If you have a child with asthma...

Sunflower7777

DS2 (3 y.o.) was recently diagnosed with asthma. We had a pedi appt last week for a recheck on an ear infection, and he happened to have another cold/virus which was making his breathing wheezy. Pedi said since this is the 4th time he's had to have breathing treatments in about 9 months, that it's more than a coincidence now and we're going to start taking preventative measures. 

He's on albuterol for 3 days to treat the current wheeziness, then pulmicort once daily in the evenings for prevention.

So my question is, at what age was your child diagnosed and what treatment plan did your child go on? Anyone do the daily pulmicort? Any side effects on it? The albuterol makes DS a little more punchy than usual, but we can deal with that since it's short term. Not sure what to expect with the pulmicort.

Also, has anyone's child outgrown the asthma symptoms as they got older? Pedi mentioned that can sometimes happen and it's obviously what I'm hoping for for DS.  

aglenn

DD was diagnosed around 18 months.  She took a Flovent inhaler daily and has xopenex for flare ups (albuterol made her nuts but xopenex does not).  After a year of treatment we were able to decrease the Flovent and she only gets it when she's sick now.  We rarely use the xopenex any more.  I'm hoping this trend continues.  Good luck!

ppants

My twins were diagnosed with RAD (reactive airway disease) at 10 mo old. We started pulmicort breathing treatments then. They are 6 now and DS uses a regular inhaler twice daily. DD still uses the neb twice a day. They are also on singulair. I've never noticed any side effects. The meds check their asthma in check, but a cold will kick DD's coughing into high gear so sometimes we have to do an additional treatment or prednisone.

jnicks19

My DD pretty much coughed/wheezed for 5+ months last winter and she was on tons of meds.  Once we got it under control we had her on daily meds (Flovent twice a day).  It helped but she would still have flare ups but we realized her asthma only acts up when she has a cold/virus.  She's been on the meds for a year and a half now.  We've weened down for the summer to just evenings and then for the asthma season (starting late Aug.) we'll bump it back up to twice a day.  If she's able to get through the winter without an asthma flare up, we'll take her off meds in the spring.

I'd love if she outgrows it but seeing as she just had a cold and wheezing, I doubt it will be this year.  My nephew did out grow his wheezing I think around 5-6ish. 

Tigger & pooh

Ds was about 2 when hospitalized  and diagnosed with asthma.  We have been on all the above mentioned meds with tons of hospital visits.  We have finally found a good preventive med.  Flovent 110mg 2 puffs twice a day.  His bad time of year is spring a nd fall so we upped the dosage of our xopenex mes also.  He is on 1.25 now and we did a treatment  every 15 mins for an hour during his last major attack.  We do have to do a quick albuterol here and there but it usually is just a one time occurrence on an odd day so we are feeling good about were he is at right now. 

Tigger & pooh

I didn't notice anyone mention the oral prednisone.  If you don't find the albuterol helping we have had to do prednisone.  I might be wrong but my understand is albuterol is more like a band aid but the meds like Flovent pulmicort and prednisone are steroids and actually help with healing.  Obviously prednisone is a straight up steroid so is only prescribed for a short time unlike other maintence meds .  This is my understanding so if I am wrong please feel free to correct me.

Leila'sMommy

DD was also recently diagnosed, 3 years old. She has a horrible allergy to mold, and the diagnosis for asthma came after she had pneumonia for a month.

She is on two inhalers (EXPENSIVE. Ridiculous.), one is the kind that opens her airways and the other is a steroid because her lungs have had a hard time. Knock on wood, but they are working miracles. We were doing each inhaler in the morning and at bedtime, now it's just at bedtime and she's doing great. Before the inhalers, she would cough ALL.NIGHT.LONG. My DH and I almost went certifiably crazy. 

She sleeps great now, no coughing, and when she runs around and gets crazy - she doesn't end up in a coughing/throwing up fit. I am so thankful she finally got diagnosed. No side effects from the inhalers that I'm aware of. 

adri77

My boys started neb tx at 6 months and 4 months old.  They both did daily pulmicort during cold and flu season for the first 3 years of their lives.  Knock on wood, this is the first winter we didn't do it.  DS2 did use it as needed for rescue this winter, but no daily maintenance.  GL!

ks3pink

mrs_sexy:

My twins were diagnosed with RAD (reactive airway disease) at 10 mo old. We started pulmicort breathing treatments then. They are 6 now and DS uses a regular inhaler twice daily. DD still uses the neb twice a day. They are also on singulair. I've never noticed any side effects. The meds check their asthma in check, but a cold will kick DD's coughing into high gear so sometimes we have to do an additional treatment or prednisone.

This is pretty much us.  DD was 10 months old and they labeled it RAD in hopes that she'd outgrow it by age 4.  She didn't and it was labeled Asthma.  She used the nebulizar with zoponex/pulmicort mixture depending on wheezing.  She now uses an inhaler (Flovent) daily and sometimes Xoponex inhaler.  Whenever she is sick we go back to the nebulizer.  The only side effect I've ever noticed is if she takes cough medicine and follows it up with a Xoponex treatment she gets wired.  Otherwise she has never had any issues. 

irismorning

My DS2 was diagnosed at 15 months with asthma. At first we just treated the symptoms, but we were finally put on a pulmicort regimen. For the first year and a half, he took pulmicort by nebulizer twice daily. We are now down to once before bedtime, unless he gets a cold and then we are back up to twice a day pulmicort with albuterol every 4 hours. In addition, he takes Zyrtec, Nasacort and Singulair every evening. He is doing much better and we hope to get off of the pulmicort this year entirely (he is almost 5).

lollitots

DD #1 was diagnosed young, like 18 or 24 months. She just had periodic flair ups that we treated as needed. She outgrew it and hasn't had an attack since 3 (she is 7 now). 

DD #3 was also diagnosed young. I don't remember the exact age. She is on pulmicort via nebulizer twice a day from fall to spring (cold season). She only takes abuteral when there is a flair up but the pulmicort usually works. We have't had any problem with side effects. When she has a big flair up starting she is mean (as in hitting, biting, telling her sisters how much she hates them, etc.) so I give her her abuteral and instantly she is a happy nice little kid again. Her trigger is colds and her attacks sometimes are pretty severe, as in not just wheezing but gasping for breath if I don't catch it early. She is much worse than DD #1 so I kind of doubt that she will outgrow it.

bunny731

DS #1 had two attacks within the last year. Once after playing in hay at school.

Qvar two puffs twice daily (I have moved to two puffs once daily) since we are moving away from bad season. With a 1/2 Claritin pill daily.

The blood test indicated many tree and grass triggers. I hope as he ages we will be able to use albuterol preventative (like I do) when he starts to feel symptoms. We'll see.

I have not encountered any side effects.