Hayfever - regular antihistamine important?

[VickyA]

Please don't think I'm planning to be neglectful or careless, but I have a genuine question about antihistamine medicine. My DS first got hayfever when he was 2 or 3, and swelled up horribly. Every summer since then (he's now 6) he's been dosed up on cetirizine every day and even then he's got bad when we've been on holiday sometimes (especially to a golf resort - doh!) I feel like uber crap mummy when he looks like that, even though, to date, he's had a constant dosage of medicine from March/April through to Sept.

He hasn't got many symptoms yet this year, just an occasional sneeze and rubbing his eyes a couple of times, which seems a bit late, but nevertheless I've got cetirizine liquid and tablets and have started him on them over the weekend. Maybe I haven't handled it very well, but I've tried being matter-of-fact, not hiding the medicine in anything as I did last year, but it's a realy struggle getting him to take it. This morning we had all-out sobbing before school, and needless to say he won, and he didn't have any medicine, despite being offered 10ml in some fresh orange juice or 2 halves of a tablet coated in fudge

We've got a holiday planned in 5 weeks, so that's a battle to come, but, in the meantime, can I just let him take or not take the medicine as he likes, and if he gets sneezy or his face swells up, just use that to (gently!) show him that he really does need to take it and hope he sees sense? The problem I've got is that DS has both my and DH's stubbornness genes, and I don't know what to do to persuade him, if it's genuinely important to have a dose every day. I've never had hayfever, so don't know about these things, and DH just thinks I'm a monster to be shouting at DS before school

Any ideas?

Antihistamines do ramp up and are more effective after a few days, but AFAIK it is not a huge difference. TBH I think at 6 your DS is old enough to choose to try it without for a while. I had hayfever as a child (and still do) and the symptoms are miserable - but OTOH it does come and go over the years - so if I were you I would let him try without and see what happens - if he prefers the symptoms to the medicine then that is his choice.

Someone may correct me, but I think it is very unlikely that hayfever symptoms are serious or life threatening so no real harm is done by leaving it - it might be wise to let the school know so that they can be on the lookout for symptoms (I know that as a child I never knew my face was swelling up until someone pointed it out to me - it just felt like 'normal' weepy eyes to me)

I don't think it's important. The anithistimine only dampens down the hayfever symptoms, doesn't "cure" it in any way. I get hayfever myself and sometimes I just decide to live with the symptoms.

If it were me, I wouldn't get into any battles about it.

Agree with Stealth, antihistamines are better if they're allowed to build up. Come hayfever season, first signs of symptoms and I start taking the stuff daily without looking at the pollen count.

If cetirizine is not working, though, go to the dr and ask what else they can give you. Cetirizine stopped working for me when there was a particularly bad season and a friend suggested loratadine, which I've been taking since (though not this year as pg and so far the unborn one seems to be helping to ward off the symptoms!!)

Persevere and the rewards will be for the whole family.

x posts Sparks, your symptoms can't be very bad if you decide to live with them. If I have a bad day the only thing I can live with is a cold flannel and a dark room with the windows closed. If the OP's DS swells up with it then I feel for him and he will get used to taking it. My mum used to give me Piriton back in the day (never felt sleepy with it then though perfect sleeping pill now ) and it made me feel like someone was taking my horible illness seriously.

Are you purchasing over the counter hayfever medicines or have you seen the GP?
Apart from tablets, I also use eye drops and nasal spray.
Hayfever made my life very miserable when I was a child.

My symptoms do fluctuate, cheeseandpickle. Maybe they aren't as bad as yours.

The op is getting into these horrible batttles with her ds. From what she says, his symptoms this year are sneezing and itchy eyes. IMO if I were in Vicky's place, I would discontinue the battles. As stealth suggests, he may prefer the symptoms to the medicine.

Thanks for your replies.
MCPS - it's not that the cetirizine isn't working - he actually hasn't had much in the way of symptoms yet. I'm hoping (a) he doesn't get any, and (b) if he does he'll realise how nice it it NOT to feel stuffy and swollen and will decide to take them himself. I'll carry on offering them but try to be a bit more low key about it.
Stealth I figured there might be a better effect taking a continuous course of medication, but as you say it's up to him to decide if he'd rather have the symptoms, assuming they're mild, at least in this country.
And not to leave you out Sparks - I'm definitely with you on the avoiding battles front.!
Hey ho..

My personal experience over years of hayfever is that the effect of antihistamines does build up but only over 3-4 days, so its not going to affect your holiday if he doesn't take them now.

Are there nasal sprays & eyedrops that would be an alternative for him if he doesn't like the tablets? As an adult there are good nasal sprays, but they may not be available for children of course.

Does he not like taking the tablets, or do they have nasty effects for him? I had some tablets as a teenager that had an amazing trippy effect if combined with a really bad allergy attack - thought it was pretty cool at the time (and funnily enough didn't mention it to the doctor), but I suspect I might not have been so chilled about it if I was younger!

How about a compromise agreement - he can choose for himself at home but 3-4 days before holiday he agrees to start taking them without a fuss? TBH, I often found I was better in hot, dry places than at home - but everyone is different and it depends which pollens you react to.

IIWY I would also extract a promise that he will tell you if he feels lousy without them, and similarly when he does start taking them. Takver raises a good point - I have had (not trippy - am slightly of those) reactions to some brands where life just feels like wading through treacle and even my (quite severe) symptoms seemed preferable.

I've got eye drops too (all prescribed by GP), as he's needed them abroad before, but he REALLY hates those, and it's been a real struggle getting him to let me do them. Is it ok to just dribble them into the corner of his eye when his eyes are closed rather than insist that the eyelid's open?

Takver - He's only taken 2 tablets so far - Sat and Sun. I didn't notice anything different about him but I'll ask him when I pick him up from school.

Thanks for the replies again!

I hate eyedrops and nasal sprays and if your DS has a problem with tablets I can't imagine other methods being easier! Does he let the tablet sit on his tongue, or does he know how to get it to the back of his throat without tasting it? That might be the problem. Tablets make me gag if I can taste them (egrrrh).