Why is dtap not for over 7 years old?

[girlsmamma2]

Hi everyone! I asked this in the selective and delayed vax forum but no one answered so I thought I'd try here. Does anyone know why the DTaP isn't licensed for over 7? I'm taking my oldest in for a well child appt, she is 6 years and 4 months old and I'm thinking of doing her 4th booster for this. No flames please, but does anyone know if it's dangerous her being so close to 7, the cut off for this shot? Will it be less effective or more reactive at her age? All I can find is the 4th dose can be given to 4-6 year olds. Does that mean over 6 too?

thanks!

[just_lily]

The P in DTaP is too reactive in people over age 7. There is TDap that has less P in it, but I believe it is only licensed for people over 10 (someone please correct me if I am wrong here).

Can I ask why you feel the need to do a fourth dose at this point?

[Electra375]

Over age 7 the old standard was TD or DT (depending on manufacture Tetanus and Diptheria or Diptheria and Tetanus).

P is now licensed for adults since it was not effective or long lasting in the DTaP for children. I'm sure you've seen the loving ads for mothers to get vaxed to protect their children.

aP is acellular Pertusis which replaced the P in DTP given to those of us as children in the 70s b/c the P was just plain over reactive.

Tetanus by itself is available for those over age 7 alone. Not sure if they lowered the age on this one or not. It's been 3 years since I looked.

This is one of those vaccines which creates more reactions the more the child gets. 2 mo might be fine, 4 mo might be fine and then the 2 yr might cause a reaction or the 5 yr booster. The reaction is from the Tetanus portion from what I recall more than the P portion, both together just create a higher risk in those children who are going to have a reaction.

[girlsmamma2]

thanks mammas. Now I'm kind of concerned. And yes, you certainly may ask why. My oldest has a large porportion of her vaxes, we started slowing down around 18 months and she only got one at that visit, her HIB. She had a bad reaction that lasted almost a week. Not super serious compared to what on here have gone through, but enough for us to stop. My other three dc aren't vaxed at all. I have a 4.5 yo, a 2.5 yo and a 5 mo. This decision not to vax anymore was a fine one for us, although a bit nerve wracking at times but ok. However that was when I had one or two children, all breasfed, not in school etc. Since then we've gone through some illnesses, although my dc are very healthy but it seems when they do get something, the get the biggies with high fevers, coughs that linger and scare me, and are out of school for more than a day or so, closer to a week. Granted none of these are vpd's but handling them has made me really realize what I can take, what I can watch them go through and what I can handle. Now literally, I end up in the bathroom feeling sick when anyone even thinks they are coming down with something. I just can't handle anymore and I'm very nervous with my 5mo. It also seems to be a common thread that wc, which scares me the most probably, and I could say the same for the shot, seems to be something fairly common in the unvaxed community. I don't want this disease at any age and I'm mostly afraid of dh coming home with it from work, more so than school and here I sit with 3 out of 4 totally vulnerable to it.

So, and I know you all will think I'm nuts, but I just can't handle any more worrying about this disease. On one hand I look at my robust kids and wonder if they are that way because they are unvaxed, then they get sick and they are down and out and each handles things differently. I have waivered on this shot for years, and was going to do it when my now 4.5 year old went to 3 year preschool but the doc actually talked me down from that and led me more to PC. But at the time I hadn't researched PC and didn't want to do it without knowing more. So I left with not shots, feeling a bit uneasy but I was ready to do the dtap. But also a bit Ok with it if even my doc talked me out of it and led me to something else.

I know all the scary parts of this vaccine, it scares me to death. I'm scared to get it and not to. I just know what I can handle to see my kids go through and what I can't. Sodium ascorbate...all that. If they coughed like the description of this is I would just not be ok with that. Not to mention missing tons of school because they'd be up at night etc. Just not ok with me.

So all that to say, I've actually jumped back on the selective and delayed wagon. And the last straw is actually Dr. Sears. I really really put a lot of faith in him, consult his books all the time. So I thought why wasn't I putting as much faith in his vaccine schedule as the rest of the things I turn to his writings for.

At this point I feel like I have a good doc who asks me if I want to continue not to immunize, and I have got to somewhat trust someone. I just don't feel qualified anymore to make some of these decisions. I guess I have lost trust in myself watching my kids go through things like strep when mommy says "let the fever burn", then after a week of a fever of 104 I go into the doc and my kids get antibiotics and it's all solved. I feel like I've put my kids through hell because of my beliefs and I would feel like such a failure if I put them through anymore. Does this make sense? I know you are all thinking...well what is the vax going to do? I'm just plain scared either way.

thanks for the info. So since it's more reactive later on, should I just leave her at 3 doses of dtap and consider it good?

