Going Against Nurses Advice: Kids and Antidiarrheal Meds

Nice. A whole plane load of folks arriving at their destination with GI problems while they are on a trip.
:(

Sorry, but I agree with Mira.

I have given my kids med for diarrhea once, but mostly we addressed it with the BRAT diet (plain chicken, apples, rice, crackers). If they were sick I would not take them on a plane though, not only could it be horrible and embarrassing for them if they have an accident, but you could be exposing a lot of people to a virus.

A little Imodium should clear it right up.
The reality is - people get sick while traveling all the time.
Have them drink plenty of fluids - bottled water, ginger ale, etc.

No, you don't take sick children on a plane! Especially with GI symptoms... However, there is a reason anti-diarrhea meds aren't recommended, if your child has some sort if parasite/food poisoning, you want it OUT of their systems. My husband is a pharmacist and he has never allowed our kids to take them, also, consider the fact that diarrhea is dehydrating them, a plane will only worse it :(

Do they have any symptoms aside from diarrhea? Do you have a sense of what caused/triggered the diarrhea?

I know this isn't going to be the advice you're looking for, but I'd respectfully recommend that you postpone your flight.

this would depend wholly on the virulence of the diarrhea. if they were sweating, in pain, and voiding their bowels to the point of water and cramping, i'd postpone the trip. if, as your SWH says, it's just loose stools, i'd give them a child's dose of immodium and work the the BRAT diet hard. and give probiotics.
why do you always give the most important info in your SWHs, along with bitching about the responses?
khairete
S.

I am not sure what posts you are referring to that are mean. I just don't see it.

ETA: Julie, no one here was rude or judgmental. Everyone told you what their opinion on this subject is. If you only want people to answer one question, you are shortchanging yourself in every question you pose here. People have vast experience here on this board. Avail yourself of it, even if it's not what you want to hear for the moment. You never know when you'll hear something that will make a difference for you.

Original:
Oh brother. You really shouldn't take them on the plane. You don't say what is wrong with them. Do you know? What will you do if they simply cannot get up and go to the bathroom, and poop in their pants? This is a nightmare waiting to happen.

I don't envy your position, and I know it's really hard, but they shouldn't be on that plane.

Per your what happened, I really don't understand why you can't ask a question without getting snippy with everyone in your what happened!

You want us to tell you to ignore a medical professional so that when it hurts your kids you can say, well all the other mommies said it was okay. Sorry, we don't have your back here! Listen to the nurse

Wow! and then reading the other answers no one actually judgmental! no one was sarcastic or mean. Woman get yourself some meds! Can't imagine living with you, poor children.

what is causing their diarrhea? If you don't know that? Why would you WANT to travel with them for 8 hours? Do you have back up clothes for them in case they don't make it to the small bathroom?? If not. I hope you do...and lots of diaper wipes.

Did you purchase insurance on the flight and trip? If so - call and ask if you can reschedule. I know how hard this is. If it's a choice between my child's well being and $8K - sorry - I'll choose my child over money any day and twice on Sunday.

If you call the airline and let them your children are having health issues - and need to reschedule the flight? They might be accommodating considering all the hoopla over sickness and disease lately.

You are determined to go? Go against the doctor's orders and give them something...if you know it's "nerves" for travel (kids do pick up on your stress) then fine - give them something...however, if you know they are sick - fever, diarrhea and start vomiting? I would NOT want to be sitting next to you on the flight....not to mention how horrible it would be being in a foreign country and sick.

Good luck!

J.,

I get that you're in a real pickle here, but honestly, I don't see anything mean in the other responses….just real concern for all involved….you, your kids, and the other flying public.

It's never a good idea to solicit or give medical advice on-line for obvious reasons. No one here in virtual land can evaluate your children in person; we don't know all of their medical histories; you don't know for certain what caused their symptoms, etc. More specifically, your nurse has advised against giving meds, but you want people here who aren't health care professionals to tell you it's okay to ignore that? Not a good idea.

I really, truly empathize with you, J.. We travel a great deal, and I've had perfectly healthy kids get sick in the middle of a flight. Just this summer, my
9 y/o went to the bathroom on a flight. Within 30 seconds being back in his seat, he gave me *that* look. I grabbed the bag in the seat pocket just in time. Poor guy (stranger) sitting in the aisle seat did his best to act like nothing was going on while my son vomited. That is NOT fun. Not for the child, not for the parent, and not for the stranger sitting next to you.

Like others have suggested, if you have travel insurance, call your airline and reschedule your flight. If this is viral, it needs to work itself out, and the kids need to have constant access to a bathroom. I can't imagine them having to sit in soiled clothing (not even in soiled pull-ups) for any length of time. It would be miserable. Times two, in your case.

Even if you don't have fight insurance, the airline may work with you if you explain the situation. If they don't? If it were me? I'd pay the change fee. It's just too long of a trip to make your children fly sick and miserable and risk the airline staff and everyone else getting sick.

Just my opinion. I hope they get better quickly and you have a great trip.

J. F.

ETA: You're probably already gone, but I just saw an ad for Healthtap.com. I can't vouch for it other than saying it looks like online access to doctors for personalized advice 24/7 through video chat or voice. May not help for this time, but perhaps worth a check for you---and others who might need medical advice outside of regular office hours.

How old are they? I would see if you can find some overnights or some other kind of pull-up type underwear for them... Just in case they have an emergency situation during the times when you aren't allowed out of the seat. If they have an accident, it will be contained and not soil their clothes.

