Can people whose children have seasonal allergies please read and advise?

[HappyGrace]

Ds8 all of a sudden out of the blue has seasonal allergies this spring! Never had even a hint of it before so I thought we had escaped dh's family allergies.

 

He sneezes like crazy and uses a ton of tissues when he goes outside to play. Dh said he is sneezing at night too but it's mostly when he's outside.

 

I hate to jump right into medicating him though, but I need to do something. Is there anything natural I can try to see if it helps? AND my second question: what generally do they do for medicating seasonal allergies, and what is the mildest thing we can try first, etc.? I'd like to have some info before seeing our doctor.

 

I did give him Benadryl a couple times when it got really bad, but I hate to keep doing that.

 

A couple things-we have him on raw local honey but I haven't been consistent (I will start with it tomorrow though), and we tried a neti pot, but it makes his nose bleed badly so that didn't work. I really appreciate any help, thanks!

[Random]

I like Zyrtec for my 7 year-old. We also do a sinus rinse and probiotics.

[Mom0012]

Both of my kids have responded really well to the nasal sprays astelin and nasonex. When they are at their worst, they use both, and when their allergies aren't as bad, they use one or the other, depending on the kid. I've been told that the sprays work in a localized way, rather than systemic, and I haven't seen any side effects in either of my kids in using them.

 

If you are set on going the natural route, you can get local raw honey and try that. It is not an overnight fix, though. It's something I think you have to take a long time before you might see results. We never got any relief here from that, but I have heard others say that it helped them.

 

Lisa

[gingersmom]

When my son's allergies kick in Allegra (liquid) is the only thing that works. He needs to take it everyday for it to be effective.

[Pretty in Pink]

Zyrtec is OTC and one of the milder things that a doctor might recommend. As far as natural, I was going to recommend local honey (but I see you are already planning to do that).

[DianeW88]

Claritin and Flonase. Honestly, there isn't much you can do naturally to treat allergies that will give immediate relief. You could take him to an allergist, have a RAST test done, and then start with weekly allergy shots, that (sometimes, not always) provide relief over the course of months or even years. To keep them under control and prevent your child from being absolutely miserable, medication is your best answer. It's effective and there are very few side effects. Although some people do have bad experiences with Zyrtec. I'd start with Claritin.

[DawnL]

Zyrtec worked for awhile, but eventually it gave my son horrible night terrors. I hate to do Benadryl, too, but it seems to be the only thing working right now.

 

I forgot about trying local honey. I need to try that. I hope the fruit stand up the street opens soon, because they always carry some.

[redsquirrel]

My kids have them and I have them. Mine are quite severe. I can tell you that my allergies made a big impression on my childhood. I am not kidding when I tell you that the 'new' allergy medication changed my life. It allowed me to enjoy being outside. Ok, I still get welts just from walking through grass, but I can be outside.

 

So,

Clairitin, Zyrtek, and Allegra are all pretty much identical. It really depends on an individuals body chemistry as to which one works best for them. I take Clairitin. FYI, Target generic brand is the best price I have found. Anyway, Clairitin works...ok.. for me. It's not perfect. But, it is cheap and I can live with it. My insurance won't cover any of those meds once Clairitin went OTC.

 

I spent much of my childhood doped up on benedryl. Now, I have a hyper response to it. Even a quarter of a teaspoon will make my speech slurred. My kids get clairitin and they get it when they need it. Allergies are real and they effect the quality of your life. I have tried several alternative remedies but it's the stuff from the drugstore that works for me. Acupuncture did help a huge amount but that was running into a LOT of money. I couldn't afford that forever. Years later, I still think the acupuncture helped more than any of the 'alternative' treatments. Shots were a waste of time for me, but they seem to help others.

