Asthma advice please for 2 year old

[MakkaPakkasWilly]

Hi All,

We took DS to the GP yesterday after he had what we feared may have been an asthma attack the previous night.

GP checked him over and said that he didn't THINK he had asthma, as his lungs and chest sounded clear and the attack sounded more like a 'breath holding incident'.

I said ok that's cool, but he has this niggling cough that NEVER goes away, and the GP prescribed him Salamol, 2 squirts x 4 times a day. This is to see if it helped get rid of the niggly chest clearing cough.

Firstly, I looked it up and this seems a high dose for a 2 year old? However I am no GP - is this a normal or high dose?

Secondly, and this is the bit that really upsets me - after having it he gets the shakes and can't use his hands properly. I read that hand tremors are a side effect but I am really uncomfortable with it.

Does anyone have any experience/wise words they can share? Am I PFB overreacting or do I have cause for concern at the dosage/shakes, given the GP seems to think he doesn't have it anyway?

Sorry - long post

[Sam100]

Hi MPW - our dd has been diagnosed with asthma. We were told when she was small that under 5s are hard to diagnose and although may have asthmatic symptoms they may grow out of it and they do not diagnose as asthmatic until older. DD is now 6.

GPs will quite often prescribe Salbutamol for respiratory incidents - not just asthma - for example if small child has bad cold and is wheezing. A GP alone would not normally diagnose asthma and if suspected would refer to an asthma clinic for specialist. 2 puffs, 4 times a day does not sound high. Our dd has 4 puffs, 4 times a day if she is poorly and has been on this dosage since 2. However she does not often have it as she is on other medication and it is only when having a bad day.

Does anyone in your family suffer from asthma - if yes then let GP know as family history can be an indicator.

Does your DS cough at night when asleep? This can be an indicator of "post nasal drip". This is when mucus runs down the back of the throat - this irritates the throat and causes coughing.

You are not PFB - if you have concerns you should go back to the doctor. Keep a diary of symptoms before an appointment so you can describe to doctor.

Things to look out for:

• what is breathing like at night when asleep, any coughing?
• what is ds like after running around? More puffed out than other kids, coughing, struggling to get breath?
• details of colds, how often how long last

I hope this helps.

[MakkaPakkasWilly]

Thanks Sam100 That's reassuring that he's not on a high dose as such.
He does cough at night but not after exercise.

We do have asthma in the family but DH and I don't.

Still interested in hearing other views...