Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Unconventional food allergy strategies

Anyone ever tried year-round Claritin or Zyrtec as a preventative to mild (level 1 or 2) food allergic reaction?

I came upon some medical research a while back that recommended its use as a treatment in situations where benadryl alone was not working. I finally tried it in desperation last winter when a mild allergic reaction (full-body hives) would not go away. It worked like a charm. That started me thinking and I realized that almost all my children's mild allergic reactions occur during the winter when they are not already on medication for hay fever. It made me think that perhaps the antihistimine was suppressing some instances of mild allergic reactions. Obviously, I am not talking about allergic reactions that require an epi-pen as I wold simply use the epi-pen then. These are situations where my kid touched an allergen or perhaps ate something contaminated with trace amounts.

Anyhow, my oldest has been using Zyrtec year-round for many years by advice of one of his specialists to combat food sensitivities/vomiting due to other medical issues and I have been told that it is safe to use year-round. In connecting the dots, I realized that these two recommended uses are probably related, and that perhaps it may not be a bad idea to consider giving at least one of my two younger kids year-round antihistimine as well. Of course, I would discuss it with at least their pediatrician first.

Anyone else ever tried using Claritin or Zyrtec as a preventative or treatment for mild food allergic reactions?

No food allergies here, but my family has used Zyrtec or Allegra successfully for skin reactions (DD/DW for bug bites, me for poison ivy).

I get a severe sinus reaction 20mins after taking a Claritin.

Interesting; I guess it would make sense that Zyrtec would work for other skin reactions. We were told to switch my oldest DS specifically to Zyrtec for year-round use as he was using something else (Claritin or Allegra) for hay fever at the time.

However, unless I am remembering wrong, I believe that Claritin was on the list for treatment of mild allergic reactions that wouldn't respond to benadryl.

Our allergist has us use antihistamines during any type of environmental allergen season, but hasn't ever suggested it *directly* for food allergies. OTOH, our dd has both food and environmental allergies, and our allergy drs believe in the concept of an immune "bucket" - basically your body can handle dealing with allergens up to a certain point, but when the bucket is "full" it's going to overflow and you'll see heightened and increased numbers of reactions - hence it's important to keep the bucket at "low level" - i.e., deal with what you *can* deal with, such as taking a daily antihistamine to keep the environmental allergens down, and in turn, that helps keep allergic reactions down overall.

To be honest, this jmo, but if you're a parent who's feeling that they need to give your child an antihistamine daily for any type of allergic reaction / hives / etc / whatever the source - I'd think that's a sign that you'd benefit from taking your child in to see an allergist. Especially since you have the note about sensitivities etc. What you're seeing during the winter might be something as simple as dust mite reactions, or it might be food, or it could really be anything. My dd with multiple food and environmental allergies is also allergic to changes in temperature when she comes in from the cold - and I would have had absolutely no idea that this has the possibility of being an anaphylactic type of allergy if she hadn't been under the care of a dr experienced in dealing with allergies.

Quantum, I realize your ds is already under the care of medical specialists for other issues, but it sounds like a trip to an allergist might be enlightening.

And yes, we use oral antihistamines to treat mild allergic reactions such as hives - for reactions due to environmental allergens and due to food allergens.

I hope that made sense - it was written in a hurry!

Best wishes,

polarbear

Polarbear, your post makes sense. Mine might have been kind of confusing since I have three different kids. My older DS, whom I am least worried about in terms of traditional food allergies, has actually been under the care of an allergist but the vomiting & sensitivity to certain foods (for lack of a better phrase) that were being addressed had other medical causes and the prescribing specialist was higher up on the totem pole of his medical team, if that makes sense.

In our past experience, the allergist hasn't been much help except to determine a list of "likely" allergies. We get the epi-pen script from the pediatrician. It is my younger DS who seem to be having sporadic minor allergic reactions. You are correct that the allergy can be to other things even though each time we can point to a specific likely source with some level of confidence. The problem is that even when the allergist weighs in, he usually can't be sure of the allergy source either. Of course, it is always safest to confer with the allergist and we might do that as well. I am just really sick of doctors and there are so many that I can't avoid so I try to limit them when I can.

