Dear parents and families of Post Road Pediatrics,
As promised, here's our primer on allergies. For those of you who belong to our Facebook group, you already got a sneak peak.
So...we're in the middle of spring allergy season. More than likely, your allergy sufferers are complaining of runny nose, nasal congestion, scratchy throats, and itchy eyes; they also may be coughing...which, of course is stressing you out because, a) we're in a pandemic and could that cough be COVID; and b) your child just sneezed on the masked couple behind you at Shaw's that was already looking at you funny because of your sniffly child (who, fortunately, was trying like heck to drink the whole bottle of Zyrtec you grabbed, so hopefully they got the clue).
If this is your first time dealing with allergies, you should know that a few things differentiate allergies from infections. While people can sometimes get sick from allergies, and those illnesses can cause fever, allergies themselves do not cause fever. Allergies also generally do not cause any kind of achiness. Further, allergies often involve something itching - nose, eyes, skin - and colds and COVID usually do not. If you're unsure about what's going on with your child, give us a call.
Here are some remedies we usually recommend:
1) Antihistamines - Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, and Xyzal are all good options that, unlike Benadryl, shouldn't make your child sleepy. Take note that antihistamines generally work better when given every day, rather than as needed, and should be a part of any allergy sufferer's regimen. They are, however, not as good for itchy, red eyes, so we have...
2) Eye drops - older & cheaper - Opcon and Naphcon; newer - Zaditor and Pataday (the latter is a bit easier on the eyes, but more $$$). All are strategies for managing allergic conjunctivitis, though the newer drops are more effective. Eye drops can be tricky to administer to young kids, so try the following if you're struggling:
It may help if you warm the drops in your pocket or hand for a few minutes to reduce the contrast between warm eye and cold drop (though some kid pros like them cool - it provides some extra relief).
Saline drops can be useful during allergy season, as well. They are good for rinsing junk out of your child's eyes (like pollen) and may help to provide relief between doses of allergy eye drops mentioned above.
As an aside, we are often asked to differentiate between bacterial pink eye and allergic pink eye. It is sometimes tough to tell, but generally, bacterial causes feature a lot more eye discharge,
3) Nasal sprays - Saline spray is a great way both to rinse out mucus and pollen and to prepare your child's nose for other sprays.
For directly addressing nasal symptoms, there are many steroid nasal sprays, all of which used to be prescription but are now OTC - Flonase, Rhinocort, Nasacort, etc. All are effective, and all help deal with inflammation caused by allergies. Each product contains a low-dose steroid and is very safe (which is why they are OTC).
Nasalcrom - another OTC spray that deals with inflammation through a non-steroid ingredient. It's not quite as effective, but for those leery of steroid products, it may be worth a try (but, for what it's worth, we usually recommend the other products because they work better).
4) Other tips - Washing your kids' hair every night gets rid of a day's worth of pollen, and keeps it from being deposited on their pillow (and from being breathed in all night). Washing hands after playing outside will prevent pollen from being rubbed into eyes. Not rubbing the eyes at all, especially with hands that have been outside playing, is a good tip, though hard to enforce (though perhaps not, with all the practice we've had of late with coronavirus prevention...). Central air (with a HEPA filter) or room HEPA filters are options to consider, as well.
Also, if it seems allergies are an annual problem for you, marking your calendar or setting a phone alarm for mid-to-late March might be a good idea. When March 21, 2021 arrives, your phone will happily bleat "start allergy meds to avoid mucus monsoon again," and you'll be ahead of the game next year.
Some of you know that we have a good relationship with a few local allergists, and we often refer children with problematic allergies to those specialists. We do not recommend that most people see the allergist, however, as they will often just recommend everything we noted above (after telling you your child is allergic to the Spring season). The specific pollen allergy is usually not as important unless you are considering allergy shots, or immunotherapy (IT). IT is reserved for kids who have failed maximal OTC allergy treatment. We figured we'd save you the trip but can help you decide if you need to make that trip in the future.
So try the strategies listed above. If your regimen isn't working, or you're just not sure, schedule an appointment with us, and we'll take you through the steps. Stay safe and well, and enjoy the sunny days.
Sincerely,
Post Road Pediatrics
As promised, here's our primer on allergies. For those of you who belong to our Facebook group, you already got a sneak peak.
