More Than Albuterol: What's Available for Babies?

 

We are a family of 5, and four of us have asthma. Sigh.

My 3 kids are adults now, but when they were younger they were sick - All. The. Time.

After a bad experience with our primary care doctor, we switched their asthma care to a specialist. 

I then learned the importance of making sure my kids took their daily, controller inhalers every morning and every night. (Many doctors are now referring to the inhalers as "anti inflammatory' inhalers so patients understand how they work.) 

You can see the bronchial tube on the right is more swollen than the bronchial tube on the left. When your bronchial tubes swell (because you were exposed to an asthma trigger), they will  make mucus to protect your bronchial tubes. 

You can see how hard it would be to breathe through a bronchial tube that was swollen on the inside and full of mucus. And then (as if that wasn't bad enough already), the smooth muscles bands around the outside also shorten and squeeze. 

So you have squeezing (constriction), swelling and mucus in your bronchial tube. 

Is it any wonder we end up in the hospital? 

So making sure my kids and I all took our daily anti inflammatory inhalers was very important!

What about babies? 

Not longer after my youngest was born, I noticed she was acting just like her big brothers when she would get sick. I had a hunch she also had asthma. 

So, we went back to Asthma Doc. He said they don't normally diagnosed 1 year olds with asthma, but with our family history of allergies and asthma on BOTH sides, he was confident she also had asthma. 

But you can't give a baby an inhaler, right?

Nebulizers medicine for babies (it's not just albuterol)  

Did you know that they make medicine for the nebulizer that is an daily, controller anti inflammatory medicine? I learned that from Asthma Doc. I didn't know much about asthma 25 years ago, but I am now an asthma nerd. 

Asthma Doc prescribed a corticosteroid (anti inflammatory) medicine for the nebulizer. He told me to give my 1 year old daughter a breathing treatment every morning and every night - but with the anti inflammatory vials of medicine instead of albuterol. 

And wowza, it felt like magic! It helped keep the swelling down in her lungs so she didn't get as sick with a cold or the flu as she did before.  

Always talk to your doctor about asthma medicine for yourself or your child because asthma is different for every person. And asthma medicine may need to be different too.   

But - at least now you know that there are options for the nebulizer other than albuterol! 

Stay safe out there my friends, cold and flu season is in full swing! 

** Disclaimer: this information is meant to be educational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals**

 Hugs, 

Andrea