Anyone ever tried year-round Claritin or Zyrtec as a preventative to mild (level 1 or 2) food allergic reaction?

Our allergists (yes, multiple) have had DD taking a year-round antihistamine since she was quite small. We do this to damp down her sensitivity somewhat so that every trip outside the house isn't a 50-50 proposition for benadryl and watch-and-wait.

We also began treating aggressively with antihistamines to prevent/slow the progression of the allergic march with her. It seems to have been moderately successful, though we're still holding our breaths collectively to see what her asthma becomes as she goes through adolescence.

I'd ask next time you're in. Probably fine. DD has been on an adult dose (10mg Cetirizine) since she was about 8yo. No advice with that statement obviously.

BUT-- and here's where I don the scolding mom hat for a moment, okay, so bear with me-- if you're thinking of this as an add-on therapeutic agent for an acute allergic reaction in-progress-- DON'T.

If benadryl isn't enough, that's a sign that there's more going on than you CAN see. That's dangerous to try to treat with antihistamines alone. Take a look at this, if you've not seen it before:

http://www.the-clarkes.org/stuff/ana.html

It's a plain language description of a variety of presentations of allergic reactions-- just know that anything systemic is potentially dangerous, and a lot of stuff is pretty subtle/hidden until it is VERY severe. If you wait too long, epinephrine isn't very effective.

There.

I'm sure that you know that. But I have to say it anyway because it's who I am. Mom worries.

My son who is anaphylactic to peanuts and tree nuts also has seasonal/year round allergies to pollen and mold. As a result, he takes an antihistamine year round. Until the middle of first grade he was taking Claritin. After I told our allergist that he was getting random hives on his face (usually only one or two) EVERY DAY that he was at school, even while taking Claritin, she suggested changing to Zyrtec or Allegra. We changed to Allegra, as my other son was already taking it, and the hives went away. One time we ran out, and by the end of the day he had another solitary hive on his face. I don't know for sure that the hives were related to his food allergy, but they were because of something at school. They started after he started going to school and he didn't have them during the summer or during school breaks - his school wasn't peanut or nut free, so it seemed very possible that he was having some sort of contact reaction.


He did have an anaphylactic reaction earlier this year, and hives/swelling were not one of his first symptoms, as with his previous reaction. He did get hives, but not until AFTER he was experiencing other more serious symptoms. So I don't know if being on a daily antihistamine affected the anaphylactic reaction in any way - they say all reactions are different.

I will say that when he started complaining of itchy eyes at the beginning of the reaction, I DID NOT give him benadryl, as I was concerned that he was starting to have a reaction and didn't want to mask any symptoms. He wasn't given Benadryl until AFTER he had the epi.

I don't recall now since it's been more than 7 years and it was one of his more minor issues, but the specialist had explained that there is something in the way Zyrtec (Cetirizine) works, which makes it the best choice for my oldest DS for his combined issues.

Fortunately, at least asthma isn't an issue for any of my kids. Their cousins aren't as fortunate in that regard and it can be pretty scary to witness.

We normally don't stop the antihistamine for hay fever until November so that should give me a chance to talk to their pediatrician at least.

I know what you mean. I wish I remember the medical source without looking it up, but the Zyrtec was recommended as an add-on therapeutic agent for an allergic reaction that wasn't responding properly to benadryl. It was either that or go to the emergency room on a week-end evening (which can also be traumatic if not dangerous!).

Actually, I am most leery of neurological and respiratory symptoms but there were none. There also weren't the projectile vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, and body temperature changes that sometimes accompanied his more severe allergic reactions. Of course, I could have been completely wrong but it didn't feel life-threatening that time. The problem with hives is also that it isn't uncommon for recurrence from the same exposure over a period of days and sometimes even weeks later.

I understand where you are coming from and mostly it is better to be safe than sorry. There are certainly enough tragic incidences. Heck, sometimes the chilling stories are enough to make a parent consider injecting with epinephrine as a preventative! I also don't want to over-react and freak out the kids as they are learning how to monitor their own allergic reactions. I struggle from time to time with balancing how much bubble-wrap to use. I tend to overuse with my oldest and under-use with the other two.