So...we're in the middle of spring allergy season. More than likely, your allergy sufferers are complaining of runny nose, nasal congestion, scratchy throats, and itchy eyes; they also may be coughing...which, of course is stressing you out because, a) we're in a pandemic and could that cough be COVID; and b) your child just sneezed on the masked couple behind you at Shaw's that was already looking at you funny because of your sniffly child (who, fortunately, was trying like heck to drink the whole bottle of Zyrtec you grabbed, so hopefully they got the clue).
If this is your first time dealing with allergies, you should know that a few things differentiate allergies from infections. While people can sometimes get sick from allergies, and those illnesses can cause fever, allergies themselves do not cause fever. Allergies also generally do not cause any kind of achiness. Further, allergies often involve something itching - nose, eyes, skin - and colds and COVID usually do not. If you're unsure about what's going on with your child, give us a call.
Here are some remedies we usually recommend:
1) Antihistamines - Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, and Xyzal are all good options that, unlike Benadryl, shouldn't make your child sleepy. Take note that antihistamines generally work better when given every day, rather than as needed, and should be a part of any allergy sufferer's regimen. They are, however, not as good for itchy, red eyes, so we have...
2) Eye drops - older & cheaper - Opcon and Naphcon; newer - Zaditor and Pataday (the latter is a bit easier on the eyes, but more $$$). All are strategies for managing allergic conjunctivitis, though the newer drops are more effective. Eye drops can be tricky to administer to young kids, so try the following if you're struggling:
- Ask your child lay flat on a bed or couch.
- Have your child close his/her eyes tightly and point his/her nose straight up at the ceiling.
- Place 1-2 drops in the inner corner of each eye and then have your child open his/her eyes; the drops will sneak right in.
It may help if you warm the drops in your pocket or hand for a few minutes to reduce the contrast between warm eye and cold drop (though some kid pros like them cool - it provides some extra relief).
Saline drops can be useful during allergy season, as well. They are good for rinsing junk out of your child's eyes (like pollen) and may help to provide relief between doses of allergy eye drops mentioned above.
As an aside, we are often asked to differentiate between bacterial pink eye and allergic pink eye. It is sometimes tough to tell, but generally, bacterial causes feature a lot more eye discharge,
3) Nasal sprays - Saline spray is a great way both to rinse out mucus and pollen and to prepare your child's nose for other sprays.
For directly addressing nasal symptoms, there are many steroid nasal sprays, all of which used to be prescription but are now OTC - Flonase, Rhinocort, Nasacort, etc. All are effective, and all help deal with inflammation caused by allergies. Each product contains a low-dose steroid and is very safe (which is why they are OTC).
Nasalcrom - another OTC spray that deals with inflammation through a non-steroid ingredient. It's not quite as effective, but for those leery of steroid products, it may be worth a try (but, for what it's worth, we usually recommend the other products because they work better).
4) Other tips - Washing your kids' hair every night gets rid of a day's worth of pollen, and keeps it from being deposited on their pillow (and from being breathed in all night). Washing hands after playing outside will prevent pollen from being rubbed into eyes. Not rubbing the eyes at all, especially with hands that have been outside playing, is a good tip, though hard to enforce (though perhaps not, with all the practice we've had of late with coronavirus prevention...). Central air (with a HEPA filter) or room HEPA filters are options to consider, as well.
Also, if it seems allergies are an annual problem for you, marking your calendar or setting a phone alarm for mid-to-late March might be a good idea. When March 21, 2021 arrives, your phone will happily bleat "start allergy meds to avoid mucus monsoon again," and you'll be ahead of the game next year.
Some of you know that we have a good relationship with a few local allergists, and we often refer children with problematic allergies to those specialists. We do not recommend that most people see the allergist, however, as they will often just recommend everything we noted above (after telling you your child is allergic to the Spring season). The specific pollen allergy is usually not as important unless you are considering allergy shots, or immunotherapy (IT). IT is reserved for kids who have failed maximal OTC allergy treatment. We figured we'd save you the trip but can help you decide if you need to make that trip in the future.
So try the strategies listed above. If your regimen isn't working, or you're just not sure, schedule an appointment with us, and we'll take you through the steps. Stay safe and well, and enjoy the sunny days.
Sincerely,
Post Road Pediatrics
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