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Has anyone ever been prescribed Singulair for pneumonia the first time they were diagnosed?
I am really concerned because my five year old daughter was diagnosed with bronchitus about a month ago, perhaps a little more. She took all of her medicine and it did not go away. Took her back in and she was diagnosed with pneumonia via a chest x-ray. Well the doctor prescribed her 5 months worth of Singulair. I noticed the four refills and did a bit of research. It says that it is primarily an allergy and asthma medication. I can see the link between asthma and pneumonia, but I am a more than a little troubled that he did not give her anything else to treat her pneumonia. Five months on any medication seems too long to me unless you can show a chronic condition. My daughter rarely has a cold and certainly has never exhibited breathing difficulties or allergies before. Am I worrying too much? I am going to get a second opinion anyways, but I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.
I read through the pamphlet for Singulair from the website. She was prescribed the proper dosage for her age. I also realize that if it is viral pneumonia, they can't do anything else but wait... and if it is bacterial they can. Does anybody know how doctors can distinguish between the two? For example, with strep throat (and this did start with strep throat btw) they do a throat culture and can tell if it is bacterial or viral.
Thanks in advance.
2 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavourite answer
Ok--I'm a pharmacy student and in no way a substitute for a doctor. The following is my opinion and should not be taken as anything more than just some person's opinion since I'm not a doctor!
Since they treated her bronchitis with antibiotics, they are probably going to go ahead and assume its viral. If it were bacterial, the pneumonia would have been gone by now. Testing the fluid in her lung to see if it has bacteria is very dangerous-- they literally put a needle in her lung and draw out the fluid. It could puncture her lung--so your child is better off to not have to go through this procedure at this point. I don't think the doctors are being negligant. If her situation got more severe, they might do this, but right now to test it, would be putting her at risk of a punctured lung. So basically they know its viral because the antibiotics didn't work, and the x-ray shows that she sill has pneumonia. Sounds reasonable to me.
Yes, singulair is primarily for asthma and allergies. The doctor probably chose singulair because it is very safe for children, its a pill instead of an inhaler, and he/she was probably hoping it could help her breathe better... however, I think that is faulty logic. Singulair is good for the anti-inflammatory components of asthma--which doesn't really come into play for pneumonia.
I gotta say I don't think singulair would be my first, second, or even 3rd choice for viral pneumonia in a child. It doesn't even have an FDA indication for pneumonia, and I can't find anywhere that says its an off-label use either. I'd ask the doctor if there is a reason he/she put her on that instead of something like a short acting bronchodilator.
It's not harmful... but I don't think its helpful. I would definitely have some questions for the doctor if it were my child... If she is old enough to use an inhaler, I'd try to get my child on a short acting bronchodilator. That will relax the pipes in her lungs as she needs it when she has episodes of difficulty breathing. I would also make sure to get her a spacer for her inhaler. I would be much more comfortable with something like that because it will actually help her breathe if she is having a hard time.
Really inhalers are all they give though for viral pneumonia... still don't understand why your daughter didn't get an inhaler and instead got singulair....
Hope she feels better, I had viral pneumonia when I was young!