The wind saga continues…
Yes, the saga of finding the balance to manage asthma, hay fever and 30mph winds continues. My son has been taking Zyrtec and Albuterol on and off for the last couple of weeks since every grass known to Northern Nevada is pollinating. He also takes Singular and Flovent as his daily maintenance medications. Unfortunately, the winds are back and are making quite the fuss at 30+ mph. Apparently, hay fever, puberty, Albuterol and Zyrtec don’t mix well for Cyrus, but we now have a plan!
special note: Just because these medications didn’t work well for Cyrus doesn’t mean they are not dream solutions in your life–each body reacts differently-work with your doctor!
The night before last he had another anxiety attack (and last night too)?!?
For the last three nights in a row at exactly 9pm, he claims he is having trouble breathing and takes his inhaler. Then he says he can’t lay down and gets anxious saying his chest is tight and he has a lump in his throat. He has been taking Zyrtec almost daily since I had high hopes that his pubescent body would no longer react negatively to this drug any longer.
I was SERIOUSLY wrong!
Finally, it hit me! He was having an anxiety attack. So, we immediately jumped onto the Internet and read on and on about Zyrtec and Albuterol (independently) possibly causing nervous behavior. We also read about anxiety in teen boys developing just at his age.
So….he was up against the side effects of two rescue medications, the hormones of puberty and the realization that he IS different from his friends and how does he fit in. Okay, I was afraid to have children at first since I was terrified of puberty–this is one reason why!!!
The good news: everything can be remedied. The doctor had emailed dosing information about taking Allergra instead of Zyrtec, his office called in prescription for Xopenex inhaler and we discussed meditation and relaxation with Cyrus. Cyrus knows how to meditate already, so this was an easy conversation. During our last visit with our allergist, he did say that puberty can cause some havoc too.
When I picked up the Xopenex, the pharmacist confirmed that sometime folks do feel the symptoms of anxiety and even though Xopenex won’t stop those feelings completely, it will reduce it much more than the Albuterol.
Just hearing the pharmacist made Cyrus feel better. He had never felt anxiety before and it was confusing as to why he got so wound up over simple things.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will help! He had a very short anxiety attack last night and had a good day. Possibly, we’ve found the right mix of medications.
Moral of the story: I’ve learned that each body is different and medications react differently at the different ages and stages of life. Who knew puberty would play a role?? Moving forward, here is the the plan..
- Continue to work closely with the allergist as these types of events pop up.
- Be flexible on maintenance and rescue medications
- Give puberty better respect
- Limit his exposure to environmental allergens, such as staying inside during recess and lunch breaks, no outdoor PE, etc.
- Limit stress and teach him additional coping mechanisms
- Be grateful that we have solutions available.
I’m on the prowl for ideas on hay fever medications…if anyone has any experiences you can share…please do!
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Yes that is normal. They are not aware of their breathing patterns
the way we are. It pops out and back in. There is
no pattern. One minute they are breathing quietly and the next they are breathing hard.
If you ask me it is normal but is you are still not sure call your doctor.
Good luck and congrats!
Albert, thanks for your comment. I think asthma is simply a moving target. Although, I’ve certainly decided that I do not like puberty in any shape or form!
I create a comment whenever I especially enjoy a post on a site or if I have something to add to the conversation.
Usually it is a result of the fire communicated in the post I looked at.
And after this post Food allergies, asthma, hives and puberty | Gratefulfoodie.
com. I was actually excited enough to write a
thought 😉 I actually do have 2 questions for you if it’s allright. Could it be just me or does it look like like a few of the responses come across as if they are written by brain dead folks? 😛 And, if you are writing at additional online social sites, I’d like
to follow you. Could you list every one of all your social pages like your twitter feed,
Facebook page or linkedin profile?
Albuterol? They had me on nebulizer during a bad cold (w/copd) taking it 3 to 4 times a day. I made some really BAD decisions during that time and was a wreck. Now full of regrets and cry every day. Albuterol drains your potassium I have since found out…no potassium equals LOTS of confusion! BE CAREFUL. I was alone and had no one to notice and I was lost.
Sue, I did not hear about the potassium being drained! That is very dangerous. I think folks take albuterol lightly. A friend was sharing about how nasty their son had become. He just started taking albuterol!
I started having anxiety when I went through puberty and after my daughter has had respiratory illness since birth I kept wondering where she got that from since neither I nor my ex wife ever had it. Not realizing the last few years I had severe respiratory problems that I blamed on allergies mold and colds. I was diagnosed with adult onset asthma. And the first inhaler i used caused an instant extremely unpleasant anxiety attack(which was albuteriol). After not having any since teenage years- I’m 29 now. I’m on xoponex and Claritin now. Hope your son does great! It gives me ideas on how to help my daughter as I’m sure she’ll eventually get diagnosed with it as she ages.