Children and Allergies

Ditto the suggestion of local honey. It acclimates the child's immune system to the same pollens that trigger the allergies, so the immune system stops recognizing it as a threat. I was very dubious about this when the director of my son's preschool told me about it, but the results were pretty dramatic.

Zyrtec, but get the generic, it's much cheaper and just as good.

The latest studies have shown local honey to be ineffective in allergies, but delish!

I'd been giving my son Claritin, but it wasn't helping, so my husband told me to get Zyrtec. I got some yesterday and my son is feeling much better!

My son was on Zyrtec when he was 2.

I have since learned... And will start this year. To get local honey and have a teaspon a day before the allergys kick in and it should help your body fight it. (if you get local honey from the farmers market, that way is is pollinated from the area).

zyrtec makes me very tired and dry feeling.. (like my nose is dry and so is my mouth.. I would try claritan first.

my son is taking claritan daily. not sure if it is helping much.. but his nose was running constantly and he was so itchy.. you do have to give her the allergy meds everyday for them to be effective..

This is a sore subject with me as my husbands ex wife is anti-meds and is refusing to give their daughter Zyrtec and she's been suffering since the first week of January.

Everyone reacts differently to meds, you just have to keep trying one to see what works but please don't let her suffer with this. Good luck.

Children's Benadryl works best for our son.

Give your daughter a tablespoon of local honey every day if she's old enough. That has the pollen from your area in it and she'll develop immunity.

We use Zyrtec for my 8 year old son. I give it to him after dinner and seems to work the best then.

Everyone reacts differently to meds, you just have to keep trying one to see what works
I take Zyrtec
my son takes Singular at night n Claritin in the day
I would love for him to get off them and find a homeopathic way to help him but for now he is 4 And am not trying to let his allergies get out ofhand that end up leading his asthma to get worse.
Good Luck

What ever you choose only give her a fraction of a dose. If it works you are not over-medicating her. I can have relief with 1/4 dose of Benadryl. If I was to take a whole dose I'd be so dried out that I would have to use steam and nasal spray to get moisture back in there.

It may be she only needs a few drops or a half a teaspoon. Figuring out how much is therapeutic is a good venture.

I had my grandson on Claritin at one time and he had horrible behaviors when taking it. I went to the pharmacist and asked if there was a connection. He told me that excess bahaviors is one of the main complaints by parents. He said in his opinion the med dries out the sinuses so much that it causes them pain. They can't always tell you what hurts and exactly where. So they act out. He told me to use a minimal dose to stop the itching and excessive runny nose but not for anything else.

If the symptoms are under control you have found the dose she needs right now.

Updated

What ever you choose only give her a fraction of a dose. If it works you are not over-medicating her. I can have relief with 1/4 dose of Benadryl. If I was to take a whole dose I'd be so dried out that I would have to use steam and nasal spray to get moisture back in there.

It may be she only needs a few drops or a half a teaspoon. Figuring out how much is therapeutic is a good venture.

I had my grandson on Claritin at one time and he had horrible behaviors when taking it. I went to the pharmacist and asked if there was a connection. He told me that excess bahaviors is one of the main complaints by parents. He said in his opinion the med dries out the sinuses so much that it causes them pain. They can't always tell you what hurts and exactly where. So they act out. He told me to use a minimal dose to stop the itching and excessive runny nose but not for anything else.

If the symptoms are under control you have found the dose she needs right now.

You didn't say an age but I give my twelve year old Zyrtec and it seems to help.

How old is she? Might want to ask the pharmacist, but different allergies and different people respond to different meds. Some swear by Claritin and others say it does nothing. Zyrtec used to be prescription and I think is generally considered a little stronger. The doctor did not suggest Allegra? Is she too young for that? It also used to be prescription. My son, who is 16, used to be on Zyrtec and is now on Allegra. Might need to experiment between the two that were recommended and if her eyes are really itchy I would talk to the doctor or pharmacist about eye drops.

Each person is different.
I like Claritin.
My Mom likes Zyrtec.
I hate Zyrtec. It makes me tired and IRRITABLE.
There is also Allegra for kids.

Again, each person is different. Each allergy med does work. But each person is different.

You might get, an air purifier for your home or the rooms or her room.
When I was a kid, my parents did that. FOR me.
It helps. I HIGHLY recommend this.

