GP won’t prescribe hayfever medication for child

[HelloSunshine100]

Single parent, working, receive universal credit, no child maintenance
child 8 years old has bad hayfever- needing to have piriton twice a day. One bottle of piriton lasts for 7 days at cost of £6. Will have to buy throughout the pollen season however long it lasts. Likely will need some nasal spray as well
Gp won’t prescribe antihistamines or any medication for hayfever for a child
i understand adults have to buy their own antihistamines, hayfever relief medication etc but was kind of hoping they would prescribe for a child?

With drowsy hay-fever remedies I always give in the evening sp they sleep off the drowsiness but it still keeps on top of hay-fever the next day.

DS needs loads of the stuff from February (tree pollen) onwards.

Ds had cetirizine on prescription because it was used all year.

He is in supported living now and has to have everything prescribed because the carers can't give/use any medication that isn't. Even things like sudocrem.

This is terrible advice. Antihistamines can cause liver damage if used incorrectly, why on EARTH would you recommend the OP asks for something stronger and riskier for her child when it's not necessary?!

That’s because you pay a fortune to see a vet or pay for insurance. Over the counter medication is much cheaper than cat medication

I suggest you calm tf down. The GP will know what's reasonable for a child.

Is that fenofexadine? You can buy 180 OTC now thankfully

Oh I just googled and saw that. Did not used to be the case. Hopefully my GP won't object as I take one every day of the year.

Go to savers, I stock up there. Much cheaper. If you do manage success with tablets, you can get them in bulk on amazon. A years supply for about a tenner.

Yes, Fexofenadine.

I’m already expected to pay for a tonne of other stuff, despite being eligible for free prescriptions, so I hope this prescription isn’t stopped.

I get hospitalisation level urticaria and oedema.

And I do think GPs need to keep an eye on what patients are taking, which they obviously can if they are the ones prescribing it.

Stop buying branded medicine, get the generic one.

smoosh half a tablet in to some sweet yoghurt or something?

You can buy peach flavoured liquid from ASDA or B&M for around £3.80. It is nowhere near as nice as the Piriteze though so you may meet with some resistance.

I agree when it’s the high a dose and needed all the time then it being prescribed makes sense. My mum is prescribed the same for similar reasons so it’s an essential medication for her. I take it occasionally for mild allergies and hayfever so I happily buy it OTC.

Home bargain have them for about 80p

I get 6m for £4 on amazon. They are not big tablets.

It's worth asking.
My daughter needed antihistamine eye drops for hayfever at nursery. Her key worker wasn't sure whether she could give them without a prescription so I spoke to our GP surgery about it whilst the key worker checked with the nursery manager. The nursery had an exception for allergy medication but the GP surgery were willing to do a one off prescription if necessary.

My daughter is now in school and has otc antihistamines there without prescription. These are for emergencies in case she has a reaction there - food allergies as well as hayfever.
We give her once a day antihistamines before school if she's had a reaction at home or likely to have hayfever

So, she should just say that it's a big outlay for her, not lay it on thick about being a single mum. That attitude has got to be one of my pet peeves - 'I'm a poor single mother, so everybody must help me and i must get lots of things for free.....'.

And I say that as a single mum myself!

I disagree. An 8yo can learn to swallow tablets for less than a quid a month. Otc meds should only be on prescription when it's for amounts or dosages that can't be purchased otc. Imagine how much of a faff it would be to speak to a Dr if we all went to the GP for hayfever!

Please don’t crush tablets unless given the ok by a pharmacist. They are designed to dissolve in the gut at a certain pace ( achieved by the tab coating). Crushing changes the release into the blood stream and the efficacy of the drug.

Why does it need to be given in school? Most antihistamines are twice a day, do before school and before bed. Even it's 3 times can do before school, straight after school and before bed

If she has food allergies she will/should have a school healthcare plan where is states what to avoid, what her symptoms are and what actions to be taken if accidentally has something she is allergic to. If it's written advice from a healrhcare professional schools have to treat it in the same way as a prescription - they cannot refuse to give.

My teenager really struggles with even the tiny tablets.

You can get generic Loratadine in a syrup. Ask your pharmacist. We usually have to ask because it's stored behind the counter.

I agree with asking the pharmacist, but majority of antihistamines can be cut in half, hence the score line. There aren't many enteric coated antihistamines that I'm aware of- but I'm not a pharmacist.

If they aren't enteric coated, they can be crushed between 2 spoons and given with honey, jam, yoghurt, peanut butter etc which majority of us have already explained. Although the pills are tiny.

On the schools issue check the guidance because schools CAN give OTC medication without it being prescribed.

we get a generic consent given at the start of each year then if a child needs paracetamol or antihistamines we phone and get oral consent (recorded on school system)

if parents are sending a medication in then they fill in consent for the duration of the need

Must be careful. Not all medications are safe to be crushed.