To medicate or not to medicate?

My 7-month old son has bronchitis. It started out as a cold about two weeks ago. He started to improve and then got suddenly worse, which is a sign of a sinus infection.

I took him to the doctor last Friday and he offered the diagnosis of bronchitis but only since the flu season is going on so long. He said it sounded more like asthma which we have no family history of with the exception of my sister's exercise-induced asthma. The doctor said three things tend to go hand-in-hand: eczema, allergies and asthma. Myself, my husband, my daughter and son all have eczema. My husband suffers from seasonal allergies. There's a slightly increased chance that my son could have asthma for these reasons and combined with the sinus issues he had at birth.

Anyway, the doc prescribed Albuterol which I understand is used to treat asthma by opening up the bronchial passages. He has been taking it every six hours for almost 7 days now and his cough sounds just as deep and he's still wheezing. The only improvement has been his mood (a side-effect of albuterol is hyperactivity) and the length of each coughing fit. The doc also wrote us a 'script for an antibiotic and told us to fill it if he's not getting better or if he gets worse. He didn't think the antibiotic would work because he's guessing the bronchitis is viral, not bacterial.

So, I haven't filled the antibiotic prescription yet. I hesitate to because it will be his third course of antibiotics in his short 7 months. My daughter has been on that many antibiotics in her 4 YEARS. If it's viral and the antibiotic has no effect, we'll be wasting money and medicating unnecessarily which are both things I don't like to do. The doctor has basically left the decision up to us after providing us with all the information. I just don't know what to do.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

get a second opinion!

From my understanding (I am not a doctor), most viruses run their course in 7-10 days.  If he has been sick for that long and the symptoms aren't improving, then I would do fill the antibiotic prescription and give it to him.  

As for the asthma, I'm not sure how they diagnose that.  My grandson had a lot of bronchial problems, and has since he was an infant.  My daughter had many doctors tell her he had asthma, and a lot of others said they didn't think he had it. 

He is the only one in the family who seems to have it, and he has an inhaler and takes allergy meds every day.  He also has eczema.  The funny thing is that the albuterol (when has taken it) usually has the opposite effect on him.  He usually sleeps for 4-6 hours after a dose. 

karozel, the Albuterol my son is taking is a liquid form; is he using Albuterol through an inhaler? I wonder if there's a difference. Your grandson sounds a lot like my son health-wise.

I agree with you on the duration of a virus. 7-10 days is what we've always been told. I thought the sign of a sinus infection (or any bacterial infection) was improvement followed by a sudden relapse of symptoms. So...most bacterial infections start out as viral?

Susan: I've been going to this doctor since I was a kid. My parents, grandmother, sister, husband, my best friend and now my kids all visit this doctor. I have complete faith in him and he sounded hesitant to start the antibiotics which is a big reason why I am also hesitant. I don't think he's wrong on his diagnosis but I wish he would do more than provide me with the facts and leave the ultimate decision up to me. It's kind of a catch-22 because I like having all the info and the fact that he believes I do a good enough job as a parent to be capable of making these decisions but at the same time I like being told what to do, lol.

It sounds very familiar to the illness I had at the beginning of the year. Have you tried a method of decongestant? The asthma medication and the antibiotics might help, but the crap in the lungs needs to get out, too! You can try a cool mist humidifier and one of those vick vapor plugs, or  sudafed vapor plugs for babies while he sleeps. I haven't found an OTC decongestant for a child under 5 yet, so I just do the homeopathic remedies. Steamy showers work pretty good too.

It seems that you might have to do the antibotics. I don't like over medicating the kids either, but its been longer than a week, and poor little guy isn't getting better on his own, so its probably time to start the medication.

Its always been my experince that the sinus infections usually go from bad to worse. I rarely get a period of improvment with my infections if I'm not taking medication. I was sick for almost 2 months in highschool because I refused to take the antibiotics. Never again. That was agony!! I went through 2 boxes of tissues a week! and I had to get an inhaler for the bronchidal asthma! SUCK CITY!

i agree with shill...if you are not sure then get a second opinion.   there is nothing wrong with this and your doctor will not be upset. you are not going behind his back because you dont trust him, but want your child to better.  YOU are your childs advocate.  i would maybe see a pediatrician or a pulmonologist (if you can).  most pulmonologists will not diagnose an infant with asthma at such a young age-even though they medicate for it.  has anyone taken a chest xray to see what your son's lungs look like? 

Assuming your Doctor is correct I think a secind opinion under the circumstances is a waste of time. The Bornchitis in my opinion has to be brought under control asap.  To me it sounds like it is bacterial and not viral.  If so then anti-biotic is needed.

However: I have had children with this problem and I always wanted to use natural remedies before giving any of my children any drug.  To me the best way to stop the use of drugs is build the immune system naturally.  Work on the cure from the outside and in the inside.

see separate email

themassageguy: I responded to your e-mail but wanted to address the issue here. Unfortunately, your advice does not apply to my son. He's 7 months old and your recommendations for him to eat cut up fruits and veggies is impossible. He also can't have water flavored with honey because it can cause botulism, especially in someone with a compromised immune system. He has sensitive skin with eczema and cannot have mentholatum on his skin. Getting him to sit over a steaming bowl of water for 10 minutes is impossible but I can certainly keep him in the bathroom with the shower going. He can't swallow pills and it's not necessary for him to take extra vitamins because he is breastfed.

oreopuppies: No chest x-rays at this point. We go back for a recheck on the 20th.

m0m6: I had several sinus infections in high school as well and remember going through what you described. We have a humidifier but I think we'll try the Vick's plugs, too.

After talking to my mom last night, we've decided to go ahead with the antibiotics. It's gone on longer than a typical viral infection lasts and I'm pretty sure he DOES have a sinus infection as well (his snot is yellow...sorry for the bluntness!) so at least that will improve if nothing else. We will certainly seek a second opinion if he's not improving and the doctor is unwilling to try other things. We've postponed vaccines until he's over whatever this is.

Thanks for all the adivce. It's great to have differing opinions to help the thought process. :)

Bier: I didn't chime in with any advice because I didn't really have any! I just wanted to tell you that I hope your little man is feeling better soon!

My son had a horrible chest cold when he was six months old and we did the Alberturol, too. I don't believe that it does anything to remedy the cause of the cough, but it is supposed to make their breathing easier for a period of time. The antibiotics should have him on his way soon :)

Thanks, kelleigh :)

I don't really think the Albuterol is even making it easier for him to breath. He still wheezes and coughs when he's in the middle of a dose. I sure hope the antibiotics help because I miss my happy little man :(