steroids for bronchitis?!?

S.Shcwartz

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 9:38 am

Am I crazy or what? I went to doc with older one, and took my younger one along 'just in case'. Fine, so the older one had ear infection in both ears, I was a bit shocked cuz he never had one in his life (he's two) and didnt complain about it. ok, the younger one had a cough so this doctor tells me he has three things: Bronchilitis, bronchitis and a virus! He gave me FOUR medications. One antibiotic, two for nebulizers to inhale, and.... steroids!! Is this normal? all you older experienced ones out there, I seriously need your help!!!!!

P.S. He's a new doc I'm using so I don't know him so well.

mumsy23

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 9:46 am

That sounds about right. The seroids help open up the lungs and so does the nebulizer. The antibiotics are probably a must at this point but maybe you can ask the doctor about what medication isn't absolutly neccessary if you are weary. I would probably just use all of them until the kid feels better.

I'm not generally a medicine person, but my daughter once had brochitis and although it wasn't bad enough for a nebulizer I did give her the steriods for a couple days, just until she was over the worst part of it. Steroids are not like antibiotics, you don't have to "finish a course", you can use them "as needed". warning, they may make your child very hyper. After a couple doses, my daughter started jumping off the walls so I stopped then.

hope this was helpful...

withhumor

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 9:53 am

Stay away from the nebulizer (and steroids) unless your child is a preemie and needs the help for the lungs. I personally know of a new mother who listened to her ‘new doctor’ and gave her kid the nebulizer whenever the doctor told her to. Today, the kid has trouble fighting colds and coughs on her own and it’s a serious problem. Schwartz, you should consider the liquid pantothenic acid which works the SAME DAY even when there is already an infection. All the health food stores in boro park have it, and I promise your kid will take it.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 10:59 am

My son was diagnosed with croup yesterday. The steroids were to help with inflamation of his vocal cords which caused non-stop wheezing. The doctor gave me the option, and I chose to use them. It doesn't cure it -- basically, a virus goes away on it's own, and you can only treat the symptoms, but I gave him a dose last night and he slept through the night, and woke up without any wheezing, B"H. I found them useful, if not absolutely necessary.

The pediatrician said in all his years of practice, he's never had one patient who needed to be transported to the hospital because of restricted breathing due to croup, especially since cold air (besides hot steam) helps clear it up, so just taking a child outside or opening the freezer will give immediate relief.

It's not crazy to give your child steroids if it will help, but if it's the same thing my 16 month old got, my doctor warned me it tastes nasty (and he prescribed a lot more than we need since he had a feeling it would be spitten out!) He advised giving it in shifts and sticking in a bit of chocolate after so the baby won't spit it out. For instance, my son needs 6 mL, so he said give 2 or 3 in a shot, and slide in chocolate immediately. B"H my son did not spit it out, and I offered him chocolate, but he wasn't interested (didn't know what it was!) So I lucked out Very Happy

And that's my experience with steroids.

S.Shcwartz

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 1:53 pm

thanx ya all. I decided to use neb and antibiotic but I'm just skipping the steroids, makes me uncomfotrable. Hashem_Yaazor, I understand why your doc gave YOU steroids, it was a chronic case. But my son doesn't even look sick, yes his cough is bad but not frequent so hopefully just the neb will help although it's quite a battle each time! Even my mil said that steroids doesn't sound too good. (she knows everything, she had tons of kids!)
redsea, you're right, that's exactly what the doc said that it's asthma just a one time thing, normal for young babies.

MinnieMa

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 2:20 pm

Your docotor is not wrong in what he's doing. He might very well be giving you the steroids to prevent anything worse. I don't know how old ur baby is, but RSV is a serious virus which is something likea runny nose, cough-- and could lead to difficulty in breathing. Docotors don't take chances these days with babies and coughs. So they treat coughs seriously before they lead to a worse problem My daughter has been on the nebulizer very frequent due to weasing. This past time my docotr told me to give her steroids for two days (I think they don't usually give it more than 3 days) to open her air ways. Just a word of advise, if anyones child has chronic weasing, bronch.......and is constantly ont he nebulizer-- don't just pass it off as nothing. Go to a pulmonologist. I waited two years till finally someone gave me answers for my daughters constant coughs and nebulizer treatments.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 3:04 pm

S.Shcwartz wrote:

My son was not a chronic case...he has a virus, just like your son!
My son did not look sick, was not coughing, just wheezing, and since viruses are not curable, and the inflammation restricts the air flow, it was kdai.
I'm not telling you to use them, but there are definite benefits, and according to my research, no adverse effects.
Antibiotics won't help the inflammation unfortunately...they just kill bacteria.
The nebulizer also works from an incident to incident basis, but the steroids (at least what my son got) worked all night and so far all day.
It's up to you, but your misunderstanding the comparisons between my situation and yours.

