At Ellie's last doctor's appointment we talked about her runny nose and chapped lips and possible allergies. He told me to give her Zyrtec (1/2 tsp) every night before bed. It all sounded good.
However, the reaction was much like the one time I gave her Robitussin (and then took her to a basketball game). Silly me, skipped a day and tried giving it in the morning.
I have spent quite a bit of time researching this lovely product and now have decided that based on her reactions, as well as those of countless others I have read about, I will never give her that again. I am now researching homeopathic remedies for allergies as I refuse to subject her to any more of the side effects the poor girl has been experiencing. I think this comment I found on the Internet describes what we are experiencing to a "T".
Woke up around 2 am and was just angry. Yelling, stomping, gritting his teeth mad at everything. Couple hours later fell asleep. Got up for breakfast in a worse rage.
And this one ...
My 7yr old son was on this drug and he will NEVER take it again. Zyrtec made him a different person.
And this one ...
3.5 yr old son behavior changes (moody, aggressive, sleepless nights, hyper-active, emotional, lack of attention/focus, defiant).
And another ...
My son's pediatrician and allergist recommended Zyrtec for his severe allergies (certain trees and grasses, ragweed, cats). Soon after starting it his mood changed. He became violent and had uncontrollable tantrums. He began hitting and throwing and throwing fits about the smallest thing.
And the stories like these go on and on and on. WHY do we continue to allow pharmaceutical companies to manufacture products that are doing this to us and our children??
I will find her a homeopathic remedy for her allergies -- one that will not cause these horrible side effects.
She has been waking up around 4 a.m. crying inconsolably. She throws herself around the bed, kicking, thrashing and crying. It usually takes about two hours to calm her down and eventually she will allow us to hold her to calm her and then she has to have us cuddle right up with her in order to go to sleep. Add to this the horrible tantrums, defiance and crying spells since she started taking it and I'm at my wit's end. We had finally made it past those horrible sleep issues and everyone was sleeping through the night -- and then along comes Zyrtec. I'm throwing it out. I don't care what I paid for it -- it's gone. I feel horrible for subjecting her to it to begin with.
Please be aware that your children could experience the same effects.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
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10 comments:
Wow thanks for the warning about Zyrtec! Sorry she had such a bad reaction. Do you live near a Whole Foods store? They have some homeopathic remedies for allergies there. I haven't used them on my kids but my friends say there are some good ones. I have used the Hylands cough medicine and it did help with Lindsay's chronic coughing at night when she had a cold. Hope you find relief for your sweet Ellie.
That's unfortunate. Zyrtec is one of the few things that seem to work for Ted's allergies. I've used it too, but not with as much luck. The kids have been spared allergies so far! What we thought were allergies in Rauan turned out to be asthma (some nurse I am!). I do have a special whole house filter attached to our furance/air conditioner that has helped alot. The only thing is--they say it needs once a year changing--with kids, hairy dogs and all of our allergies, we're changing it in spring and fall. If you find something that works allergy wise, let me know. I'd be interested in trying it.
Oh my gosh. Those are awful reactions. Poor thing. Yes, try Whole Foods and talk to one of their homeopathic people. Oh, and anything you don't like or that doesn't work for you is returnable.
Also, for chapped lips, there is a chap stick for the littles - can't remember the name of it. Noli has some chapped lips quite often.
Good luck!
Scary! My boys are almost 8 and 4.5 and neither has had antibiotics, and my oldest just had his first dose of Tylenol this fall when he developed a fever for the first time!
I trust pharmaceutical companies about as far as I could throw them.
Have you considered Ellie having a dairy protein allergy? It may seem minor, but it really is common and most people have it, and it presents differently in every person. The runny nose, cough, constantly stuffed up is a telltale sign. Dairy is in everything, but in some things hte protein is os broken down it doesn't cause problems (like cheese, yogurt).
Hope she's back to herself soon!
Oh and another thing I forgot to mention, try adding acidophilus to her diet. ITs a probiotic, and it will kill any bad bacteria in her body, replacing it with good. My boys take acidophilus daily and I swear by it. My oldest has dairy protein allergy that triggers eczema and psoriasis, and the acidophilus has made a huge difference in his skin. If Ellie is having the stuffy nose constantly, chances are she needs more good bacteria in her body. You can buy the acidophilus probiotic in break open capsules to put right into a drink, in an applesauce/etc or right into her mouth.
So sorry that Ellie had upsetting side effects. Your pediatrician should have educated you that some children have opposite reactions to antihistamines. In most people, they are soothing, but some will have the opposite reaction. It's not Zyrtec per se, but any and all antihistamines (Benadryl, etc.) It is impossible to predict which children will have these side effects--they do not cause any permanent harm.
I have to second the idea of trying dairy-free. It helps a lot of people reduce their allergy symptoms.
Okay, I read your post this morning and then ran across this later. You might want to try it for her chapped lips & there's apparently a coupon to where you can get it for $.99.
http://myfrugaladventures.com/2010/04/boudreauxs-lip-balm-99-or-less/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FxwpC+%28My+Frugal+Adventures....%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail
As you may know, John has HORRIBLE allergies which lead to even worse illness about 3-4 times a year. Zyrtec made him too drowsy. Here are some things I did when he was little that helped thanks to a nurse who believed in not medicating. Give her a bath before bed, get her a cool mist humidifier, try to keep animals, pillows to a minimum her bed and what you do have in there wash in warm water OFTEN(no detergent or very little no softener ect) if you an find one, one of those room purifiers as close to her bed as safty allows. You may hav already done this but thought I would share. Also this nurse pointed out to me that with girls their hair holds a lot of daily allergins so she suggested with Kat to wash her hair at night and when Ellies hair is long enough keep it away from her face as best you can while she is sleeping.
Yikes! Thanks for the warning. I would probably do the same thing you are doing. The side effects sound HORRIBLE.
I was just talking to someone last week and they said that Zyrtec made their child and completely different person. They switched to Claritan and it was much better.
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