Eight year old's hayfever

[ducati]

My dd has severe hayfever. Started when she was five and builds up during May to flu symptoms and days off school. She takes the over the counter medicines such as zirtec and benydryl, but can she take anything stronger at her age? DH was plagued by same severe hayfever all his life but has recently discovered Beconase nasal spray which has cured him but it has steroids in, so not for children, from what i can see. we have tried the herbal and honey route but think we need something a bit more heavy duty

I think you should think about asking the GP to prescribe something or refer her to a paediatrician. A sympathetic GP or paediatrician can prescribe combinations of oral antihistamine, eye drops and nasal sprays or drops, depending on the symptoms.

Sometimes it takes more than one approach to get it right.

They can also do a blood test called a RAST test to check her reactions to different groups of allergens, such as certain pollens, also if foods set her off etc.

My DS has a prescription medication (can't remember the name but it begins with C). It lasts for 12 hours so he only has it just before school and he's done for the day. Sometimes if he's really bad he has it before bed as well but mostly once a day does him.

Its so much better than anything over the counter.

Go to the GP. I had a raft of prescription only medications myself when I was your daughters age. I suffered very badly too.
Often some only worked for 1 year, we'd ask for the same one the following year but within a couple of weeks we'd realise it was having no effect so a new one was tried.
It might be a bit of trial and error to get one that works well. I also had eye drops.

As I got older, usually years that I had exams, I had the injection, and topped it up with medications. I'm not sure what age they will give injections though. There's lots of options.

Oh and on the plus side now I'm older I get random bad days, but mostly I'm fine. I wish someone had told me when I was younger that I could grow out of it. I used to dread summer.

thanks ladies. Potplant, can you check your son's medication and let me know the name? I want to go to GP armed with all the info i can get hold of. I have found them pretty useless on this before. Latest symptom is itchy arms which she is scratching to pieces.

bilblio, what is "the injection" and is it for adults only??

My son was prescribed flixonase by a paediatrician when he was 9. If you buy it over the counter it is 18+ only

Hi ducati. The injection was an antihistamine injection which lasted for about 6 weeks. I first had it when I was 14 so your DD may be too young for it yet. Sorry I haven't a clue what it was called. It was a long time ago.
as I said it didn't cure my hayfever completely, but combined with other medications it meant I was much better than in previous years.
I think the reason I had it when I was taking exams was a lot of other medications made me drowsy.

Piriton is very good for stopping itching, and I had that as a child. It can make you drowsy though. This year I'm pregnant so I'm limited by what I can take, but I'm on flixonase and piriton as a top up if required. The piriton was prescribed partly for hayfever and partly to combat any pregnancy related itching.
I'm not sure if they'd double up on medications like that for an 8 year old though.

This might be overload but in the interests of arming yourself with information, the BSACI produced guidelines on treating allergic rhinitis (hayfever) & non-allergic rhinitis in 2008.

Ds was on loratadine and fluxonase at the same time .

Hi - I have always had hayfever and after trying every antihistamine under the sun I bought a fab allergy reliever device from a pharmacy last year - it's a two-pronged thingie you stick up your nose and it shines an infrared light up your nose which desensitises the mast cells in your nose and lessens any allergic reaction you may have. I thought it was insane - but it works. Can't see why kids can't try it.