Flovent Prescribed for 2 1/2 Year Old

Before inhalers were given to young children, the liquid made for some wild kids. The inhaler really does not have the side effects that the liquid did.
Better the albuterol,inhaler than the ER

All steroids have the potential to have these side effects.

You have to decide what's worse to you - these side effects, which are short lived and generally not serious, or a life threatening asthma attack.

In the past 6 months, in my ICU (in an RN in pediatric intensive care) we've had a 15 year old end up brain dead & an organ donor from an asthma attack AND a 4 year old end up on ECMO (heart lung bypass) for 11 days due to an asthma attack. The ECMO saved her life but caused bleeding in her brain, so she'll probably always function like a 12 to 18 month old, no matter how old she actually gets. And that's the BEST case scenario.

In both of the cases, the kids (or parents) didn't follow the recommended treatment programs, including inhaled steroids.

Talk your concerns over with your doctor; I'd even suggest seeing a pulmonologist to develop a real asthma action plan. But don't let the scary side effects blind you to the scary effects of uncontrolled and untreated asthma.

Sometimes, fast acting bronchodilators (like albuterol & xopenex) just aren't enough.

My granddaughter had a couple of trips to the ER and a hospitalization when she was a baby. She's taken 2-3 different preventive inhaled medications. I urge you to go ahead and try the Flovent. If the side effects are too disruptive the doctor will prescribe a different one.

Do remember that the list of side effects are just a compilation of the effects that some people have had. It's unlikely that your daughter will have any of them. If you read the flyer enclosed with the medication you'll see that the percentage of people having had those side affects is quite small, less than 5%. Some are less than 1%.

And......any of those side effects are temporary and much less serious than another full fledged asthma attack.

My granddaughter is now 12. She's had to take steroids for couple of extended periods of time as well as medicine for allergies. She has not suffered any from side affects. She did have to change an allergy med because it was causing mood changes. Once she was off it, her moods stabilized. The side affects go away once the medicine is stopped.

My daughter has had severe asthma attacks in the past. I don't know about Flovent specifically, but wanted to mention when we put her on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info) for her autoimmune illnesses (primarily ulcerative colitis), her asthma stopped being a problem. She was always using the nebulizer and rescue puffer. In the past 2 1/2 years since changing her diet, she's used the nebulizer three times -- all were while traveling to Colorado to visit my sister and brother-in-law who have three cats, and even then, she only used the nebulizer the first day we arrived each time and didn't need it again the rest of the trip. From the time she was a toddler, she had chronic episodes of bronchitis too. Those have stopped - no bronchitis in 2 1/2 years. Her allergist tests her breathing each visit and the last three visits have been the best he's seen in the 7 years she's been seeing him.... each visit gets better. He won't acknowledge that food is causing the breathing issues, but I don't know how else to explain the sudden improvement. She also used to get asthma attacks after the onset of a cold, but that hasn't happened since changing her diet. I am not suggesting stopping medications and changing her diet, but if you explore dietary changes, you might find she doesn't need to use the medications as often. I wasn't expecting such a change with my daughter's asthma... we were so focused on getting the ulcerative colitis quiet. It was an added bonus to get the asthma quiet too.

I hope you find something that works for your daughter.

I understand your concern, but there was a teen in our area that died from an asthma attack recently, despite getting him to the ER......

Severe asthma isn't something you want to fool around with.

Try it, and monitor her behavior.... if there are extreme side effects, then contact your doctor for an alternative.

My son is on it and has been for over a year. It has done wonders for his asthma. It's been a year since his last big attack and he hasn't had to use his inhaler at all during this fall. Allergies are his big trigger. If you look at any medication it all has some side effects - some worse than others. The steroids seen to be worse. But not all kids have those side effects and if they do they may only have one or the other. To me it would be better to try the medication and see if she has any changes than to take a chance on another attack. My son uses his for maintenance meds. He takes it every day and if he is starting to get sick, allergies are bad, or his asthma kicks up he can go up to twice a day. Since your child doesn't have to take it every day I would definitely try it. It's not worth another attack.

Hi, M.:
Have you thought about getting some digestive aids for
your daughter to help her digestion.
It seems that something is triggering her immune system
Look up www.enzymedica.com
Good luck.
D.

I always try new supplements and meds in the morning whenever possible.

Good luck with whatever you do - hope this eases up for her.

I met a Mom who did have a horror story to tell about her daughter and Flovent. She said her child (5) changed. She started crying all the time, wouldn't eat, got scared at night, nightmares, she became antisocial. She eventually took the child off of it after talking to many people about the side effects and doing research.

Is she already on a nebulizer?

My son got put on a nebulizer last year for Allergy induced Bronchitis. It's albuterol. He only uses it when he starts that phlegmy cough, and uses it morning and evening to prevent it.
You may wish to talk to him about your concerns before using it, and see if a nebulizer is an option.
They make them in lightweight, and in fun shapes these days...my son has a Sami the Seal one with a Turtle and a Dragon mask, so the albuterol isn't so scary to take.

I have asthma, and if I am not comfortable with a medication, I question the hell out of it before I start taking it. Talk to the doctor about it.

Hope she feels better soon.

There are so many different types of inhalers.
Albuterol is widely used.
It works.
It is a Bronchodilator.

Flovent is not a rescue type inhaler.
It is to prevent asthma attacks. But it will not stop one that has already begun.
It is a Corticosteroid inhaler. A steroidal based inhaler.
These types on inhalers, help to decrease inflammation of the airways. So that the person can breathe.

It is common to use a combination of medications to treat Asthma.
But, that combination may vary.
Every medication, is different for everyone.
And the side effects it has, is different for everyone.
I have Asthma.
I personally, don't get those side effects.

Being that Flovent is a steroidal based inhaler, you can ask the Doc, if there is any other type your child can use. BUT typically, an albuterol type bronchodilator and a corticosteroid type inhaler, is used in combination. But again, there are different types and brands. So ask the Doc.

Now, since your child's asthma sees to be induced by colds, you need to make sure that your child gets her Flu shot too, etc.
And, does she take any Antihistamines like Claritin, etc.?

I have tried Flovent before. But I didn't like it.
But that is me.

My son has a terrible time with steriods. We started him on Pulmicort, similiar to Flovent, when he was two. He became violent and angry. One day he began crying and saying it was raining on him and he was getting all wet - I believe he was hallucinating. We tried Flovent when he was four. He had much milder side effects, but did become very emotional and we began getting comments from school about a change in behavior. That being said, my niece has been on Flovent for years with no trouble. I would watch your daughter very closely when you try it and stop the medicine if you see problems.

Side effects will be different for everyone.

My son has ZERO personality changes / etc on Flovent. But until we figured out a dosing 'window' he had some really massive insomnia. (6am before he could sleep). Now he's out at 9pm, no worries. Definitely gained a lot of weight, as well. But he takes lg doses daily, and then prednisone &/or dexamethasone orally (both make him sleep) when sick. Out. Like. A. Light. Again. No personality changes. We just have to make sure he's on oral steroids right before bed.

My daughter started with flovent and albuterol right at the same age after a very scary bout of viral pneumonia that landed her in the intesive care unit at Children's hospital for a week. Since then she has taken flovent at the first onset of symptoms of illness. If she starts coughing too much we add in the albuterol. We also use nasonex seasonally. You might want to ask your Dr about that if your daughter has a long term runny nose. I found that once we got the runny nose under control she was actually sick less which of course means that you are using the inhalers less. This regiment works great for our daughter! I really like that she doesn't have to be on this meds all the time and she has no side effects what so ever. Give it a try. If it doesn't work for you then ask the Dr. for something else. There are other options.