My 2 year old has many food allergies, and has recently developed and allergy to cats. Her allergist prescribed Zyrtec 1/4 teaspoon PRN. (as needed). My friends son had a very bad reaction to Zyrtec, as well as many other children in my playgroup. They started banging their heads on walls, biting children at school, and many other horrible side effects that stopped when they stopped taking Zyrtec. Has anybody heard of this? I was thinking of using Claritin for children, does anybody have any experience with this? I just want to do what is best for my child, like any other Mommy.
2007-11-08 07:36:21 · 6 answers · asked by BopMom 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
I am an RN with a Bachelor's Degree. I have education and have the knowledge to discuss with my allergist. I am looking for people with similar experiences not for people to give condescending answers, like "talk to your doctor, or you are stupid to ask this on yahoo answers."
2007-11-08 08:10:41 · update #1
I haven't heard of hyperactivity as an adverse effect of Zyrtec. The Prescribing Information doesn't mention it as a side effect that has been found either during safety studies or after it came to market. It actually states that Somnolence is the most common, not the other way around. I used Claritin with my son(2) and it did work up until recently. He started having a perpetual runny nose and cough so he's now taking Allegra and Astelin 2x a day and it works great! If I were you I'd try the Zyrtec and just see how it works....it could be that it works great with no side effects for your son or it may not do anything at all for him. I sold pharmaceuticals(allergy meds included) for many years and I can honestly say that every body reacts differently to medications and you just have to try a few out until you find one that works. Good luck!
P.S. Sheesh Momof4! What the heck are you doing on answers if you don't trust the actual process? It's not like she's asking us to DIAGNOSE her son's allergies and recomend treatment!
2007-11-08 08:41:55 · answer #1 · answered by emrobs 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Zyrtec For 2 Year Old
2016-11-14 03:31:48 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As an adult I have taken both Zyrtec and Claritin and not had any side effects from either one. I personally think Zyrtec is more effective. My doctor recently told me to start giving my 10 year old son Claritin every day and said that it is very safe. With a 2 year old, I would call the doctors office and talk to them about it. I have never heard of any of these side effects with Zyrtec, but I wouldn't want to take any chances. Ask the doctor if it would be ok to give the Claritin instead, and I would ask him if he had ever heard of those side effects.
2007-11-08 07:45:56 · answer #3 · answered by kat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every medicine has side effects!! I have not heard of any horrible ones specifically from zyrtec but I know it makes me sleepy. You could try claritin....also ask the pharmacist...they are usually very helpful.
2007-11-08 07:40:50 · answer #4 · answered by Mommafig 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't just choose a medicine on your own. If you don't trust your doctor, switch doctors. If you do trust your doctor, schedule an appointment, tell him your friends' experiences that are making you nervous, and ask him what the research is on side effects and how likely they are. If you're still not comfortable, tell him you're just not comfortable with that medication and ask him what would be a reasonable alternative.
You do realize that people giving you medical advice on Yahoo Answers could be 9 years old, or serial murders, or otherwise totally incompetent? Would you put your son in a car with a total stranger? Then don't put his medical care in the hands of a total stranger. Even if someone happens to be competent, medications affect different people different ways, and no one here knows your child's complete medical history. Call your doctor. If you don't like him, switch (if it's your allergist, you can also ask your regular pediatrician for a second opinion).
EDIT -- Okay, if you're an RN and can discuss it with your allergist, it's still my best advice that you do so, since he presumably has access to studies about the prevalence of side effects that random users here don't have. The answers on Y! may show you some small number of people who haven't had side effects, or people who have, but are totally useless in determining how common those side effects are (maybe the 1 person in a million who had side effects decides to answer your question, or maybe the thousands who did have decide not to), and since you don't know anything else about the medical histories of the people who did have side effects, their answers may be irrelevant to your son's situation (maybe the people who get those side effects were also taking some other medicine that interacts with it?). I certainly didn't mean to be condescending. And I think Y! Answers is great, but not for making medical decisions based on answers from non medical professionals. I do still think the best answer to somebody thinking of switching their son's medication (which can of course have serious consequences) is not to base it on a random sampling of people's experiences but on sound medical studies of large populations. If your RN background gives you enough background knowledge to choose your son's medication, then by all means do so. The people who are answering your question may not have that background and may neglect to say their son's side effects might have come from some other medical condition or some interaction of medications or whatever. I'm suggesting you be cautious and talk to your doctor. If you don't appreciate that advice, just ignore it. No need to get so offended. My child actually was on Zyrtec for a while with no ill effects. However, I didn't feel that that was useful information to prove one way or another whether it can cause side effects, because I would assume that if it caused side effects in everyone it would already have been removed from the market.
2007-11-08 07:54:15 · answer #5 · answered by ... 6 · 0⤊ 4⤋
My sons get that kind of medicine and I don't see them doing that. It might the kids doing it their self. That medicine I would give them before bed because that would make them sleepy. It would help him sleep. My two boys taking that for years and I haven't seen any side effects. Children are different. They side effects doesn't mean she will have them.
2007-11-08 07:42:58 · answer #6 · answered by Proud mom 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have you tried something called an elimination diet? That can zero in on the cause of all these allergies, sometimes.
2007-11-08 07:46:44 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I used the childrens claritin chewables for my 2yr old. Worked great and didnt make him drowsy like benadryl chewables.
http://www.claritin.com/claritin/child/products
2007-11-08 07:47:32 · answer #8 · answered by Zodiack 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