Albuterol side effects?

mr. d's wife

I took my daughter to the doctor on Friday and she tested positive for RSV.  They have me giving her a steroid as well as nebulizer treatments.  I gave her two treatments on Friday, 4 yesterday and 3 today.  I have read that albuterol can keep babies awake, and I don't know if that is what's going on or not.  She normally sleeps from 7-7 straight through, but she was up for the day today at 4:30.  She took less than 2 hours of naps today and was just miserable most of the time.  She was even fussy nursing which is almost always calming for her.

Has anyone else had this sleeplessness experience when using the nebulizer?  Does this sound normal?  And of course, to top it off, my husband has been out of town so I've been on my own. 

Sorry if this is a ramble.  I just got her to sleep for (hopefully) the night and I'm totally stressed! 

ramfan05

I don't have any experience with Albuterol in babies, but I do know that when I take my own Albuterol inhaler, it does cause me to get shaky and I have a hard time falling asleep (I often have to use it before bed). So I'm sure if it can have that sort of effect on an adult, it could on a baby as well.

Hoping for a better night of sleep for you both! 

ETA: Shaky as in I feel as though my adrenaline is really pumping, which would also account for the difficulty falling asleep.

panicked228

I have a home neb. for myself (I have bad asthma). Yes, albuterol does make you very keyed up. I often argue with myself about taking it after 5pm because I know it will make me jittery and such. Hope your LO feels better soon!!!

DreadLoc

Sleeplessness, shakes, hyperactivity, and a slightly higher pulse were the side effects that albuterol gave me growing up.  I know it doesn't affect everyone like that but it was normal for me.

Hope she sleeps well and feels better!

sapphire angel

As PP's mentioned those have been the side effects I've noticed with myself. 

For my LO, she did seem more "wired" and fussy but not as much as I thought she would be. We used an inhaler with mask/spacer so I may not have had her inhale long enough to get as many side effects from a full dose...It was difficult to pen her down and keep the mask on by myself...

Lindsay2907

This is why our Pedi prescribes Xopenex for LO.  It's albuterol, minus the side effects.  It is more expensive, but after being on albuterol myself and feeling the side-effects.. I'll pay for it so LO doesn't experience them.  

mr. d's wife

Lindsay2907:

This is why our Pedi prescribes Xopenex for LO.  It's albuterol, minus the side effects.  It is more expensive, but after being on albuterol myself and feeling the side-effects.. I'll pay for it so LO doesn't experience them.  

That's good to know.  I think I'm going to contact her doctor again tomorrow before I give her any more treatments.  The way she is acting is just so out of character for her...poor thing.

 Thanks for all of the responses!  I appreciate the help.  I took out my frustrations on my messy house and now I feel a little better! 

MAK06

Yes, that's a common side effect of albuterol. What the pp said about xopenex is true and something you can ask your doc about. Another reason she may be fussy is her nose being stuffed. Children primarily breathe through their nose the first 6 months of life so that may be partly why she's upset, especially with nursing. Be sure to keep nose clear using saline (if needed) and bulb. Hope she feels better soon!