To put my dd back on her medication!!

[mummytopebs]

DD has been on trimethiprim for 3 years to stop her picking up infections. Every May we bring her off it to see if her immune system has strengthened to fight off more infections, viruses. She is usually back on it within 4 weeks after sufering illness, however this year she hasnt done to bad since she came off it in May she has had a bowel infection, urine infection and 2 sickness bugs (which havent required hospital admission so not to bad, she gets terrible temperatures) Anyway she is still off it, but now with all this swine flu thing i am considering putting her back on it to give her a bit of protection against it. She starts school in september so am expecting lots of illness then plus i am 13 weeks pregnant. Whats the general concensus would you put your child back on it? She does have a weakened immune system, but unsure what to do

wouldnt it be best to discuss it with your dds dr, whoever prescribe the medicine?

Agree, discuss it with the doctors. They need to prescribe it, not you.

isnt this something for a peditrician to decide not a mumsnet jury?

At the moment we do not have a paeditrician, as our local hospital hs just shut and there is a bit of a debate over which hospital is on our area (but dont get me started on that). The medicine is on repeat perscription and sometimes i feel the gps just say what they have been told to say and not what is best for each individual child, so was kind of hoping for a parents perspective of what they would do

I don't know if you're being unreasonable to do it, but I do know you're being unreasonable to base your decision on whether or not to give your young daughter prescription-only meds based on what a load of random, mostly non medically trained women on a website say.

I think that in your position it is natural to seek some support here, because you're not getting it from the professionals.

You obviously need extra support with your DD and if I were in your shoes I would:

Go to my GP and absolutely insist that they get a paeds consultant's input for you.

Write to my local health trust and flag the fact that your DD's case is falling between the cracks. Your DD is vulnerable and you need ongoing expert advice.

Ask about the flu vaccine which is coming up (August?).

I am in a similar position with my DD, but luckily we have wonderful paed consultant support. I was in touch with them yesterday (on a different swine flu topic), but they did not mention restarting the prophylactic antibiotics. I would not restart them without their go ahead. I don't think that antibiotics can prevent any kind of flu, but a consultant may well judge that your DD should restart the trimethiprim to prevent possible complications (or may well say that I am talking pants!).

Good luck. I hope that you get some info soon. I feel so much better having spoken to DD's consultant yesterday and you deserve that reassurance too.

I don't see how an antibiotic will be any use as a preventative measure against swine flu, but this is definitely a matter for a doctor and not AIBU. Good luck.

My DS2 takes trimethiprim daily as well. My understanding of it is that it will help him, should he get it, with fighting off additional difficulties, which he almost certainly will get.

To be honest I would telephone the consultants secretary and leave a message outlining your concerns.

I know that rightly or wrongly I feel very reassured by DS2 taking it a the moment. Particularly as the majority of his problems are respiratory and that his lungs are damaged already.