 

There are things you can do to minimize:

 

Don't hang clothes and sheets on a line to dry. It brings all the pollen into their bed! Make sure allergy sufferers take shower at the end of the day (make a big difference for me) and wash that pollen etc off before sleep. I personally find that an air conditioner in my bedroom is better than an open window in the hot months. Some people worry about molds etc though. Molds and mildew is my worst allergy and I don't have a problem with my air conditioner but YMMV. I close all the windows when I hear a lawn mower in the neighborhood.

[Desert Rat]

We use Zyrtec and a Neilmed sinus rinse. My kids still suffer though. We must have the Zyrtec (and Singulair for the youngest) because they are asthmatics. I have to stay on top of it or their asthma will get bad and then we're in big trouble.

I would recommend limiting his time outside in the evening and closing the house up in late afternoon. Moisture in the air makes the pollen settle around 5 or so. It stinks but these 2 things cut down the pollen significantly.

Other things we do:

-take clothes off outside after playing outside (in the garage). Store dirty clothes outside. For us, this is easy because our laundry is in the garage (I know, weird.)

-take nightly showers before bed and wash hair! Washing hair is very important because pollen sticks to the hair. Then you're putting your head on the pillow and your face is constantly in pollen.

 

I understand that many people don't want to medicate. For us, we see the medication as a tool.

[mhg]

Natural remedies:

1. limes (real lime juice squeezed in water). Lime has highest natural concentration of antihistamines.

 

2. rub some vasoline on the outer part of his nostrils to catch pollen a bit

 

3. increase consumption of salmon/DHA fish

 

4. increase magnesium rich foods

 

5. try to find the "culprit"

 

Medications:

 

1. I like over the counter Chlor Tabs (chlorapheniramine).....ask your pediatrician for dose and if good for your kid. Adult dose is about 4 mg per tablet and I THINK (don't quote me) the kid dose is like 1 mg....but again, ask your doctor.

 

 

Good luck!

[Harriet Vane]

Claritin and Flonase. Honestly, there isn't much you can do naturally to treat allergies that will give immediate relief. You could take him to an allergist, have a RAST test done, and then start with weekly allergy shots, that (sometimes, not always) provide relief over the course of months or even years. To keep them under control and prevent your child from being absolutely miserable, medication is your best answer. It's effective and there are very few side effects. Although some people do have bad experiences with Zyrtec. I'd start with Claritin.

 

:iagree:

 

This is one situation that natural measures simply do not address well. The lack of oxygen and misery that an allergic response can create is worse than the risk from medicating, IMHO. Try Claritin.

 

Just be aware that it is VERY difficult to calm down a reaction that's already in process. You will have to medicate for a week or more before you start seeing consistent results. Keep him on the meds until mid to late June when the spring pollens calm down. DON'T try giving meds situationally or based on increased symptoms, because they work much, much more effectively when used preventively.

[kengjw]

My daughter and my son has seasonal allergies. My dd has it worst and for few years now, we have taken Claritin but it doesn't always help. Some days were better than the other. I was going to try Zytec or Allegra but decided to go the natural route. She hates taking raw honey so I decided to try a natural product that a friend at church recommended. This is what we are using right now :

 

http://www.amazon.com/bioAllers-Pollen-Allergy-Relief-Liquid/dp/B00008US2Q/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1303866021&sr=8-5

 

We are using the "Grass" Pollen right now and it has been over a week since we started bioAllers and I must say I am amazed because my dd's allergy symptons are almost gone. She used to sneeze and blow her nose all day long. She couldn't sleep at night because she was too stuffy. Now, she feels great! My son is doing well although his allergies are not as severe as my dd.

 

I also bought the nasal spray to go with the Grass Pollen but we haven't had a need for it so far. I hope this is not just a fluke because it is so good to see her feel well and not be all stuffed up and miserable all the time.

 

HTH.

 

Julia

[joannqn]

I take Zyrtec and it helps some.

 

DS was initially put on Zyrtec but it caused horrid mood swings (from rage to hysterical tears) immediately. He now takes Claritin and Flonase. He also must avoid many fresh fruits during pollen season because he also has oral allergy season.

 

 

I agree with the person who says allergies make life miserable.

