Hi Ladies,
My 5 year old DS just started his first bad cough and of course it turns out he has bronchitis !!
His ped prescribed him albuterol or xopenex ... I read the literature and both seem to have the same side effects so would like some feedback as to which would be better based on personal experiences of course!!
I have to begin his nebulizer treatment today and am so on egde and hate to see him cough so bad...any other natural remedies than can ease his discomfort and any other advise will be greatly appreciated !
Thanks!
Addedum: Just to clarify i have got both the medicines at home and last night we did give him the Albuterol dose but that made him so very hyper that i called his ped and he said we could get Xopenex and we did but after i read those side effects i think i went a little crazy n confused:)...I hate seeing him suffer(like all moms) and of course wanted input from all the mom's out there!!!
The hyperness from the Albuterol should only last about 15 minutes. As he
uses it, it will get better. Long ago, the docs used oral Albuterol; talk about
hyper. OMG you would not believe what it did. It is a great drug and does
its job.
I have had asthma my whole life, and have always had Albuterol as my rescue inhaler.
It's basically a stimulant. It will open up his airways (and if he's struggling to breathe, PLEASE do this. I can't tell you how uncomfortable and panicky it feels not to breathe normally), and also increase his heartrate and blood pessure briefly as a reaction. Both will subside quickly after he inhales, but that's why there are restrictions on how often he should use it.
For inflamed airways, there really isn't a natural remedy. Believe me, I've tried a lot of things. He'll need the meds if he is struggling to breathe.
(I'm not familiar with Xopenex.)
What is with these doctors running to the heavy meds for such a thing as a cough. Do you have a cat living indoors? Put the cat out and keep it out. That is one of the main causes of bronchitis...a live in cat. So are wall to wall carpets which are breeding grounds for molds. Mold is the responsible agent in most cases of bronchitis.
I used Albuterol for asthma with a very mild set of inert ingredients and yet it irritated me until I went to one which was a crushed pill that was inhaled. I like Albuterol since it is a long tested older medication.
That said I am a lucky person since with great common sense I kept looking for a cure for asthma. I found it in the person of my homeopath. Five years now I am free. I never even take an inhaler with me.
You live in a part of CT. where there are homeopaths. Take him to one. The real reason children get sick is to build an immune system. I used herbal remedies for my children. They are very healthy adults.
I used organic food to make them have durable bodies that could throw off diseases. I did not shop at the local food stores but at the health food ones only. We ate a vegetarian diet and then when organic meat became available we included meat. Lots of vegetables and lots of fruit every day. Steam or saute the vegetables. Get recipes off the net for multiple vegetable dishes that children really like. Fresh food only. Nothing with sugar in it as sugar is a growth agent for diseases.
Everything I know about herbs I gave to other authors since I never wanted to write an herb book. If you can find a copy of Joy Gardner's Healing Yourself you will have an excellent one to use.
My son has asthma and we have used both. They work the same but Albuterol can make him a little jumpy. But Xopenex is more expensive. Please do the treatment that your doctor prescribed. The medication will really really help him breathe.
Albuterol can make kids jumpy and can also frequently cause an increase in heart rate. Generally it's prescribed over Xopenex because it's cheaper, most hospitals will automatically give albuterol/atrovent combination in place of Xopenex unless the doc specifies not to substitute. That said, if you already have both at home than cost probably wasn't an issue. My professional opinion (I'm an RN) is to use the Xopenex. Hope your little one gets some relief with whichever you choose!
I'm familiar with albuterol only. Yep, it can make kids jumpy....but the benefits far outweigh the jitters! I use an inhaler regularly....& feel "ease" when I do. Struggling to breathe is not fun & can feel panicky at times. Use the drugs you've been given....& ease your son's stress. :)
My P told me that X was better because it did not as much side affects like Abuterol. I am feeling my prescription next month for X. My children always had breathing issues and use the nebulizer more then I would like them to. :(
we used xoponex for my son when he needed treatments
My pharmacist told me that they are the same medication basically but the Xopenex is a more filtered purer form of the medication.
I have never seen the kids have jitters after a nebulizer treatment with the Xopenex. It is like they had nothing except some better breathing time.
Of course the Xopenex is over $100 for the box and it expires within 2 weeks of the pouch being opened, do not use it after that time, a friend nearly died last year after using a vial that was just opened 2 1/2 weeks prior to being used. The air and sunlight destroy the plastic vial and it starts to decay immediately.
Albuterol gives the same good breathing but does give the kids the jitters. It's $4.00 at box at Walmart and I use it for myself when I am sick. I have a yearly prescription for it.
We've only used Xopenex. We were given the choice of Albuterol as well but the doctor said it has more side effects, specifically that it can make the kid jumpy/hyper. So we went with Xopenex altho it's MUCH more expensive and we've had good results with it.
not quite you are right they are ALMOST identical however their is one minor difference. albuterol has a higher chance of making him twitchy,hyper what have you. do the xopenex if it works stick with that you may have to try the albuterol it works better for me but everyones diff