(And my mother in law is a nurse and also had a ton of kids, and I talked it over with her, and she thought it was a good idea, even though she is not so keen on doctor's input usually...I don't mean to "one-up" you, at all, sorry that it sounds that way, but I just wanted to point out I had a very good second opinion too Wink

She actually asked if he gave me a neb, but I told her that he felt the steroids on their own were good enough, and so far he's right. And unfortunately I don't trust him on everything and am always getting second opinions about nutrition and endocrinology and what not)

I think tonight will be the second and final night due to his not being so sick.

As far as it being like asthma...that's correct. The airway is restricted, which is why I felt that steroids which help the inflammation was a good idea.

S.Shcwartz

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 3:13 pm

I'm really confused. there are no 'adverse effects' from STEROIDS? I'm a young mother so I might not know much, but I don't stop hearing from that (and cortizone, which is stroids no?)

and HY, do u think that I can do without steroids till tomorrow, (the doc wants to see him tomorrow) and if he tells me he's better, I wont tell him I didnt use it and if he isn't chas veshalom, I'll start, am I being irresponsibe to my son? I want to do whats best for him, only what's best for him.
btw, the anibiotic is only for bacteria but brocilitis is from bacteria, and brochitis from virus (or vv) but my son has BOTH, is that possible at all?
I'm so confused

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 4:01 pm

S.Shcwartz wrote:

No, of course steroids can have adverse effects. What I meant was the particular presciption my son got for the amount he was taking was not anything to be concerned about. There are many different types of steroids out there -- topical, oral, injectable. And in each category there are tons.
You can definitely do without steroids till tomorrow, and possibly avoid them all together. They are not absolutely necessary unless it's an extreme case, but there are definite benefits, and you're not being a bad mother by waiting it out, as long as your son seems to be doing fine until now.
And anyone can have a bacterial infection which is treated with antibiotics as well as a viral infection, which is not, but in some cases the doctor doesn't know which, so he treats it as both (one common situation is pink eye being treated with antiobiotics just in case it's bacterial). My mother in law told me her first pediatrician in her current city used to prescribe antibiotics for croup on the off chance there was a bacterial infection at the same time as the virus. She switched doctors later on, but it's very common for a child to be treated for both.
IY"H your son will get better on his own, and when you see the doctor tomorrow there will be no need Smile

I gave my son one dose of steroids last night at 7, and spoke to the doctor this morning at 8:30 and the doctor said tonight is the last night he would recommend it for...he won't need to finish the prescription, B"H (assuming he stays as good as he is now)...so you might really have given it enough time for it to get better on its own Smile

Thu, Nov 23 2006, 10:25 am

In viral wheeze the steroids are only given for a few days. They are not normally associated with any side effect if used for a such a short time.
Bronchiolitis is VIRAL - mostly caused by RSV and usually affecting young babies particularly at this time of year -VERY VERY common. Nebulisers/inhalers can help relieve symptoms.
As a paed I very rarely prescribed antibiotics unless it looked like a very definite BACTERIAL chest infection was the cause of symptoms...but some doctors are extra cautious.
My personal opinion is that antibiotics are overused!

S.Shcwartz

Fri, Nov 24 2006, 10:18 am

yeah, I think so too. I didnt want to give my older son antibiotic for his ear infection, but I had started already, and I hear it's not a good idea to stop if you start. Now JO, you're saying bronchiolitis is viral and what is bronchitis? Isn't that bacterial? I think that's why doc gave him antibiotic, he says he has BOTH.
btw, HY, I gave him last night the steroids, cuz he was crying last night and was very uncomfortable cuz he couldn't breathe normally. It helped, what should I say....

Hashem_Yaazor

Fri, Nov 24 2006, 11:55 am

S.Shcwartz wrote:

btw, HY, I gave him last night the steroids, cuz he was crying last night and was very uncomfortable cuz he couldn't breathe normally. It helped, what should I say....

You're a great mother, you know? You give your son what he needs when he needs it. You felt last night it would benefit him, and you were right Smile

I actually didn't give last night, since it sounds like his wheezing B"H is better....now he has a slight cough and I am afraid he'll come down with a cold over shabbos, but at least he can breathe!