Child's allergies - stuffed up at night - can't sleep

[Anonymous]

I took her in the bathroom and ran the shower for quite a long time. The steam helped a bit, and eventually she went back to sleep, but I'd rather prevent these night wakenings.

- We have already removed all feather/down products that might exacerbate the problem.
- I considered a second dose of Zyrtec last night, but since the label says it's for runny noses, I thought that might be counterproductive.
- She used a nasal steroid spray for the first six weeks of allergy season, but we discontinued use after the first major nosebleed. (She is prone to nosebleeds anyway, and we found last year that the nasal spray made them more frequent and copious.)

Any other home remedy-type suggestions? Would a saline spray help? Preventively or as treatment? We did try a neti pot a couple of years ago, but she didn't like that.

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

How old is she? That will help with recommendations.

- Warm mist humidifier in bedroom
- Keep windows in house shut on high-pollen days
- Have her bathe or shower immediately on arriving home from school/daycare/playing outside
- Zyrtec or another antihistamine WILL help if her pediatrician is ok with it
- Get an in-room air filter for her room (like this one http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-Long-Life-QuietCare-Purifier-17000/dp/B000050AQ5) and/or a MERV-11 filter for your HVAC (like this http://www.amazon.com/20x25x5-19-88x24-88x4-38-Original-Honeywell-Replacement/dp/B003J7JSFY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1366297767&sr=8-5&keywords=honeywell+filter). I have both.
- Dust that room like crazy. Vacuum a lot. Get a vacuum with a built-in HEPA filter if possible.
- Get allergy covers for the pillows and mattress to prevent dust mites (which will build up even on non-feather bedding) like this: http://www.amazon.com/Allersoft-100-Percent-Allergy-Standard-Encasement/dp/B002R0DR3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366297910&sr=8-1&keywords=allergy+cover You can wash these covers with the bedding and they provide excellent barriers to dust mites and other allergens.

[Anonymous]

PP back to add:

- see if you can reduce the steroid spray to half the dose (I use one and use half dose to prevent nosebleeds)
- Yes, saline spray helps. I also hate neti pots but the pre-packaged nasal spray loosens up mucus, too -- have her use it when she comes inside, before bed, and after she wakes up (and blow her nose)
- Also you can try an anti-inflammation diet. Like, no cow's milk (try almond or goat's milk), less processed food, etc. I used to think this was ridiculous but I have terrible allergies and switching from cow to goat milk, as well as cutting processed food and additives, has helped SO much.

[Anonymous]

vaporub on the feet with socks over them. It works SO well for stuffed up noses.

[Anonymous]

No carpet in bdrm.
No pets (she may be allergic and if not they will bring pollen etc into house).
Allergen casing for bed and pillows.
Minimal upholstered furniture in bdrom.
wash hands and face off after being inside.
Take shower, including wetting hair, before bed.
D not hang out in bed. If that is too hard a rule to enforce, put bedspread over bed and pillows and remove it before she goes to sleep.
humidifier could add to mold in room you may not want to do that. That only helps if air is too dry.
No open windows or doors in car or house at all during allergy season.
Preservative free saline rinse for nose if she doesn't mind it or get side effects from it.

[Anonymous]

Claritin or Allegra may work better for her than Zyrtec. Also, if her allergies are really bad, adding Singulair (at least during the worst points in the allergy season) may help.

[Anonymous]

I think your best bet is asking her allergist or pediatrician. My child's allergist suggested upping the dose of zyrtec to 10 mg (from 5 mg), which is working well. Both are fine for his age. Also ask if another steroid spray has fewer nosebleed side effects.

A saline spray will do very little for the long term. A rinse (neti pot) would actually move the stuff around/out. I understand she didn't like it before. A spray will just sort of put a little mist in the nasal lining. I now do neti pots about 3 times a week and am doing so much better than my prior approach of saline spray multiple times a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No carpet in bdrm.
No pets (she may be allergic and if not they will bring pollen etc into house).
Allergen casing for bed and pillows.
Minimal upholstered furniture in bdrom.
wash hands and face off after being inside.
Take shower, including wetting hair, before bed.
D not hang out in bed. If that is too hard a rule to enforce, put bedspread over bed and pillows and remove it before she goes to sleep.
humidifier could add to mold in room you may not want to do that. That only helps if air is too dry.
No open windows or doors in car or house at all during allergy season.
Preservative free saline rinse for nose if she doesn't mind it or get side effects from it.

Avoidance Is key. If you do all this, and other avoidance tactics, she may not need meds.

[Anonymous]

No wall plug ins, candles, air fresheners, etc. use unscented cleaning products.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the suggestions. She's 8. We have no pets, carpet, air fresheners, etc. Thought about encasing the bedding but haven't done it yet because she tested negative for dust mites. She does shower when she comes home. Has a humidifier, but it's cool mist..

Short-term I'll try the saline spray and an extra dose of Zyrtec and if that doesn't work, maybe switch to another OTC med. Cutting back to a half-dose of the nasal steroid is an interesting idea, but it may be too late to go back on it for this year since my understanding is that it's supposed to act preventively. I will ask her allergist about that next time we see him. Will think about the other ideas also.

Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

Which nasal steroid? I took Astelin for a while and it works immediately. I think Flonase and Nasonex (and their generic equivalents) tend to work better after a couple of weeks use. Check into Astelin's side effects about nosebeleeds. It was really awesome stuff.

I'd call the doc after a couple of weeks, esp. if you don't think your approach is working very well.

My own allergist recommended I take 2 OTC meds daily (zyrtec at night; Claritin in morning).

[Anonymous]

Sudafed works best for stuffed up noses. You need the real stuff--pseueoephedrine--which they keep behind the counter at the pharmacy (NOT Sudafed PE). There IS a children's version, which is not always easy to find. It is a grape flavored liquid and I usually can find it at Target's pharmacy (never had any luck at CVS).

[Anonymous]

OP again. We consulted our pediatrician and allergist and both recommended Claritin in the AM and Zyrtec in the PM. The allergist also endorsed nighttime Sudafed, but the ped was more reluctant to do so, so we are sticking to the two antihistamines, saline, and lots of washing for now.

[Anonymous]

My DD has the same symptoms, which have been helped by Singulair at night.

[Anonymous]

If she's 8, you could try the neti pot with a saline rinse. And use a humidifier to keep things from drying out.