DEAR DR. GOTT: I have a question regarding treatment of a 5-year-old who has been diagnosed with allergies to dust mites and mold. The allergist prescribed Flonase nasal spray and Zyrtec when he’s bad. This seems a little extreme, as it is a steroid and the only symptom she presented with was frequent colds. Is there any other treatment?
DEAR READER: I cannot, in clear conscience, recommend the use of the steroid Flonase for a child, primarily because the medication can affect his or her growth at such a vulnerable age.
Furthermore, pediatric Zyrtec (an antihistamine) studies involving 168 children aged 2 to 11 found side effects to be mild to moderate. Studies involving children aged 6 to 11 given doses between 1.25 to 10 milligrams daily found symptoms of headache in 11 percent of users, pharyngitis in 6.2 percent, abdominal pain in 4.4 percent and epistaxis (nosebleeds) in 3.7 percent.
As a non-pediatrician, I am not qualified to make such an enormous decision. Speak with your daughter’s pediatrician regarding the allergist’s recommendations. Children are precious and should be treated with the utmost of care.
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