Steroids or homeopathy? Someone please advise me I'm so upset (Long, sorry)

[Lilypie]

DD has been coughing and wheezing for over 2 months now, she has good and bad days (and nights) and we've tried many different treatments, antibiotic, inhalers, homeopathy and cutting out dairy included, nothing seems to touch it. She's not struggling for breath or anything but constantly has wheezing, rattling breath and a wet phlegmy cough. Its so upsetting and the nights are hard as she coughs constantly and the wheeze keeps her from sleeping inbetween coughs.

My problem is whether or not to give dd who is 18 months old, the steriods my gp prescribed. I hate the idea, I thought I'd rather do anything but pump that crap into her but after last night I just want to see her better. I know the steroids will probably help her quite quickly but everyone is telling me to do different things, some people are telling me to go with the homeopathic remedies as we are only one week into a 4 week treatment (but she's got worse in the last week, not better) and others are telling me to give her the steroids and implying I'm leaving her to suffer by not giving them to her.

I'm so confused, I just want my little girl better. Has anyone had experience like this? Anyone used steriods and regretted it? Anyone know what the side effects are so I know exactly what I'm dealing with?

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Lilypie, call your homoeopath and speak to her about your concerns.
A good remedy may cause an aggravation of symptoms for a short while or if it is very bad it may need antidoting.

Lilypie- might be worth checking out that she doesn't have whooping cough. It's quite common, even in vaccinated children, and these days doesn't always comes with the whoop (it's mutated- which is also why vaccinated children are getting it). It's often misdiagnosed as asthma.

I avoid strong medicines such a steroids as much as possible, I also use homeopathy a lot, BUT if a child needs steroids then they need them- as CD says though if you go on them for a long(ish) time then you need to wean off them, cutting back slowly (ime GP's don;t always tell patients that, they stop suddenly and everything flares up again).

DS2 at around 2 coughed and wheezed every night from October to April. He woke up coughing every night (I'd have to sit there with a cup of water). He would cough when running around, and was dxed as probably asthmatic- so we have inhalers/spacers etc. Then it disappeared. He's now 4 and not asthmatic. I now think he either had whooping cough or some sort of viral infecttion

From the little I know of homeopathy I think it does get worse before it gets better. My sis was told that the fact the symptoms worsened meant the treatment was working.

It does. An aggravation is a really good sign. But it is a question of what you can put up with.
I'm a trainee homoeopath and I'd say CALL HER!! She wants the treatment to work too and you both need to manage your expectations on this.

I've just skimmed the thread but my ds has asthma and has been on oral prednisilone numerous times.He is 4.Each time it's only for three days and it helps enormously.It's better than the long term lung damage that his astham can cause if it's not treated.
We also use homeopathy which is beneficial.Ds had homeopathic detox from his vaccines which I think helped a lot.His homeopath realises that asthma needs to be approached from the traditional medical side aswell .
He is now on steroid inhaler and singulair ,a preventative tablet as he was requiring steroids almost every time he got a cold!It seems to have worked as last cold we got by with ventolin alone.
If I were you I would give the steroid.