My 2 year old was diagnosed with asthma after a visit to the ER in August for rapid breathing with pneumonia. It took three hour-long albuterol treatments and a dose of oral prednisone to return her breathing to normal. We took her to a specialist and found that she has no allergies and her asthma must be triggered by respiratory illnesses. (The only other significant illness was bronchitis with wheezing in January.) The specialist prescribed Pulmicort via nebulizer to be used at the onset of cold symptoms to help prevent the cold from becoming serious and triggering asthma symptoms. All of the info I have read on Pulmicort suggests that it is only effective when used twice daily as a controller medication for moderate to severe asthma. Has anyone else been prescribed Pulmicort to be used in this way? My husband and I still have to wrestle with my daughter to keep her still for nebulizer treatments and I would like to know that it is helping her! Thanks!

Hi VioletsMom13!

Yes, Pulmicort is used as a preventive measure against asthma. As for the moderate to severe, I'd say an episode leaving your daughter hospitalized and needing three hour long albuterol treatments certainly qualifies. (it doesn't have be persistent to be severe)

Pulmicort may take up to two weeks to reach it's full potential in some patients, however, benefits are often seen in as little as 24 hours. It isn't necessarily something that she would need to take regularly, though that is what it was designed for.

If your daughter only has symptoms when she has upper respiratory problems, and her asthma symptoms usually occur a couple of days after the start of the cold, it could very well be that beginning the Pulmicort immediately upon onset of the cold symptoms could greatly reduce her risk of having another severe attack.

As someone else stated, if you aren't using a mask with the nebulizer, get one right away. There are all kinds of cute children's masks available - from smoke breathing dragons to bright colorful fish designs. It is very important that you not struggle or wrestle with her during her treatments. Find something to occupy her and keep her mind off of the treatment, or as someone else suggested, use the treatment itself as an adventure of some sort. My daughter loves reading, so for us, treatment time became an extra story time.

My advice to anyone taking meds or giving them to loved ones - always know exactly what you are giving/taking and why. Ultimately, it rests in your hands, so if you're not sure about something, keep asking them questions until you are. You are a great Mom for looking to see if others have been prescribed this medication in this way.

Good luck to you and your daughter!

Shea