Also, when she is outside, then comes back in the house, have her change clothes. Why? Well because, lots of pollen/dust that is not visible to the eye, adheres to our clothing. And we bring it home. On our clothes. So, when she comes home, simply have her, change clothes.
And, wash her face with clear water, and wash her hands.

Having seasonal allergies or to pollens/dust is not fun. But it is not completely avoidable. I have that too. Plus, in Hawaii, we have "Vog." Which is, air smog from the Volcano. So we learn to live with it.
But you can do preventative things. Like I mentioned.

ALSO, when vacuuming the home, do NOT have her there. Do NOT have her in the same room. Why? Well, vacuuming kicks up a lot of dust in the air. Which we cannot see. My Mom's Doc, told her, do not vacuum, or use a face mask while doing it... or, do not enter a room that was vacuumed for 1 hour. Until the dust settles down.

No matter what allergy med you use, it has to be the "children's" version. AND you need to know about dosage.

I have those same allergies too. Mostly seasonal.
I tried those homepathic ones too.
It did NOT work, for me. Either.

I find Claritin works better for me in the spring and Zyrtec works better in the fall.
Different seasons offer up different pollen.

We have had the worst time with allergies ourselves! So frustrating ): I too do not like to give meds (but i will when needed) - and allergy ones are so hard because i never have found one to really work. I understand that you have to take it consistantly, but have yet to see one really effective. I did give my daughter Singulair at night before bed-that way the drowsiness would not be an issue. Still-i did not see any great change and stopped it after 3 weeks of usage. The allergies have gotten so bad that she has an inhaler, and now is down with a ear/sinus infection. I wish i had an answer for you. But instead i give you sympathy because i know how hard it is!! I hope you find something that really works-come back and share if you do (:

Just depends get a small trial pack of each n just use em each day until one runs out then try the other

My son is seven. We give him a combo of Claritin and Nasonex during the spring and summer. Otherwise he is just completely miserable.

Washing his sheets and pillow cases helps. And we often have him to wear sunglasses to help keep pollen out of his eyes.

Zyrtec works better, but makes my son tired. So, I always start with claritin. (Oh, and generic for both of them). Only when his allergies get so bad that he stops responding to the claritin do I switch to zyrtec.

Of course, benedryl works best of all and it's been around so long that the safety for kids is well-established, but you can only give it at night because it will totally knock them out.

We've just gone through a ton of allergy testing with my 19yo daughter. her doctor recommended Allegra in the morning and Zyrtec at night (as Zyrtec makes her sleepy). It's working very, very well.

I take Claritin DAILY and it works for me.

After dealing with my own allergies & helping a few of my daughters cope for years, a few thinkgs I've learned:
- Be consistent for a few weeks.
- Don't wait until the child is miserable. Get ahead of it -- and stay ahead of it.
- Certain medications make people sleepy (Benadryl and, for some, Zyrtec). Consider what your child's day is like before administering these & expecting the kid to function. For example, if it's a school day, stay away from the drowsy meds if at all possible. A kid can't learn if their struggling with allergy symptoms, but they also can't learn if they're struggling just to stay awake.
-- Just because it's "only" an allergy & the child isn't really ill doesn't mean they don't feel miserable. Treat it.
-- Encourage washing of face & hands regularly during medium to high pollen times. Something this simple can help.
-- A cold wet clot helps gritty eyes.
-- A hot wet cloth helps painfully packed sinuses.
(yes, I understand these last two seem contradictory. Welcome to the life of the allergy mom.)
-- Drinking lots of water is important. Not only do allergy meds dry out sinuses and such, but all the sniffling & nose blowing before the drugs take affect cause you to lose valuable fluid. Drinking water keeps the mucus membranes thinner and helps keep mild dehydration headaches at bay.
-- Air conditioning is your friend, but a fan may not be (one filters the air, the other just blows the dust & pollen around).
-- Hang in there! This, too, shall pass.

I started my son out on Claritin, but after a while I found it to not be as effective as I would have hoped. So, we switched to Zyrtec which is working much better. Sometimes, during the peak of grass season (right now), we have to do both Claritin (morning) and Zyrtec (night).

Clariton works for my son, but not for my daughter.
We haven't tried Zyrtec.

This is what I posted on another post about the same topic.

Zyrtec warning!!! Please please if you notice a behavioral change in your child after going on Zyrtec....please realize it can by the meds,. Google it...it is amazing how many kids go from sweet children to little monsters on this med. my son took it one day and that one day he got into trouble at school....he got up in the middle of class and shouted it was time for recess. It wasn't. He told me he could not control himself that day. Never ever will I give any of my kids that med again. Many people do t put 2 and 2 together and realize meds can do this to kids. Just beware.

