Q: My 2.4 years old son is having recurrent allergic cough, high temperature and finds hard to breathe through the nose. He is taking treatment for the same. However, I found that the medicines prescribed by the doctor have made his condition even worse. So, I consulted another doctor who identified his condition as allergic bronchitis and prescribed Acmox AG 7.5 ml for 7 days, Calpol 250 mg at every 4-6 hours for 2 days, Ventorlin 2.5 ml for 5 days, Duolin 1 vial + 2.0 ml N. Saline at every 4-6 hours for 5 days and Budecort 0.5 mg twice a day for 5 days for nebulisation. I came to know that Duolin is not recommended for children. Also, Calpol 250 mg is recommended for children above 6 years of age. I went back to the first doctor fearing that second doctor has given a very high dose of medicine for my child. So, he gave me a new set of medicines - Mox Redimix 250 mg twice a day, Calpol 250 mg four times a day and Polybion L daily. I started giving medicines prescribed by the first doctor but my son has no relief and his temperature touched 105 degrees. Please advise.

A:Both the doctors are thinking on the same lines. A child who is prone to recurrent coughs and colds is most often suffering from what is commonly referred to as respiratory allergy. This is also given different names like allergic cough, allergic bronchitis, hyper reactive airway disease or wheezy bronchitis. This condition is most often aggravated by changing weather when viral infections are more common, exposure to dust or smoke. Most of these episodes don't need antibiotics and respond well to inhaled bronchodilators and/or steroids. However, if the child has evidence of bacterial infection, antibiotics may be required. You may go to any of the two doctors where you feel comfortable. Nebulized or inhaled medicines are give to children, however they need to be supervised for possible side effects and should not cause long term problems.