I wouldn't do any medicine for it, beyond pushing a lot of fluids to keep them hydrated and help flush whatever is going on with them. Lik Jennifer said, the diarrhea is the body trying to flush out whatever is causing it distress... It needs to be able to do it's job.

Also... I understand where you are coming from not wanting to cancel/postpone your expensive trip... BUT you need to consider the other people on the plane... How would you feel if you were going to an important business meeting, or on a vacation, or to visit family... Only to wind up sick the whole time because some lady took her kids on the plane? Being on a plane is a LOT different than just going out in public... You are breathing recirculated air, in a very enclosed area, for an extended amount of time vs. maybe touching something they touched.

I realize you are going to go anyway... And, in all honesty I probably would too if I was relatively sure it was food-related... But I would at least take precautions to avoid spreading any germs around. Have them wash their hands really well before boarding, and every couple hours on the flight. Have some Lysol wipes, and wipe down the seat/area they used. If they use the restroom in the plane, have them wipe what they touch with a Lysol wipe.

If it's viral, I would keep them off a plane so they don't infect anyone else. If it's just something they ate, I would give them a half dose of immodium and go.

I would give low doses, appropriate for their weight. Particularly if you are giving a single dose to make them comfortable for a few hours. We travel a lot, I would not cancel a trip for diarrhea unless it was serious (as in, with a fever/rash, so frequent they are dehydrating, take them to the doctor right now serious).
I gave one of my sons a half of an immodium once in a similar situation. No ill effects.
I am not one to dole out medicine for every little thing, but I see no problem here. Medicating for days on end for diarrhea is never a good idea, often because your body is trying to get rid of something for a reason, so it makes sense that the nurse would recommend against it. It is probably a bit like saying you should NEVER EVER drink alcohol when pregnant, because some people don't see the difference between a bottle of wine over an entire pregnancy and a bottle of wine over breakfast...

I'm with the others, I bet you wouldn't want someone bringing their sick child on a plane and risk ruining your $8k vacation with diarrhea...but that's not what you are looking for and I get that. Still, if it's important enough to call the doctor, I'd think you might want to reschedule.

And no - I wouldn't. I took a Claritin D today for the first time ever and I'm foggy as all get out, so I wouldn't give them meds and then deal with all of that pressure changing and a long flight.

The concern with AD meds is that they can sometimes work too well and cause what seems like a bowel obstruction. A colleague was dating a guy who took some Imodium while in the throes of a nasty stomach virus and he ended up in the hospital. The ER diagnosed him with a bowel obstruction and scheduled surgery. My friend wouldn't allow him to have surgery because the hospital he was at is known for lots of errors so he had him released AMA and taken by ambulance (for which they had to pay cash based on the AMA) to a Boston hospital, where they could see that he didn't have an obstruction, his colon had simply closed itself up from the Imodium. They treated him with another med that relaxed the colon and completely avoided surgery.

So if you did do the AD meds, do one low dose and watch for any worsening symptoms. If they're past the worst of whatever they have and most of whatever is irritating them is already out of their system then they should be among the vast majority of people who take these meds without issue. There can be freakishly bad side effects like my colleague's boyfriend had but those are very rare.

Have a wonderful trip and I hope this clears their system soon!

Sheesh, I say just give it to them. I'm sure they will be fine. Have a great trip.

I would BRAT diet the heck out of them!
Have them wear masks please!

I've had the bad luck of having the "runs" on a short flight, Denver to NYC (I'm thinking about 3.5 /4 hours), as an adult, traveling alone, before kids. It was trying, embarassing and uncomfortable. Not sure whether it was due to food, nerves (although I am not afraid of flying), or a virus. It hit on the plane, and cleared up in just under a day or two.

I won't offer you advice on whether to medicate your kids, or whether to take the trip, postpone, or cancel it. If you do decide to go ahead, I recommend, that to the best of your ability, you and or hubs get a nap between now and boarding, because it could prove to be a challenging flight for all concerned.

Best,
F. B.

It totally sucks and I can see why you are desperate and want to try the meds but putting your kiddos on a plane today is not a good idea. Try to figure out why they are sick and go from there. Either way, they shouldn't be flying today for their well being and the well being of those on the plane.

Get probiotics. Culturelle is good. You can get the adult version (per my pediatrician) & dump the capsule in a drink or some plain applesauce (bratt diet).

I have given my own kids A-D medicine against nurses advice. I used to work for a company that sold a leading brand of A-D medicine and really can not understand why pediatricians are against it, it works!!!

I wouldn't give them the meds. Just have them eat the BRAT diet. And take pull ups, just in case!! Good luck, hope you have a safe and peaceful trip.

I wouldn't give them the meds for adults for fear they would then have the opposite problem. As long as this is their only symptom, I might try some probiotics to balance out their system. AND watch what they eat before you get on the plane. Bananas might be good - definitely nothing that would go right through them - fast food, juice etc.

Heck I've been on an airplane under these conditions. Do whatever you can safely. You have spent thousands of dollars. Perhaps they are both nervous.Or excited.

Well, because it's gross to take sick kids onto an airplane where they could have a blow out in their clothes when they can't get up and go.

But, on the other hand. They could be over it and done.

Most anti-diarrhea meds are made of clay. The clay absorbs the moisture and that makes the pooh thicker and even can clog the system up.

If they do have a virus, stomach virus, anything like that the meds will only hold the germs in their body longer and not allow it to expel the nasty stuff.

Since you've spent so much money I'd say go and dose the kids. If they start puking due to bacteria backing up in their system you'll know and they'll be sick the whole time you're gone.

Best wishes, it must be important!