[kengjw]

My dd and ds both have seasonal allergies. For the last few years, they used Claritin and my dd also used NeilMed sinus rinse as well. Claritin helped her some for not enough at times. I was going to try Zytec or Allegra but decided to try the natural route first.

 

My dd hates taking raw honey so I ended up trying this product by BioAllers which a friend at church recommended. This is the one we are using right now :

 

http://www.amazon.com/bioAllers-Pollen-Allergy-Relief-Liquid/dp/B00008US2Q/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1303866021&sr=8-5

 

We have used it for less than 2 weeks and I have to say, I am really amazed at the results. My dd is almost symptons free. She is not blowing her nose all day and definitely not stuffed up anymore. Bedtime used to be miserable but now she can breathe when she lay down. I also bought the "nasal spray" but haven't had the need to use it yet. I am so happy to have found something that works so well and hopefully it continues to work for us.

 

HTH.

 

Julia

[MDMom]

I wasn't able to read all the post so maybe someone else has mentioned this. My daughter takes Children's Allegra. We took her in last week for an appt. with out ped. Her allergies were terrible! She had been taken Zyrtec for a couple months w/o much improvement. So, he suggested Children's Allegra (OTC) the 2x a day kind. He said the 1xday is not as effective. He also mentioned that Allegra has been known to cause the least amt of side effects in children. Nasal sprays are our next step if the Allegra isn't cutting it.

Hope this helps!

[Staceyshoe]

According to the allergist, my ds has "a severe, severe pollen allergy" (no asthma). I wish I could remember all the natural remedies we tried--quercetin (sp?), raw local honey, homeopathic remedies, nettles, eyebright, feverfew. That's a drop in the bucket of all the stuff I bought and tried in vain to tame his allergies. (Just a side note--dh also has pollen allergies and feverfew works for him immediately. It's actually more effective for him than benadryl.) When he's older, I do plan to have ds use a neti pot, but I don't think it would a positive thing right now.

 

We do as much pollen reduction as possible. No open windows in spring. If he's outside at all, he immediately strips down when he comes in. His laundry basket is moved out of his room during the spring season. He also gets a bath including shampoo if he's been out at all. We have a large HEPA filter downstairs and another in his bedroom. If his eyes are bothering him, we try plain old eyedrops before taking other measures. We have a dog, so she gets frequent baths and is wiped down when she comes in from outside.

 

This year we started him on Flo-nase and Allegra. We've found that he doesn't need the Flo-nase as often as prescribed once his sinuses have been cleared (i.e., we use it consistently until they are better then space out his doses and the benefits continue). HTH! Allergies are not fun.

[ereks mom]

Zyrtec makes his eyes feel so dry that he is continually blinking and squinting, and it also interferes with his sleep. Claritin just doesn't work. Allegra seems to be the best thing he has used. My SIL swears by Allegra-D. She also has very bad seasonal allergies, as well as allergies to dust and mold/mildew, and she says nothing else works like Allegra-D.

[HappyGrace]

I talked it over with dh (who has allergies) and he thinks Flonase may be enough to help ds's symptoms. So I'm going to make an appt with the pediatrician to discuss. In the meantime I am going to start the honey and a few other natural things mentioned here-can't hurt!

 

I will hope that the Flonase works so we don't have to start the other antihistamines-I worry about side effects, etc. But above all, I don't want him to suffer with it. So we'll take baby steps and see what works.

 

It helped me SO much to read these responses-thank you all!

[HappyGrace]

Update: We started the Flonase today (actually Nasacort, because it doesn't have a fragrance). Dh takes this and had it on hand, so we decided to try it on ds and see how it goes.

 

I also bought Hyland's Complete Allergy for Kids, which is a homeopathic multi-symptom allergy medicine. Hoping that the two of these, plus the honey, Vitamin D, etc., will work!

 

I feel comfortable with these as a first step, but will certainly consider other medications if these don't help enough. Thanks again!