic to every grass & tree known to man! But how do you keep a very active 8 year old from playing outside?

Our doctor prescribed Xyzol. It's supposed to be the step of from zyrtec. Works GREAT!!! It's pricey, but thankfully most insurance covers it. I would definitely try the claritin & zyrtec first and if that's not work then go see the doctor. I would have never imagined her being allergic to what they found. I had expected cat, dog, etc. So it was very interesting and worth doing.

Hope that helps!