Will shift this topic over to Asthma forum in a hour or so ... just trying to catch the attention of an EBBer who has their child on this medication ... I breifly recall speaking with some one quite some time ago - and cant remember who it was ???

Bascially - we have been told to trial this medication for our 5 yr old, to help try and control his Chronic Asthma .. Currently its not funded in NZ - so we are looking at about $100 a month to fund ourselves ... and looking to see if its the *magic* answer and if anyone has had any side effects from it ??

Currently we are on Seretide, Ventolin, and on dose 4 of redipred this year already We just spent the weekend in Starship ... and his stats are still pretty crap - with yet another day off school today

Would love to have a chat with anyone who has some knowledge of this drug ... and your thoughts ... Wendy I promise Ill move it by the end of the day ... cause I know it belongs more in the Asthma forum then OT

Hi Kamox,
My DD was on it for a little while last year. It was not for asthma though (allergy probs), so not sure how much help I will be. She was on it for 3 months and definitely had no side effects. Not sure how much it helped her allergy probs but it certainly seemed to improve her immunity. She was quite sickly at the time (alot of bronchiolitis as well) and it seemed to help this.

I just found an earlier topic on Singulair which might help.

http://www2.everybody.co.nz/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1741738/Re_Singulair#Post1741738

As you can see on this topic, we got a free 3 month trial of it - maybe worth investigating?
Best of luck.

Thanks kyla - Its shipmate I was thinking of ... Iwill have a look at the older topic - I didnt think to look at the allergy page - Kals also suffers from environmental allergies - so we are hoping for a double bonus from the medication !!

Yes - We have applied for the 3 month trial ... if it works, despite the price, Im quite happy to keep paying !!

Boosted imunity would be a bonus - Poor Kals appears at an all time low ...

Yes we've had Liam on it for 3 years now, and we think (please don't let me jinx myself) he's grown out of it. The last 6 months we haven't had to use it or the ventolin.

Kamox it was the best most amazing thing. I can't remember what I said in that old thread, but because its quick acting ie within 12hours it can be used as part of a prevention plan rather than all the time. So over summer he never used it unless he was unwell or we were going to put him under stress which was a trigger for him, like a big trip away. And we just used it for that time. Over winter we had him on it pretty much during the cold/flu season. But I understand that with a steroid preventer inhaler they have to use it for a week or longer for it to build up enough to be effective.

He overdosed on them (yummy chewy strawberry tablets) and the chemist/Drs in NZ had to ring around to find out what was going to be the side effects, nothing really just a really good immune boost.

They are great, and I have zero evidence on this but I believe that because we had his asthma so well controlled his lungs have had very little damage and hes been able to grow out of it. I know every time they have an attack their lungs are scared and become a little brittle from it, so it has to be good having fantastic control.

We are about to leave Aus but Im going to stock up on a few months supply which would last a few years if we have to use them because here in Aus he has them highly subsidised by the Childrens. The protocol being that he was never put on a steroidal preventer. Thank goodness One of the A & E drs gave us a script and I didn't fill it out until i had more information.

I hope that more children have access to this medication, it has been brilliant for us, he was having in hosptial at the drs attacks (nebulisers) 2-3 times a month for the first 3 months until we had everything sorted and in place and then maybe 1 or 2 after that ever. He had to use his ventolin a couple of times when he got a bad cold but never another full blown attack.

It also helped with his eczema

Phew just read my reply and at least im consistent

Can't rave about it highly enough, Im sure that the Royal Childrens have more information on it, but can't swear on that.... go for it, you will know quickly if its going to work.

AWESOME !!!! Thanks Shipmate !!!Im sold - and I dont even have any yet Im hoping to get Our supply within 10 days

I just hate how NZ is so SLOW on the uptake with new meds ... drives me insane I remember reading about you being able to 'pop a tablet' when he started getting bad - as opposed to waiting 2 weeks for the preventer kicking in, and thinking how perfect it sounded ... but the Resp SPECIALIST didnt know what I was talking about when I asked for it That was about 15 months ago now ... It was only through sheer desperation Ive gone back to our allergy spec - to ask him - despite Asthma not being his *thing* (hes very good, but allergies are his thing).

Im all excitd now ... Im not looking for a replacent to his preventor - if he needs it, he needs it ... I just want more control over his asthma - so am hoping it leads to no more steriods, and if it eventually leads to not even a preventer - well Id pay the cost twice over if I had too !!!

kamox DH and I are the same, we said after he was on it a few months if we had to pay $100 a week for it we would, no steroids, quick working, super effective and a tiny little tablet that they love to chew instead of trying to manage inhalers, spacers and hoping that they are getting it down OK, plus the after taste that is horrid.

Yeah it is super sad that the NZ children are missing out on this great Asthma/immunity booster for our kids. And to have Liam "growing out of it" OMG who'd have wished that.

Hi Kamox just wondering how you got on?

