Is there a children's cough medicine that actually works worth a damn???

[4_Legs_Good]

This kid needs your help!



He gets coughs very easily and kept us both up most of the night last night with it. I've tried the Robitussum Elixir, but it pretty much sucks crap.

The pediatrician thinks he might be allergic to the cats, but that's BS because he often gets the cough when he's at other peoples' houses who don't have cats. Still, sometimes Claratin seems to help.

He's 2.5 years old and his mom also gets coughs the same way when she's sick.

Any ideas?

david

[vi5]

1. Most of the over the counters work fine for my kid...

My daughter is 3. When she gets sick she always gets a cough and the over the counters always releive it. Especially at night so she can sleep.

I hate to tell you this but it does sound like allergies. I'm allergic to cats to the point where even when I'm not actually in the house with a cat I still have the reaction to them because the fibers get on my clothes and in my nasal passages, etc.

[4_Legs_Good]

8. He usually only coughs at night

So it's gotta (I expect) have something to do with laying down.

He's got a cold now, and that's normally when it's the worst.

Yeah, we should probably have alergy tests done.

Thanks!

david

[Love Bug]

16. Get an allergy cover for his mattress and pillow

Could be dust mites, which would explain why he has a reaction when laying down.

I have allergies, dust mites being one of them, and allergy covers help. Also frequent washing/changing of sheets and blankets. Also, stuffed animals tend to collect a lot of dust, so don't let him have any in the bed and vacuum them often so when he plays with them he doesn't have a reaction.

[Nite Owl]

2. Has he gone for the

allergy tests? Just because he reacts in a house that doesn't have cats doesn't mean it isn't the cats. If he is allergic it could be to more than one thing. The tests are not painful and the parents would know for sure what it was. Cough meds could just be a temporary cover.

[4_Legs_Good]

15. Temporary cover is what I need!!! :)

Not really. I'd love to find out of there's an underlying problem. But something to suppress the cough when he can't sleep because of it would be nice too.

We'll get him in for allergy tests though.

Thanks!

david

[tigereye]

3. hmm

Robitussin always worked for my kid. Now we use Dimetapp. Oddly enough, running a humidifier has reduced the number of colds around here pretty well.

[4_Legs_Good]

14. He's got a humidifier on all night

these days. It seems to help a little. He still gets sick very frequently, though. He got his mother's immune system, and brings tons of stuff home from daycare all the time.

Hopefully at least, it means he'll be sick less often once he's grown more.

Thanks for the advice!

david

[radwriter0555]

4. Try a robitussen with a decongestant and cough suppressant.

Sounds like a nasal/sinus issue is causing a cough situation.

The robitussens are what I swear by; using the store brand comparable is awsome too.

I would also get a new doctor, if I were you.

[4_Legs_Good]

13. It could be a sinus issue too

He's started to freak out about blowing his nose. It seems more like just a kid issue, but maybe it's actually sinus pain.

He's been to the doctor about it, but it hasn't been too helpful yet. We'll have to try again...

Thanks!

david

[Mrs.Matcom]

5. Get the little cutie tested

I went thru years of childhood coughs, and it turned out to be allergies. Did the shots and was fine.
Give Delsym cough syrup a try. No alcohol and 'great orange' flavor. Supposed to work for 12 hours, I made it 8 hours.
He is a doll!

[4_Legs_Good]

12. Thanks!

I'll try that Delsym, and will have to get him in for alergy tests too...

Thanks again!

david

[Beware the Beast Man]

6. Yes. There's this great stuff called "Wild Turkey."

:evilgrin:

[4_Legs_Good]

10. Yeah, I think that's what *I* need to sleep

and lots of it.

Oh my yes.

david

[Debi]

11. Heated w/ a little lemon

makes me forget all about the cold...or heat...or rain...or snow...or :beer:

[purr]

7. what i do...

is I try delsum for a day (WONDERFUL), and if for some odd reason that isnt working, I switch to elixi-sure, its the stuff that doesnt come off of the spoon if you turn it upside down. That usually works if delsum doesnt.

IMO, Robitussin doesnt do a thing. Never worked for me either.

[4_Legs_Good]

17. I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds Robitussin useless

I'll try out the other two.

Thanks!!

david

[Debi]

9. Triaminic

in the chewable tabs - there's cough suppressant, allergy (non-drowsy), decongestant or a mix of these. You have more control over how much he's taking of the meds and which meds he has in him.

(& they taste yummy) :)

[4_Legs_Good]

Cool!

I'll give that a try. He usually prefers the chewables to syrup anyway.

Thanks!

david

[Debi]

19. Good Luck!

Don't forget the nice hot bath - steam always helps a stuffy nose. (And a nice hot bath always cures what ails ya - especially when accompanied by an ice cold margarita, but he may be too young for that :))

[kiraboo]

18. I use Delsyn and it works better than most, but still not all that well.

But your son sounds like he might have "reactive airway disease" which isn't as horrible as it sounds. Basically, whenever his airway gets inflamed he develops something like asthma, where the airway spasms and creates more coughing - which creates more inflammation, which creates spasms, which creates coughing... etc. Both my sons have this although my eleven-year-old has pretty much grown out of the problem... he gets the extended cough maybe once a year. When my little one gets sick with this, he uses a nebulizer for about three or four days and the cough goes away. Before he was diagnosed he could easily be ill for weeks and weeks. Just something you might ask your doctor about.

