Any Asthma Sufferers ? My Poor Kid...

[handy]

My son has been having severe asthma issues pretty much since Christmas. We've tried a variety of therapies for it to no avail. The doctor recently put him on Singular, and that seems to have worked. Slowly but surely, the asthma episodes have gotten fewer and less severe. We actually were able to go to the Idaho Aquarium on Tuesday (Spring Break) and he was fine the whole day.

Then he tells us that he has been having nightmares that are so bad and so severe, that when he wakes up, he's often thought of going into the kitchen, taking a knife and killing himself!!!!

Sheesh, of everything I've faced as a parent so far, this has been the worst. He told us this in front of Viola, who lost a friend to suicide just a few months ago, and it was her friend's sister who found his body...she totally fell apart.

Steve and I did some research on Singular and abnormal dreams and thoughts of suicide are listed as side effects. We had him stop taking the Singular and he didn't have any bad dreams last night. He's really relieved to think that it's just the medication. He's been really suffering with these thoughts, voices and bad dreams. He thought he was either going crazy or was demon possessed. I'm so glad he finally said something about it.

But, now we have to go back to the doctor's tomorrow and see what else can be done for his asthma.

The asthma has been so severe, I've had to take him to the emergency room or hustle him over to his doctor's immediately several times now.

It has truly been life-threatening. But, being terrorized at night, afraid to fall asleep, having terrible dreams when sleep comes and thoughts of suicide afterwards... yeah, that's a little too much for a 12 year old as well.

If anyone has asthma and has it successfully treated without medications or at least have some meds that are effective but don't cause severe side effects, I'd like to hear about them.

 

[Danus]

Yes. I have asthma. It's gotten better since I was a kid.

Back then, 60's-70's, asthma did not have much of a treatment available, but today they have come a long way with drug therapy.

Allergens seem to be a trigger for asthma. There are more cases every year, but they still don't know what causes it directly.

I can't suggest what to take. Everyone is different.

 

[jasoncran]

i use the inhaler and have used advair.

last month i had several attacks, most of the time its moderate cough but one time it laid me out. i had a fever.my asthma didnt come until i went afghanistan. it seems to be common amongst us vets of iraq and afghanistan.

 

[Danus]

I've used advair also. I don't care for it. Makes my voice raspy. I think that's more of a preventive medication. I just treat the attacks but I rarely get them anymore. Albuterol works just fine for me. We have an atomizer device for my youngest, and I just use that.

 

[jasoncran]

advair for me didnt do anything. i just used it as ordered.i didnt see the difference as well my attacks are mostly mild in nature.