Kids hay fever- does anything actually work?

[MoistPickyBits]

For DS age 6?

Bump

For mine it was only one type that worked - it had to have loratadine (apologies that may be spelt wrong) as the active ingredient. The other one that it’s piriton did nothing.
Have you tried both active ingredients?

Piriton and Loratadine did not for DS' severe hayfever. He's now on 120mg fexofenadine plus nasal spray from GP and he's a different child.

No, I didn't realise there's different ingredients, thanks I'll check

Thanks. Yeah I'm thinking of taking him to GP but I don't know when we're allowed to go to the GP these days.. didn't know if they'd class it as time wasting

Loratadine and cetirizine are both ok at 6 I think. You just have to try them, they work differently on different people. Worth a GP visit or econsult I think.

I actually find nasal sprays better than tablets but I'm not sure that would be an option at 6.

At 6 he can take any otc antihistamine even fexo. He will need to take it every day in the season not just when symptoms are bad. Much harder to get on top of rather than under control.

Buy the generic ones not the branded!

No need for gp if otc don't get it under control.

If you can’t get a GP appointment try speaking to a pharmacist.

There are different ingredients and some work better than others so it may be trial and error to find what will work for him.

And at the ripe old age of 58 I have finally realised that consistency is key and I need to take meds every day not just when I have symptoms. I currently take Allevia (which is the over the counter version of Fexofenadine) every night and use a nasal spray and eye drops every morning. It’s working well for me so far.

Thank you everyone 🙏

it's trial and error
one of my dc takes 1 tablet of cetirizine during hayfever season.
the other needs chromo (?) eyedrops in addition.

and of course we take additional measures to reduce pollen in the house.

The Fexofenadine I've just bought for ds was 12+ (otc).

Keep pollen out of the bedroom (curtains shut if windows open)
Cover his bed with a clean sheet to keep pollen from settling on his pillow
Change into pollen free clothes as soon as you're inside and wash straight away.
Shower and wash hair before bed. Everyday.

DRY EVERYTHING INDOORS - if you dry bedding and clothes outdoors, pollen will just land in it.

You need to keep the house as allergen free as possible.

(Loratadine, clomitrazole and opticron etc were useless).

fexofenadine is available over the counter but not I think for under 12. If you have tried all the other options you will need to see a GP - speak to a pharmacist for recommendations of things to try. I generally find that a combination of tablet / syrup and local treatments work best, so we use eye drops / nasal spray as well. It depends on symptoms?