Hey Shipmate

We are on week 1 ... he has been pretty good since a hospital admission 3 weeks ago ... so Im just waiting to reserve judgement at this point We have decided to pay for the medication tho ... at this point I dont really care about cost - if it means we can a/reduce the preventer to a dose normal for his age (we are on an adult dose currently) and b/ reduce our use of oral steriods

Thanks for asking ... if we can make the next month without a hospital admission (or even course of steriods) I will consider it a success

I got a couple of scripts filled here in Melbourne so we have a few months if we need to start using it again with the change of climate, as that will challenge Liam.

the pharmacist asked me how I found it with Liam, I said it was great. He said its one of the few drugs that he really likes as it has zero side effects and works so quickly. Fingers crossed you get great results too.

Ohhh good point - stock up on LOTS cause its $$ here ... about $100 a month it works out if using every day

Sudden change in Temps is a big trigger for Kals so I hope you guys have no issues on the big move

Hi Kamox, was just thinking about how your going?

Liam has had a little bit of asthma, but nothing too serious, Ive had to use ventolin x2 on him and hes had a bit of an asthma cough for the last few days so have put him on singlair for a couple of weeks. Glad I stocked up

Ohhh Spooky - I was just talking to someone about this yesterday - and thought I should update

We LOVE singulair After several hospital admissions - we've had none since we started this drug. AMAZING !!! Infact we've hardly had any symptoms at all ... which leads me to believe that salicylates are a VERY big problem for Kals ... cause thats was Singulair is ... a Salicylate blocker.

We've begun treating Sayla with it too (ouch to the cost with 2 kids on it) - but more of a trial to see if if helps with her salicylate intolerance - then the true way it should be used ... Unfortunately - not so successful there.

So ... if anyone is struggling to control - I would totally 100% reccomend this to anyone - infact I have already - but Im not sure it would be obtainable to most due to the cost - roll on pharmac approving it

Im so thrilled its working for you as well, I just think its such a rocking drug, no side effects and it bloody works FANTASTICALLY.

Not sure if I said before we had a friend in Aus whose little girl was so effected by Asthma and all the medications she was taking her 4 years younger sister was bigger and stronger looking than her. We said for a year give it a go (especially considering the cost in Australia is affordable) and finally just before we left they did and now shes had no hospital admission for 3 months (from 3 times a week during a normal winter for her) Im just so thrilled for them.

Liam has come right again, I must remember though to give it to him for at least another week so he gets a bit of an immune boost from it too.

Kmox Im really thrilled its working well for you, its life changing isn't it seeing our kids get well

Hi, my DS1 (almost 5 years) is having a terrible time with his asthma these last few months with this cold weather. He got really sick and was on redipred for a whole week. Still on the Ventolin at least a few times a day now with loads of night coughing.

He is currently on a high dose of steroid preventors. Do you think he would qualify for Singulair? I am so stressed about him starting school. He doesnt think to ask for his Ventolin when he is coughing/wheezing and I worry that no one will notice him in the playground.

Birdie_nz - there is no funding in NZ at all for Singulair at the moment But if your willing to pay for it, then Id say def worth a go. Its been AMAZING for us. I LOVE it ... My son sounds very similar to yours ... he could be really bad, and still not realise to ask for his inhaler ... but he is getting better - and often goes to get it from the office himself now. I think they suddenly realise how good it makes them feel.

Got the script for it today. Going to start it tmmow - it works

I really hope it helps you guys too xx Its been a life save for us ... after a terrible start to the year with many hosp admissions and LOTS of steriods !!

This sounds too good to be true, but yesterday after 2 days of redipred he was still coughing. I was giving ventolin every hour. Took him to the GP at 12pm and she sent us to A&E for observation.

A&E sent us home at 5.30pm, still coughing, but no wheeze and breathing all ok. Told to give ventolin every 2.5-3.0 hours.

Gave Singulair with dinner at 7pm. Bed at 8pm - bit of coughing until 8.30pm. Then slept soundly until 12am. 2 or 3 puffs of ventolin - but he was so sleepy I couldn't get it in properly.

Today hardly any coughing and no ventolin required! Fingers crossed something good is happening. If so it is worth every $$!!

The thing with singulair is its quick acting, its working full within 12 hours so you don't have to do this whole wait for 3 months for it to start to work, but I have found that it might be working but it takes the bodies a good week on it to really recover and be "back to normal" so to speak.

with all this stuff happening down here liam has had not a single breathing problem.

Im trying to convince my MIL to take it but she reckons she can't afford it, this is a women that has 4 freehold properties, a freehold batch, and her free hold home, she works her DH works, I said your easily spending that on the dcotors a month, wouldn't it be better not to go to the drs and use the money for the medication instead, she doesn't get it or believe me I think. Hopefully the government works it out soon that the cost of the medication would be a lot less than the cost of hospital admissions etc etc and subsidized it ASAP.