ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 My DD9 has some seasonal allergies. Right now they're hitting her hard, and I'd like to give her some kind of allergy med, but Zyrtec doesn't work for her, Claritin made her rage, and now, after three days on Allegra, she's crying and telling me she's sad and doesn't feel like she'll ever be happy again :crying: Without allergy meds, though, she has a horrible post-nasal drip, a nasty cough, and a constant sore throat. Are there other options out there for kids that don't have such sever side effects? Or is she just one of the lucky few that isn't going to be able to take antihistamines? Has anyone else ever experienced this? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 My DD9 has some seasonal allergies. Right now they're hitting her hard, and I'd like to give her some kind of allergy med, but Zyrtec doesn't work for her, Claritin made her rage, and now, after three days on Allegra, she's crying and telling me she's sad and doesn't feel like she'll ever be happy again :crying: Without allergy meds, though, she has a horrible post-nasal drip, a nasty cough, and a constant sore throat. Are there other options out there for kids that don't have such sever side effects? Or is she just one of the lucky few that isn't going to be able to take antihistamines? Has anyone else ever experienced this? Thanks. Have you tried just plain old Benadryl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Have you tried just plain old Benadryl? I haven't been able to find dye-free non-liquid Benadryl anywhere around here, and she reacts to the red 40 in the pink stuff :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 It would hurt to try the dye free liquid while you keep an eye out for the dye free tablet/liquid gel ones. This way would know if it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Nasonex / Nasacort spray -- They are OTC now. They can take a while to have an effect, though. Saline sinus rinses or saline sprays Nasalcrom There are prescription nasal antihistamines that don't have the same side effects (such as Patanase). They can taste unpleasant, though. Allergen block gels: http://smile.amazon.com/Little-Allergies-Allergen-Block-Kids/dp/B00DSOSCZK/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=1-1&keywords=little+allergies http://smile.amazon.com/Chloraseptic-Allergen-Block-1-Ounce-Packages/dp/B001BNQVC6/ref=sr_1_8?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1408889598&sr=1-8&keywords=woody+knows Wearing a mask when outside Keeping pets out of the bedroom, and cleaning room and bedding regularly. Perhaps changing out the pillowcase nightly. Changing air filters in the house frequently Good luck! I dislike antihistamines, too : ( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Last I checked, Walgreens had dye free Benadryl in pill form. I wonder if they'll do mail order. (Actually, it's Waldryl but the only difference is that it's cheaper) My daughter uses Singulair occasionally (I don't know how old you have to be for that). That works wonders, but makes her super crabby. So she'll do it for a few days until she wants to murder everyone, then be off it for a few days until she can't breathe anymore.... Zyrtec doesn't work for her either. It's supposed to be some kind of wonder drug. It either is very selective in who it helps or it's a placebo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Last I checked, Walgreens had dye free Benadryl in pill form. I wonder if they'll do mail order. (Actually, it's Waldryl but the only difference is that it's cheaper) My daughter uses Singulair occasionally (I don't know how old you have to be for that). That works wonders, but makes her super crabby. So she'll do it for a few days until she wants to murder everyone, then be off it for a few days until she can't breathe anymore.... Zyrtec doesn't work for her either. It's supposed to be some kind of wonder drug. It either is very selective in who it helps or it's a placebo. I actually just thought to check Amazon and they have exactly what I need, so I may order from them. This DD has been on Singulair too, and it did make her very crabby, so I'm going to leave that alone unless we're desperate. I agree about the Zyrtec! All it did was make both my kids terribly constipated. It seems to work for my DH's occasional seasonal allergies though, so I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 You can get the dye free stuff at Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 DS can't take claritin, zyrtec or allegra - we have behavior issues and depression, and ooh, it's miserable. Singulair was a nightmare beyond explaining. Rages. He was in a study, for that one. He takes Rx Nasonex daily, plus extra Benadryl as needed. We buy the dye free tablets from CVS, but I've seen it at Target, too. He reacts to red dye, as well, so we are very careful with that one. We use HEPA carbon filters in the house on every floor. Keep windows closed. House is very, very clean - can't allow allergens to accumulate. During terrible allergy days - we don't go out much. I keep an eye on pollen.com and use their app. