steroids safe to treat asthma in children?

So the doctor has prescribed a steroid inhaler for Emily. I am reading
stuff online that scares me, like it interferes with the pituitary gland and
can inhibit growth in children! Emily is small enough, we don't need to do
anything to stunt her...

Can anyone shed some light on this?

determined wrote:
So the doctor has prescribed a steroid inhaler for Emily. I am reading
stuff online that scares me, like it interferes with the pituitary gland and
can inhibit growth in children! Emily is small enough, we don't need to do
anything to stunt her...

Can anyone shed some light on this?




How long is she supposed to use it for? How often? What exactly did you
get? How high is the the dosage?

cu
nicole

She was prescribed Qvar, 80mcg twice a day. There was no specific length of
use prescribed.

"NL" wrote in message
...
determined wrote:
So the doctor has prescribed a steroid inhaler for Emily. I am reading
stuff online that scares me, like it interferes with the pituitary gland
and can inhibit growth in children! Emily is small enough, we don't need
to do anything to stunt her...

Can anyone shed some light on this?


How long is she supposed to use it for? How often? What exactly did you
get? How high is the the dosage?

cu
nicole

determined wrote:
She was prescribed Qvar, 80mcg twice a day. There was no specific length of
use prescribed.


When is your next apointment? We ha to come back after a few days for a
checkup and re evaluation. Did your doc say anything about "If it gets
better do this and that,..."

Here are a few links:

http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&q=...le-Suche&meta=

http://www.drugs.com/pdr/qvar-inhalation-aerosol.html
http://www.drugs.com/cons/qvar-inhalation.html
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100002217.html
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/qvar_ids.htm

cu
nicole

determined skrev:
So the doctor has prescribed a steroid inhaler for Emily. I am reading
stuff online that scares me, like it interferes with the pituitary gland and
can inhibit growth in children! Emily is small enough, we don't need to do
anything to stunt her...

Can anyone shed some light on this?



Yup

It's completely safe!!!

There is no growth inhibition when inhaled in the doses the doc gives
you. On the contrary. Not using it will inhibit growth as she won't get
oxygen enough.

There are widespread investigations showing NO sideeffects, where as if
she is allowed to cough and have reduced lung function only treated when
you discover it she'll most likely have reduced lung capacity in the
long run.

The steroids ensures normal lung capacity - for ever. And if she grows
out of it - which a lot of kids do - no lasting effects on her lungs.

Go on - we've used it for 8 years on my son. He's on the small side (but
I'm petite so I guess that's why). He has asthma in medium degree and
his lung capacity is above normal.'

Tine, Denmark

determined skrev:
So the doctor has prescribed a steroid inhaler for Emily. I am reading
stuff online that scares me, like it interferes with the pituitary gland and
can inhibit growth in children! Emily is small enough, we don't need to do
anything to stunt her...

Can anyone shed some light on this?



And it can very well take 1-2 weeks or more before you see the full
effect so don't stop because "it doesn't work after all so why use it"

Tine, Denmark

"NL" wrote in message
...
determined wrote:
She was prescribed Qvar, 80mcg twice a day. There was no specific length
of use prescribed.


When is your next apointment? We ha to come back after a few days for a
checkup and re evaluation. Did your doc say anything about "If it gets
better do this and that,..."

No. He didn't say anything. In fact, we didn't even see him for the
steroids. He just called them in to the pharmacy.

Here are a few links:

Thanks, I'll be doing some reading! I wish doctors were more helpful
sometimes.

"Workingmom" wrote in message
...
determined skrev:
So the doctor has prescribed a steroid inhaler for Emily. I am reading
stuff online that scares me, like it interferes with the pituitary gland
and can inhibit growth in children! Emily is small enough, we don't need
to do anything to stunt her...

Can anyone shed some light on this?

And it can very well take 1-2 weeks or more before you see the full effect
so don't stop because "it doesn't work after all so why use it"

Tine, Denmark

Thank you! There is a ton of info on the internet, but it is always nice to
hear from "real" people!

that seems a bit quick to me, she's barely been diagnosed as asthmatic,
unless she'd having life threatening attacks it seems a bit soon to be
bringing out the heavy stuff, I think now might be the time for a 2nd
opinion.

Anne

determined wrote:
So the doctor has prescribed a steroid inhaler for Emily. I am reading
stuff online that scares me, like it interferes with the pituitary gland and
can inhibit growth in children! Emily is small enough, we don't need to do
anything to stunt her...

Can anyone shed some light on this?

The only problems that have been seen with steroid inhalers are with
doses *much* higher than the ones you're talking about. Because the
dose in an inhaler is delivered directly to the lungs, this means it can
be kept very small - the amount that gets into the rest of the system is
truly tiny, and, as Tine said, has been shown *not* to cause any growth
problems.

The only likely side-effect is that, because some of the dose does end
up in the mouth on the way down, people on steroid inhalers are a little
more likely to get oral thrush. 'Likely' is probably the wrong word
because I can't offhand remember ever having seen a case in a young
child, but it's theoretically possible. However, if the inhaler does
benefit her lungs, then the long-term benefits from that well outweigh a
tiny extra chance of thrush.

Put it this way - if my child ever develops asthma, I will want him to
have a steroid inhaler after what I've read about the risks vs. benefits
(not to mention my own experience of better asthma control on them). No
doubt in my mind.

HTH.


All the best,

Sarah
--
http://www.goodenoughmummy.typepad.com

"That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be" - P. C. Hodgell