Medicine-induced hyperactivity. Help!

sugarbear0524

My DS (2) spent Wed. night in the hospital with croup and breathing difficulties. He is doing so much better, and we are so thankful. He is now on albuterol breathing treatments every 4 hours at home. The albuterol is making him so hyper. DH and I stayed overnight at the hospital too and are exhausted and trying to keep up with a little boy who is bouncing off the walls. It's making his typical 2 year old behavior so much worse, i.e. "I don't want it! <Throws object>. AAAHHH! I want it! I want it!" DS needs a lot of patience and TLC right now, and I just don't have it in me. Thankfully, I am married to a saint. He is really picking up the load.

 I am on some of the same medication, in adult formulation, as my son so I'm sick too and beyond exhausted. My cardiologist and primary care doctor both told me to get some rest. How?

Any ideas on what to do with a (temporarily) hyperactive toddler boy, especially when you have no energy yourself?

Chatterbug6917

Tv? iPad? I don't typically advise the, for a long period of time but a few days won't kill anyyone - a rested mom is better than one that goes jus

Veittobe

I second the TV/ipad recommendation.  But then I would balance it out with a busy activity - running, jumping, etc  Let him burn off some energy with that after you give yourself a little break with the TV time.  

JENandJEH

I'm very familiar with breathing treatments, especially Albuterol and how hyper it can make them.  DS2 had to begin them last year about this time and it was brutal.  He ended up hospitalized and in the hospital, because he had an IV in his foot, they ended up switching from Albuterol to something else that did not make him hyper.  I wish I could remember the name of it.  This year, when he started to get congested and needed breathing treatments, I asked about that medicine and apparently it's not something they can prescribe for use out of the hospital but there is a lower dose of Albuterol and DS2 didn't get hyper afterwards and it worked just as well as the full dose.  

TV/iPad time would be a definite treat if I needed a break.  Good luck!