[4_Legs_Good]

20. Hey! That sounds very familiar! Is it usually worse at night?

That's when it hits my son (and my wife!). That could well be it. Is the nebulizer over the counter?

We'll definitely ask the doctor about it. He is sick all the time (maybe 30% of the time), so something chronic like this sounds like it could be the culprit.

Thanks!

david

[kiraboo]

33. Unfortunately the nebulizer is an expensive little machine

which vaporizes the medication (albuterol) and allows your child to inhale it slowly over a period of time to get the best effect. Young children will wear a mask attached to a hose attached to the machine while older kids get to hold something like a big cigar to their lips. In Maine a prescription is required and the machine cost $119! which I had to pay up front but for which my insurance reimbursed me. I have heard that some places will just let you borrow one so you might look into that. If your son is sick 30% of the time it sounds very much like what I was dealing with. It's terrible, because he's sick and he can't sleep, so he gets sicker, etc. I hope you find something that works! -Lisa

[purr]

21. how

did he get diagnosed with reactive airway disease? My son sounds like hes hacking up a lung when he gets a cold, no matter how minor it is, and it lasts a good week or two. Dr always tells me that its normal and bla bla bla. My sons 4 and my daughter whos going to be 2 doesnt hack like that.

[kiraboo]

32. Well, I'm not a big fan of doctors so I tend to try and let the kids

get over things naturally rather than rush them in to see a physician. In both cases with my sons (they are six years apart) I noticed that their coughs held on whenever they got a cold. Eventually for both there was a cough that just never went away, or went away and then returned. Physically, they looked really bad! so I took them in. I'm talking coughs that last more than three weeks. Apparently the doctor could hear wheezing when he listened to their chests. When my oldest was young he was given an allergy medication and a decongestant to take for ten days. With the youngest I was given the nebulizer which was supposed to work much better, and it does. So I suppose you could say it was my lack of concern which led to the diagnoses! But neither child gets asthma attacks at any time other than during a cold, and these attacks take the form of a cough and not a life-threatening airway shutdown.

[Debi]

22. Before my son was officially diagnosed with asthma

that was what his diagnosis. Nebulizer saved us many nights of coughing. Dr. didn't want to diagnose asthma too young and he was 8 when chronic asthma was diagnosed. Now, medically managed, he doesn't use the nebulizer at all and I can't remember his last asthma attack.

Most kids eventually grow out of reactive airway disease don't they?

[4_Legs_Good]

23. Geesh, I hope he doesn't have asthma

That scares the crap out of me.

My wife's mom is a heavy smoker, so she always figured that's why she has crappy lungs and frequent coughs, but since our son now has them too, it sounds to me like it's more of a genetic trait.

Hmmmm...

david

[Debi]

26. Don't get freaked out.

doctors go a long way before they're willing to diagnose someone w/asthma. And if there is a diagnosis, asthma can be very well controlled with meds. Although my son has a rescue inhaler I can't remember the last time he used it. Let's stick to controlling your little one's cough and worry about asthma five years from now :hi:

[4_Legs_Good]

27. Sounds like a good deal...

Thanks for the reassurance!

david

[Ron Green]

24. 2 cups of prune juice....

he'd better not cough!

:evilgrin:

[4_Legs_Good]

25. LMAO

[RedCloud]

28. Maybe the house is too dry?

Hard to get rid of mucus unless it gets lots of water, in the air and what you drink.

[ScreamingMeemie]

29. We've started using Benadryl, as the cough medicines weren't really doing

it. It was more of a sinus issue for him. Good luck!

[4_Legs_Good]

35. Thanks!

That's something else I can try.

This is turning out to be quite an experiment!

:)

david

[MISSDem]

30. Boericke & Tafel Children's Cough Syrup

is wonderful and has NO side effects. Get it at the health food store.

[4_Legs_Good]

31. Cool! Thanks

I'll give that a shot too! I like stuff from health food stores.

Thanks again!

david

[AutumnMist]

34. My Daughter Used to Cough Like That

and she would wheeze when she was younger. We had two large dogs that shed all the time and we used many household products that irritated her lungs. We switched to dye free and scent free products, found good homes for the dogs, and kept the house as dust free as we could. But we found, after much medication that didn't work, that boiling water on our stove and doing the above....worked better than any medication. We just kept our house moist in the colder months (the cold air triggers bronchial spasms which can lead to a dry cough) and kept the dust and irritants at a minimal level. I was diagnosed with asthma at 33, and I never knew I had it. I would cough and get out of breath easily when it was colder and never knew why. I was put on the right medication and the dry cough has went away. My daughter has gotten better as well over the years. She will be four the 27th.


* Have your daughter checked for Asthma and your wife as well.

[KitchenWitch]

36. Have him checked for asthma

A lot of times attacks will happen at night when kids are trying to sleep (for some reason the relaxation kicks up the spasms)

[Midlodemocrat]

37. Try Delsym.

It is over the counter and works very well.