Tuesday, July 29, 2008

my kind of toys

Note: the small child on my right has his mouth on a whoopee cushion. (Yes, this is my child.) Ren asked me to play LEGOS and I somehow ended up dueling with a lightsaber and defending myself against a rapid assault of Nerf darts.

NOT my kind of toys. (I prefer a quick but intense round of Gobblet or a rousing game of Bed.)

Speaking of fun, football allergy season is upon us. After our harrowing experience with Singulair last year, I set out to find an effective yet not-so-scary replacement. We've already tried three different kinds to no avail. If you've had a positive experience with over-the-counter allergy medication, please let me know!

Too, I forgot to share some scrapbooking resources with you after the last crop. Mary introduced me to a couple of new books:
The second is written around digital cropping and has some great ideas for creating hybrid pages. I can't wait to order them for myself!

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6 comments:

Striving Green said...

Zyrtec allergy medicine has worked for me. It's over the counter. You may have already tried it. They make a Children's Zyrtec too.

I think you have to take it for several days before you see the results. It doesn't work immediately like Benedryl does.

Mellissa said...

I was on Claritin and Flonase for YEARS at the same time. Finally found this product OPC Extra and it worked better for me than the others! It took about a week to get into my system but it is still the best. Bonus: it's not a drug and is a natural supplement! You can buy it at GNC or online here: http://www.opcxtra.com/?gclid=CKixkvPo55QCFQZlswodKjcHSw

Tina Vega said...

I noticed on a medication website I frequent that it carried many of the same depression-like side effects in children that Singulair did so I'm steering clear of it (for now at least). We might be having some success with Sudafed PE (which contains a non-pseudophedrine decongestant and an antihistamine; he woke this morning with noticeable improvement in his breathing!

Tina Vega said...

By "it" I meant Zyrtec...

Anonymous said...

We had major issues with spring allergies with the 10 year old this year. The allergies showed themselves for the first time LAST year and Dimetapp Cold and Allergy for Kids worked fine. This year not so, the allergies were much worse. Tried Claritin, Zyrtec, and Sudafed PE and got no results. Finally went to get a prescription. Doctor gave us some samples of XYZAL and some eye drops.... worked like a charm, and he gave us enough samples for a month to get us through the spring season. We have never tried Singulair. Why are you specifically asking for OTC meds?

Tina Vega said...

We've had multiple side-effect issues with prescription drugs in the last year. With so much available over-the-counter, I thought it easier to begin there.

Too, after Meeley's Singulair-related depression symptoms and then the subsequent FDA investigation regarding Singulair use and suicide risk, I'm feeling a bit more cautious. Apparently, adverse side-effects are not as uncommon as one might think:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/health-fitness/drugs-supplements/common-drugs-hidden-dangers-106/overview/index.htm

If you're interested in checking further into a particular medication, you might find these sites to be helpful:

http://www.medications.com/

http://www.askapatient.com/