Allergic Cough / Bronchitis Allergy

Vincent, my 3.5 years son, has been frequently getting cough twice a month since he's 1 year old and until now.

He could not stand for air conditioner, cold & dust (majorly from his toys) and has been observed by our pediatric doctor that they confirmed Allergic Cough because Vincent frequently gets cough only while sleeping with Air Conditioner on.

He has consumed too many Expectorant Medicines such as Actifed, Ventolin, Sudafed, Bissolvon, Phenergan, Codein/Codipront, etc.

The Questions we wish to raise for your valued evaluation are :

* Any Precautions & Vitamins for him to increase his stamina
  against Allergic Cough caused by the above subjects.

* Would too much expectorants / medicines consumed affect his
  stamina.  Sometimes, the cough medicine he frequently consumed
  did not recover his cough anymore.  Would that mean his cough
  was resistant to the former / frequent medicine ?  Thank you.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Andy,

My area of specialty is pediatric and adolescent mental health and behavioral health, so I am not qualified to address the matters you raised in your question. But the variables associated with repeated use of both prescription and over the counter medications are important to consider. I hope you address these with your son's health care providers, and it would be useful to consult with a pediatric allergist if you have access to one.

[Kyle's Mom]

My 6 yr old had some of these same problems so I have BTDT.

Try 50 mcg selenium and 15 mg zinc daily to build up his immune system. Also give 250 mg Vitamin C daily and give him a good mulitvitamin with no artificial ingredients or dairy products.  My son takes these and has almost no colds, ear infections, etc. now.

Also consider limiting dairy products as these can cause congestion, etc. too.

Get an air cleaner with a HEPA filter for his room.  If you have a basement use a dehumidifier constantly.  Run the sweeper often and keep pets outdoors.

If he also has allergy "shiners" (pink/purple under his eyes), red ears and cheeks and a runny nose he may need allergy tests - get the blood test not the skin ***** test.

[Julie]

My son has been diagnosed with a "reactive airway disorder".  He is being treated in the same manner as Asthma but he has not been diagnosed with it. Asthma is usually not diagnosed until age 5 or 6.  The inhaler (FLovent) has really helped him. I would go see a pediatric allergist. We did and it was very helpful.  GOod Luck!