my son 17 month old has astma we have known about this since he was 5 months old. Last year doing the winter we had a really hard time stayed in the doctors office. This summer has been great we have on had to use the neb. maybe twice this summer. Well last week we have started up again having to give treatments about 2 or 3 times daily not sleeping well at night again. Went to the doctor today was put on zyrtec my question is does this work good. I don't think we can go through another winter like last please give me some advice thanks.

Zyrtec is a simple, safe, fairly effective antihistamine. Depending on where you live, your son's recent recurring symptoms may parallel ragweed season, which starts in most states in August. Ragweed is a very common allergen.

If you do not notice improvement from the zyrtec, I would ask for a referral to a pediatric allergist or pediatric pulmonologist who also does allergy testing. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology has a good website that has a lot of info for parents. Studies show that children and adults with asthma have better outcomes when treated by specialists than when treated by pediatricians or general practioners.

Poor baby. I hope you find a solution soon.