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 DS can't take Singulair. It causes rages, depression, and suicidal thoughts. He doesn't do great on Benadryl, because it makes him sleepy and then extremely crabby. He does okay on Zyrtec, but only if he takes it in the morning, otherwise it interferes with his sleep. He sees an asthma and allergy specialist, and has since he was 9 months old. He has asthma, environmental allergies, and food allergies. We have been trying allergy shots with him because the doctor feels that it will be beneficial for him and help him to not need to take medication for his allergies, which right now are the main trigger for his asthma. It hasn't been the smoothest thing - we had trouble building up his shots because of asthma flares and sinus infections, so we just went through RUSH - which is a one day quick build up to maintenance doses of the shots. It has only been a couple weeks since that so I haven't had time to see if it is helping a lot or not, but so far he seems to be doing well. I am hoping that it will be a long term solution because the medications just are not a good solution for him. We also minimize his exposure to allergens when possible. We get the good filters and change them regularly. We should invest in the special covers for his pillow and mattress, but it was cost prohibitive when it was suggested to us. We don't let him go outside during or for hours after DH has mowed the lawn. We let him out once a few months ago right after DH had mowed the lawn, within a couple minutes he was back inside with difficulty breathing, swollen, red, watery eyes, hives, and his nose running like a faucet. We gave him a bath, inhaler, and benadryl for that, and a good reminder to be more cautious. We are also saving money to get wood floors and get rid of our carpet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMV Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 You could consider asking your pediatrician or allergist for a Montelukast (Singulair) prescription. This medicine works by stabilizing the mast cells so they don't release the histamine that causes all of the allergy symptoms. Some kids don't tolerate singular well so you may run into problems with this as well but if she hasn't done well with multiple antihistamines it seems like it might be worth a try. Nasal steroids might be another consideration if she is able to use them properly with some assistance. Technically, with new practice guidelines intranasal steroids are supposed to be the first line treatment now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Could the Allegra have the red dye in it? I know my dd's allergra tablet is pink. You might ask about an inhaler for the cough. I use Symbacort and it has REALLY helped. I also use the Flonase nasal spray. They might trigger some mood stuff as well, has not here for me or my dd with major mood stuff already, but I think is some cases they can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I have had better luck with sprays, especially Flonase than I have with oral allegy meds. Have you tried something like that? You need to use it every day for a couple of weeks before it really starts to work. When I start using it (I have seasonal allergies, so I don't take it all of the time), I do two squirts per nostril in the morning and night. Once I have been taking it for a couple of weeks, then I can dial it down to one squirt per nostril morning and night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 DS can't take Singulair. It causes rages, depression, and suicidal thoughts. My son can't take Singulair either due to rage issues. It is worth noting that he was on it for a couple of years before it started causing those issues. It builds up in your system over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Could the Allegra have the red dye in it? I know my dd's allergra tablet is pink. You might ask about an inhaler for the cough. I use Symbacort and it has REALLY helped. I also use the Flonase nasal spray. They might trigger some mood stuff as well, has not here for me or my dd with major mood stuff already, but I think is some cases they can. It doesn't, I've learned the hard way to check very carefully! But she just spiked another fever, so that means that what I've been thinking is her usual allergies is probably still this thing she's been fighting for weeks now and that I thought we'd finally gotten rid of :banghead: So now we're on to a whole new health issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 I have had better luck with sprays, especially Flonase than I have with oral allegy meds. Have you tried something like that? You need to use it every day for a couple of weeks before it really starts to work. When I start using it (I have seasonal allergies, so I don't take it all of the time), I do two squirts per nostril in the morning and night. Once I have been taking it for a couple of weeks, then I can dial it down to one squirt per nostril morning and night. One of the peds we saw did give us Nasonex, I believe, but she won't use it because she hates the taste and the way it feels. This is my sensory-sensitive kid, and I'm so not looking forward to another round of abx with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 The only thing that helped my son's horrible seasonal allergies was Flonase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 One of the peds we saw did give us Nasonex, I believe, but she won't use it because she hates the taste and the way it feels. This is my sensory-sensitive kid, and I'm so not looking forward to another round of abx with her. It is my sensory kid who has learned to tolerate the Flonase, ironically. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticmomma Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Neti pot bad homeopathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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