Flovent

[alexsmommy]

Anyone have problems with it for their DC?
I am not happy with some of the things I see in DS1 lately and I think it's due to his increased Flovent. I'm just curious if anyone else here had had any issues.
I'm scheduling an appt for him to take a good hard look at his meds. I think we need a change.

[egoldber]

We did not have behavioral issues with Flovent, but we did with Pulmicort. There can be side effects with any of the steroids.

[alexsmommy]

We did not have behavioral issues with Flovent, but we did with Pulmicort. There can be side effects with any of the steroids.

Yeah, I feel really stuck. He clearly needs some type of steriod maintence, but he's like a 'roid monster and he's gaining weight overnight. Not. happy.

[Dr C]

i've seen behavioral side effects with most of the inhaled corticosteroids. Most kids did better when switched to a different one.

ETA I'd try another inhaled corticosteroid first but if that doesn't work you could also try Singulair

[alexsmommy]

i've seen behavioral side effects with most of the inhaled corticosteroids. Most kids did better when switched to a different one.

ETA I'd try another inhaled corticosteroid first but if that doesn't work you could also try Singulair

He's on Singulair and does ok on it, but after he was hospitalized the second time this fall with his second cold they upped his flovent dosage. I was giving him some time to adjust, but it's been a while and it's not good.

[Dr C]

Yup, sounds like he needs a steroid. I'd try a different one. We've had good luck with Qvar.

[bubbaray]

My DD#1 became a complete monster on Flovent. Specialist didn't believe me. I pushed and requested pulmicort instead and she was fine on that.

Can't help with the weight gain, if anything we are having the opposite problem (weight loss). The specialist also told us that the inhaled steroids don't typically cause weight gain (though oral steroids do) but that they watch weight and height because they are concerned about growth restrictions.

[bubbaray]

If he is needing an increased dose of Flovent (the most potent inhaled steroid AFAIK), it is unlikely that Qvar will help him at all (its the mildest according to my specialist). I would ask what teh other options are.

[Kindra178]

The twins are on it and have no problems. In fact, it's the best thing we have done for them - they have not been on oral steroids since Flovent and we have not needed a neb rescue; we are able to control symptoms with Xoponex with spacer. Pulmicort didn't work for us. Indeed, prior to Flovent use I spent the better part of a year nebbing squirmy twins multiple times a day. What kinds of things are you seeing? I take Advair (half Flovent) and also have no problems.

[Jacksmommy2b]

J went psycho on flovent. We switched to qvar and while there are some side effects it is nowhere near flovent.

[khalloc]

I'd be interested in hearing some of the side effects that people are seeing in their kids.

My son is 2.5 and he takes Flovent, at the lowest dosage, and has taken it for almost 2 years now. His asthma is cold-induced. I can stop using Flovent in the summer, but when he is sick I do it 2x a day, and I keep him on it all winter long at least 1x per day, but sometimes 2x if he is showing signs of a cold.

I cant say I noticed any side effects, but lately he has been very whiny! Probably not a side effect of Flovent, but still I'd like to hear.

[egoldber]

I'd be interested in hearing some of the side effects that people are seeing in their kids.

While on Pulmicort, my older DD experienced....

highly increased anxiety
insomnia
extremely vivid dreams / nightmares
defiant behavior that I had NEVER seen from her before

She told me that she felt she could not control herself and did not understand why she was acting the way she did. It was like she lost all impulse control. When we stopped the Pulmicort, this went away over the next 48 hours.

We saw similar effects with Singulair, but nowhere close to the same degree.

ETA: My DD is currently on Advair 45, 2 puffs 2 times a day. When she has a flair we move up to Advair 115, 2 puffs 2 times a day. At that level, if we are on it more than a week, I notice some mild behavioral side effects. Recently she was on it for almost 2 weeks and I noticed 2 large patches of acne on her face. That acne subsided within 48 hours of taking her back down to the lower dose.

[Green_Tea]

My oldest DD (she's almost 8) is on a pretty high dose of Flovent right now. She gets 2 puffs of 220, twice a day (so 440 2x/day). This dose has worked miracles in the asthma department, but I am concerned about side effects. He face is puffy, the hair on her upper lip is darkening, and she has gained 3 pounds in 6 weeks. Her pulmonologist is sending her to an endocrinologist this week for an evaluation of the side effects. I am very concerned about the side effects, but am also concerned about controlling the asthma effectively. A recent CT scan revealed permanent damage to her right lung as the result of under-controlled asthma and chronic pneumonias. This new does of meds has controlled her asthma better than anything else we've tried. This is the first winter we haven't been in the ER...ever.

Our regular ped told me last week that she sees negative side effects like this more often then the literature might suggest. I think that they tend to go underreported because it's hard to know for sure if the med is the cause of the weight gain/behavior change/etc.