Zyrtec gave my son hives - yeah, I know, sound like an oxymoron....Anyways, Claritin, seems to help my son but it tends to make him somewhat wired...we use it for a few weeks in the spring. we save the benadryl for the hives or if we're out of claritin or back up at night.

I am not big on meds myself. Had bad experiences. I used to take Zyrtec and I couldn't get off the couch all day. So sleepy. My son when he was a baby was prescribed all different over the counter meds. Benadryl at night gives him nightmares and makes him toss and turn. Zyrtec made him dizzy and he had bad hallucinations at night.

I went the holistic route after that. He has been dealing with allergies from Jan until recently. What worked- Vitamin C (absorbic acid is the form you want) in large doses until bowel tolerance. I also make smoothies for him everyday with either yogurt, non-dairy milk or kefir. I put bananas or another fruit in it, spirulina (good for allergies I read), bee pollen (also good for allergies), and chia seeds in it (fiber, calcium source). He drinks it right up. I put it in a opaque cup with a lid so he doesn't notice that it's a green color from the spirulina.

Raw, local honey works for coughs. It's amazing. Another thing that worked for both of us- saline nasal spray several times a day. It washes out the sinuses. I have a netti pot too. It works but a bit of pain. My son's congestion is gone now. I am so happy. Good luck.

As far as meds go, there's Allegra, Claritan and Zyrtec. Also Benedryl but this makes most people sleepy. You have to find out what works best for her. We use Allegra. Its not perfect but it seems to work the best. I like the idea using local honey. I remember I chewed on a honey comb one spring and this seemed to help me. In your house, keep the windows closed use a fan and/or air conditioning if this is feasible. It will help. Use laundry detergent and soaps that are scentless because the scents of these just add to the problem when your system is already compromised from allergens. Sometimes nose sprays work good along with an allergy pill.

Just a word of warning...Zyrtec gave my five year old insomnia. I checked with a pharmacist, and this happens with about 9% of children. (Now we are giving it to him in the morning!)

It's only day 3, and it seems to have made him a little more comfortable, but he still has a runny nose.

i heard zyrtec is for a rash or wheezing type. Claritin is the weakest so only for 6 and under and so we use childrens allegra

Look into N.A.E.T. allergy elimination technique. I had a million allergies - food and environmental, and it worked for me! My son too.

My son started out with sneeziness. Then over time, he added in dripping sinuses. He'd sneeze 7 times in a row a few times before breakfast, and multiple times throughout the day as well. And he developed the little crinkle/crease on his nose from wiping with the back of his hand/sleeve and sniffling, and a wrinkle under his nose above his lip from sniffling. Classic allergy signs, per his doctor.

When he was about 7 or 8, we did a round or three of Nasonex.. which helped some, but not enough. Then we did daily Alavert (which is loratidine, same as Claritin, but at the time claritin was still prescription only and more expensive)... it wasn't very effective, but was better than nothing.

Eventually, we moved on to immunotherapy (allergy shots) and over the course of treatment it has made a huge improvement. They tell you starting up with it, that it takes a long time before you will really see any improvement and they were right. But suddenly, a few months ago, son tapered off from daily Zyrtec or Allegra to taking it every other day. And then he just stopped taking it completely about a month or so ago. (Hallelujah!)

For my son, Claritin doesn't seem to do much of anything. Zyrtec helps a lot. When he would begin to get less efficacy from the zyrtec, we'd switch to Allegra and use that daily for a month or two. Then he'd want to switch back to the Zyrtec. I always felt like he got better relief with the Allegra, but he didn't like taking it as much for whatever reason. He is 14, so if he has a preference... whatever. I never really asked him specifically why... I know that the Allegra pill is bigger than the Zyrtec.. but I don't think that is it. I think he just maybe felt better (or less medicated, or less dried out or something?) on the Zyrtec.

My son never seemed to really have itchy eyes. But sneezing and sinus drainage---yes. If it were me in your situation, I would try the Claritin for a week or so and see if it brings her any relief. If it does and she is ok with it, then I'd stick with it until it stopped giving her the needed relief. If you try it and it doesn't work well (after a week or so) or she has any side effects from it, then give the Zyrtec a try and see how she does with that. Different people have different results with them.

Good luck. It's miserable suffering with allergy mess, isn't it?