Prednisone?

Okay clearly I have a lot of questions because I have been posting a ton...sorry!

My son's doc prescribed prednisone for him to take once his cough and runny nose clear up. I have heard of the bad side effects associated with these meds and wonder if I should give it to him or not. My son is 23 months old.

Can anybody let me know how their experience went with a two year old and steroids? Once we are done with the medication are the side effects going to hang around? He has severe bruising and his platelets are at 13 so I know that when they are low it is easy to tell by the easy bruising. The doc said that if it looks like the bruising starts easing up that it probably means his platelets are coming up on their own and I don't have to give him the steroids. The only problem is my husband seemed to have tuned this out when the doctor was talking and we are going against each other about whether or not to give him the meds. He wants him to take the steroids, but i am worried about them.

A lot depends on the dose and how long your son is on it. A high dose for a few months would be much worse than a lower dose for a few weeks. The side effects he gets will also depend on the dose and length of time. A shot stint may only cause a few minor side effects.

Sandi,

Thanks for your reply. I am so torn what to do here. I really really do not want to give him the steroids. I do not like this type of medication at all. We are not scheduled for another visit to the hematologist for another 10 days, but I am afraid he is not getting any better. The cruising is still really bad and the petechiae looks to be worse and on top of it all both a spot in the top and bottom of his gums are starting to bleed a little bit.

My husband and father-in-law are giving me a hard time about the steroids, but I want his body to heal itself. He was diagnosed about a week and a half ago and I feel we need to give it time. What do you think. The prescription is for 4ml twice a day for two weeks. There are just so many stories about the steroids not helping and I am concerned for the side effects.

Well, I'm not familiar with liquid doses, but if the conversion chart I looked at is right, 4 ml would be equal to 4 mg's. That is a very low dose, even for a little guy. Side effects should be minimal. If he has severe bruising, it might be worth it to try and get his counts up a bit. Steroids work well a good bit of the time and worrying about it not working would be the least of it right now. Looking at symptoms is more important than the actual count.

Do you trust his doctor? That is what you have to decide.

Anyone - please correct me if I got the dose wrong.