Is it okay to give piriton (which can cause drowsiness) to a 14 month old with chicken pox who has sleep apnoea?

[bethylou]

Title says it all really. Obviously, these thinga nhappen on bank holiday weekends when you can't easily access advice! DS2 has chicken pox and was coping well until this evening. Now he's struggling and normally I'd give him piriton for it. However, we are currently waiting to go into Birmingham Children's Hospital for a sleep study because we suspect that he has sleep apnoea and not necessarily the obstructive type. I'm not sure that giving a child who potentially forgets to breathe in his sleep (particularly when he's unwell) a drug that cuases drowsiness is a good idea but he's clearly feeling really uncomfy and I don't want him to suffer if we can relieve it. Any ideas/reassurance welcome. He's had calpol as he's hot too and I've stripped him down. I can't give him too many baths as he has quite bad eczema. It's all a balancing act!

I think you are right not to give the piriton when the sleep apnoea cause is undiagnosed. Maybe you OOH dr can advise over the phone?
Have you tried the new sort of itch relievers like vira soothe. Oatmeal baths (also good for excema)?

I dont think you can give piriton if sleep problems. My ds had a sleep apnoea of sorts, as his windpipe used to collapse when sleeping. Was a few years ago now but seem to recall not being able to use piriton.

OOH doctor should be able to advise on phone.

Best to do a poncey says, trim nails, give pain relief and sleep near him.

Thanks. I do give ibuprofen but he does have an inhaler - doesn't seem to cause him to wheeze. He will have nyrofen shortly I think as it's three hours since calpol and he's still very hot despite taking the obvious environmental measures.
I'll nip out tomorrow and get some of the other suggestions - vira soothe etc.. sound interesting.

I doubt whether laratadine would do much good. Does it come in a syrup? The reason is that the itching from chicken pox is not caused by a release of histimine, as in allergy, but in the liquid from the blisters themselves. I think piriton works because it causes slight drowsiness and thereby relaxes DCs.

I may be wrong so if there is any evidence otherwise let me know as its always a bit of a puzzle why piriton seems to work.

If you fill a muslin with oats and run under the tap em filling a bath it is very good for both eczema and relieving itching from chickenpox.

Apparently it is a chemical in the popped blisters which cause the skin to itch, hence a very good idea to give several oatmeal baths to wash this chemical off. Fill an old tight foot with porridge and run it under the hot tap till the water goes milky. Maybe not sodium bicarb with his excema. Oatmeal is natural and soothing.

we have lots of oats so I will try it shortly if the distraction of mumsnet doesn't calm him down. He's lying in the dark watching the screen quietly for the moment- could be a long night! Had decided that the bicarb was not for him.

Have looked in my natural remedy book from Good Housekeeping and it says aloe vera gel is very cooling and soothing and when the spots crust over calendula (marigold) cream will help heal and prevent scarring. I should imagine these would be OK with excema?

Thanks. I went round to my lovely neighbour in desperation last night after 2 hours of constant screaming and borrowed her homeopathic remedy box and book. This seemed to help. The GP has prescribed some non-drowsy anti-itch stuff today and he has at least slept throught the evening. We're all knackered! Hopefully he should start to mend now anyway-just waiting for his older brother to get it .