something to stop the itching

[shala]

Hi,
I have a 9 month old with quite bad eczema. I have been trying to cure it myself since he was 3 months old by seeing a naturopath & fix it from the inside as well as moisturising the skin etc etc. I am taking him to a dermatologist in October as I feel I need some answers, perhaps get patch tests done etc. Anyway, now that he is getting older & able to scratch himself he has been waking in the night screaming as its obviously irritating him like crazy & I am wondering if anyone knows of a safe anti-hystamine that might help the itch so we can get some sleep.
Thanks v much ;)

[jennababe]

i cant remember the name of the one my son had. just go into the chemist and they will be able to help.

have you tried aloe vera gel?? that used to help with my son as it has a cooling effect. he used to scratch himself until his skin bled.

[c38]

Phenergan or Valergan can be used but you need a script for either for that aged baby.

Have you tried using wet wraps of a night as well?
http://www.rch.org.au/emplibrary/clinicalguide/Eczema_Wet_dressings.pdf

Poor little man, hope he feels better soon :hugs:

http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/factsheets.cfm?doc_id=3721

[shala]

thanks heaps! my bubs worse areas are behind his knees & he scratches it with his toe nails & makes it bleed also. you've obviously experienced with eczema? what did you do in summer with the scratching etc etc, its just that its been winter since he has had his eczema so i have been able to minimise the scratching by covering the areas with clothes but when summer comes & i dress him in less he is just going to scratch himself to pieces.......so not looking forward to it.
will definately ask the chemist about an anti-hystamine. thanks :)

[shala]

thanks c38, those sites are great. i have been told that the wet wrapping can really help i just thought being winter its probably not a good idea. but it is getting to the stage now where every night i can almost guarantee my son will wake up & not get back to sleep for 2 hours not matter how much dermeze i put on his skin. i think i will try the wet wrapping tomorrow night. thats a great help :)

[jennababe]

thanks heaps! my bubs worse areas are behind his knees & he scratches it with his toe nails & makes it bleed also. you've obviously experienced with eczema? what did you do in summer with the scratching etc etc, its just that its been winter since he has had his eczema so i have been able to minimise the scratching by covering the areas with clothes but when summer comes & i dress him in less he is just going to scratch himself to pieces.......so not looking forward to it.
will definately ask the chemist about an anti-hystamine. thanks :)

summer 2006 was the worst for me, when my son was also 9 months old. hes nearlly 2 and a half now. and has grown out of it a little, but still has very very
sensitive skin. i look back on photos and its so sad, he was red raw all over..:( he used to get very yucky under the neck to. he still gets it a little behind the knees or under the arms but nothing really bad like he used to. so hopefully your little boy grows out of it to.

in summer lots of cool baths help (not to cold)

have a look at whats being used on his skin.

bath stuff. i use Alpha kerri wash and bath oil (from the chemist) the change in even a week was amazing, it helps there skin so much.

washing powders/fabric softners can irritate there skin, i use liquid washing power Purity its in a light blue bottle with a baby on the front and its plant derived. it smells lovely even though its very gentle and for sensitive skin.

Sudocrem- i used to put it all over his body where it was needed, helped alot!!!

i didnt find any creams that were prescribed from the doctor to help at all.

trial and error really... its such a hard stressful time i know. but it will get better!! poor little man.

[another1]

we use dermveen oatmeal in DS bath....it stops the itching. then QV repair to soften. When its really bad we have Elocon and Elidel creams. All my kids have had it but the oatmeal is wonderful on the itching.....hope this helps.

[2boysmama]

Try "Invisible Glove" by Naturalene. It's really, really good.http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/2985008/health/invisible-glove

[shala]

thanks so much everyone, i have been using hamiltons cream for a week now & it has really helped with the flare ups & he doesnt seem to be itching as much.
thanks ;)

[youngones]

DD has been on Zyrtec since 4mths of age. She now takes between 6 and 10ml a day, which is about 4 or so times the recommended dose.

For sedating antihistamines like Phenergen you need a script and it really isn't advisable in babies younger than 2 anyway because it can depress their respiration.

Zyrtec is very safe to use in high doses and for prolonged time periods. Only use the recommended dose, unless you are under direction from a specialist like an allergist, but we find it helps DD's itching an enormous amount. It is such a relief for her. That and keeping her skin greased up with QV and very infrequent bathing are the best we can offer.

I would suggest seeing an allergist, as a dermatologist is not really equipped to get to the root of the cause, just treat the symptoms.

[Funkychicken]

We have also had to resort to wrapping at night. Our DS only gets it on his feet which is fortunate but it means when it itches, he rubs his feet together and they end up raw and bleeding. The sores end up looking like popped blisters.:(

One thing though-when it gets really severe I use a cortisone cream but it says on the tube not to wrap or cover the skin if the cream is applied.
Is this warranted or just the company covering themselves. The problem is I only need to use the derm-aid when it is bad but that is also when he rubs so it needs wrapping. :detective:

[shala]

DD has been on Zyrtec since 4mths of age. She now takes between 6 and 10ml a day, which is about 4 or so times the recommended dose.

For sedating antihistamines like Phenergen you need a script and it really isn't advisable in babies younger than 2 anyway because it can depress their respiration.

Zyrtec is very safe to use in high doses and for prolonged time periods. Only use the recommended dose, unless you are under direction from a specialist like an allergist, but we find it helps DD's itching an enormous amount. It is such a relief for her. That and keeping her skin greased up with QV and very infrequent bathing are the best we can offer.

I would suggest seeing an allergist, as a dermatologist is not really equipped to get to the root of the cause, just treat the symptoms.

Have you seen an allergist, what did they say? would i need a referal from my GP? I am seeing a dermatologist for the 1st time tomorrow but that may not be much help.

[mummapossum]

We also use Zyrtec when the itching gets really bad for my lil men. You can get it over the counter at the chemist. Also found giving them a bath in QV bath oil also helps to give them some relief.