OTC Allergy Meds?

[KrystalS]

DD has fall allergy, they just started getting bad. It starts with the runny nose and then the coughing. The coughing is really bad at night because she's lying down. She has been on Claritin for the last year per Dr. recommendation. It worked great last year but it doesn't seem to be helping now. I started giving it to her about 10 days ago when I noticed she was sneezing a lot. Now she has a really runny nose and the coughing started last night. Is Claritin the best OTC allergy med for these symptoms? Should I try Zyrtec? The dosage on the bottle says 1 tbsp for ages 2-6, 2 tbsp for 6-adult. DD is 5.5, should I be giving her the 2 tbsp? Could it be that she just isn't getting enough?

[Andi98989]

DH and I both had to switch from Claritin to Zyrtec a few years ago; Claritin just stopped working well for us. We have also noticed since switching to Zyrtec that we need to use the name brand and not a generic version of it, otherwise we don't get the same results.

[sidmand]

I don't know about everyone, but Claritin did absolutely nothing for DS's allergies and Zyrtec has worked wonders (until now).

FWIW his allergies were so bad (and he's very big for his age) so we were giving him the Zyrtec chewables which were for ages 6+. He also has issues swallowing liquids and it only came in chewable for the older age.

I think the dosage recommendations are more for the average size of a child. At least that's how I've always taken it. If you have a big 5-year-old, you may need to go with a higher dosage, but if you have a tiny 2-year-old, you may not even need the whole dose--YKWIM?

[SnuggleBuggles]

Claritin plus a humidifier at night help my ds.

Beth

[jhrabosk]

My DD is going through this. Gave her Claritin on Saturday morning on our way out of town and it did nothing. We stopped at a CVS near our destination and the pharmacist there told DH that he just read about how Claritin is virtually useless. FWIW.

Personally, I won't put her on Zyrtec. The ped gave it once when she was a baby and she woke up with a dry diaper in the morning. That freaked me out. I googled and found a site with reviews of various drugs and Zyrtec had so many bad reviews for kids...like 10x any of the others (Claritin, Benadryl, etc). Weird behavior and all sorts of other bad reactions. I just won't do it again.

I bought some nighttime cough medicine/decongestant to help her sleep and some Mucinex to thin out the gunk. I try to keep her off of meds during the day unless it's REALLY bad.

Good luck!

[egoldber]

Ten days is long enough to see that Claritin is not helping. The meds like Claritin and Zyrtec definitely need a few days to build up in the system.

I would call the ped and tell then Claritin is no longer working and see what they recommend. It is not uncommon for seasonal allergies to become worse every season. This is our big issue with Sarah's allergies.

FWIW, this sounds like allergy induced asthma. It could also have turned into a sinus infection. Just some things to watch for and consider.

ETA: My older DD was kept awake by Zyrtec, but we switched to a morning dose and it was fine. But the PP is right to watch for side effects with the allergies meds. They really mess with some kids.

[bubbaray]

Our ped. allergist recommends Claritin or Aerius over Reactin/Zyrtec. He also does not like Benadryl, even for short term use.

[bubbaray]

FWIW, this sounds like allergy induced asthma....

....But the PP is right to watch for side effects with the allergies meds. They really mess with some kids.

:yeahthat: to both of Beth's points.

[KrystalS]

Thanks everyone. I'll call the ped and see what they suggest.

Beth - DD's allergies have gotten worse each year. But she has never been checked for asthma. What symptoms do I need to watch for? She has never had trouble breathing but she ALWAYS gets a horrible nighttime cough with her allergies.

[bubbaray]

Nighttime cough is our most prevalent symptom. DD#1 does not get wheezing, unless she is having a really severe attack. Her primary trigger for her asthma is her seasonal allergies.

[Cam&Clay]

We switched from Claritin to Zyrtec (generic) for DS1 and me a few years ago. Claritin did nothing for both of us.

[alexsmommy]

For DS1, Claritin seems to help with prevention of symptoms, but once the coughing/wheezing starts we have to switch to Benadryl. So today I gave him Claritin in the morning and he did ok, but if he had been outside and his immune system had already kicked into high gear Claritin would do nothing and we'd have to use Benadryl for acute symptoms.
This is on top of his rx meds... sigh.

It seems worse around here this year - lots of moms commiserating on the playground before school. I think our cool summer must have encourage something to proliferate that isn't usually so prevalent because people who said their DC usually have mild fall allergies are having big problems.

[alexsmommy]

Thanks everyone. I'll call the ped and see what they suggest.

Beth - DD's allergies have gotten worse each year. But she has never been checked for asthma. What symptoms do I need to watch for? She has never had trouble breathing but she ALWAYS gets a horrible nighttime cough with her allergies.

Not Beth, but that nighttime cough may actually be asthma - it can be a symptom in children even with no other asthma symptoms. I would definitely speak to your ped about it. We have to use the nebulizer every night before bedtime this time of year to avoid the cough.