[Electra375]

Wow, you sound over whelmed by fear. I'm sorry, I can't imagine that place.

I think it is perfectly fine to say I'm not making a decision until I can live with it either way. Meaning, until I can say yes to a vax without fear, I don't. And until I can say yes to not vaxing without fear, I don't. I'd rather see a mama make and informed decision than to jump the gun and regret it later.

Healthy individuals rarely die of any vax preventable disease (other than menningitis and only then certain strains). The diseases just are not that scary IMO. But I've read up on them and I've been a mom for a long time. Some mothers need time to come into their confidence level.

Have you read Wendy Lydall? Do, it's sage advice, take what you like, leave the rest.

Doctors are not inherently evil. When at home measures do not work, that is when we need them. You do have to have a little faith in yourself and your ability to know when you need western medicine.

My one story on this is when my ds was 4yr old. He had a fever and was lethargic on and off. He went to school b/c he didn't have a fever that morning. It was a Wed. I left him with his grandpa to take my other child to a Well Child appt. I asked the doctor if anything was going around b/c of the 4yr old not feeling well. With no other symptoms other than fever, I was told to just watch the fever and keep him comfortable. I was doing that.
Friday morning his fever spiked to 104.7. I was no longer comfortable with just watching his fever and watching him become more lethargic. I took him in for a sick appt that afternoon. He went into the stroller the baby went in the sling - he was too sick to walk.
Turns out he had pneumonia. I wasn't going to cure pneumonia at home and he was given injected antibiotics to avoid a hospital stay since I was alone with the 2 boys. He was better that evening.
This is what doctors are for, this is what medicine is for. Healthy kids rebound quickly. It's the unhealthy kids who have trouble even processing antibiotics to cure the bacteria that has over taken their body.
I certainly acted within a reasonable time frame as well. I asked his doctor if anything was going around to know if I should be watching for other symptoms. The answer was no. Then things didn't get better and motrin was not keeping the fever down, it was time to bring him in.

I hold by my rule, fever, no other symptoms watch. If a high fever (103 to 105) does not go down with motrin, it's more serious than I can handle with home treatment. This is my rule, others have their own "rules" based on their individual comfort levels.

You have to find your comfort level. Until you do, you will be over whelmed and unsure of everything.

Good luck Mama!

[girlsmamma2]

well, I will say the as always, as the appts near, I am getting huge second thoughts. Especially since there are tons of bugs going around school right now and I'm nervous that even if all my kids remain healthy now, they'll be on the verge of something that could hit after the appt and I will compound it by getting a vaccine. I'm really scared of that. So, right at this moment I am thinking of postponing until next month.

I am however probably the most "comfortable" if you can say that, with getting this done then I ever have been. Before when I had my second thoughts, they weighed in enough to cancel an appt or delay but now I think of my worse case scenario if they got wc, the first shot I'm going after, and I push past the nervousness about that shot. I think that after having 4 kids, you realize these diseases entail so much more than just dealing with a single disease itself. Like the complications that can arise given even the healthiest kids, the best breasfeeding etc, the after effects of an illness (like years of breathing difficulties when kids grow up to play sports or something after having wc), the effects that maybe months off of school could have on a confidence level maybe leading to being held back, the effect of having 4 kids and how illnesses get spread to everyone. These little life details are things I never realized before with only one child, stay at home mom and breastfeeding. Now it seems like there is so much more on the line than just battling an illness. Does that make sense?

[aniT]

You know, I have four kids as well. The oldest two are fully vaxed according to the 2004 California schedule. The youngest two are not vaxed at all.

The one thing I have learned is.. just because one has something doens't mean the other will get it. For instance, DH has been sick with a fever, nasty cough, sore throat for two weeks. I had a sore throat and a headache for one day, was horse for a week. The youngest kids each had a fever and runny nose for one day and were fine on the 2nd day. My 10 year old is fine and my 15 year old got strep that no one else got.

At some point you just have to realize there is only so much you can control.

You said your daughter has already had three of these shots right? Why does she need the fourth? She "should" be immune from the first three if she was gong to be. Most of the things our kids come home from school with aren't even VPD. Trust your gut. If you are wavering don't get it. It can never be undone once it is done. Good luck mama.

[gardenmom]

Look into effectiveness, too. From all I have read, it sounds as though the DTaP vax may be the least effective of all of them (I've heard stats as low as 40% effective, but you should search for data on that). If there's a pertussis outbreak, usually a good percentage of the kids who have been vaxed also get it anyhow.

Do some more research.

Originally Posted by aniT

It can never be undone once it is done. Good luck mama.

[girlsmamma2]

Yeah, I know it's not the most effective, hence all the booster shots obviously. But if I can diminish it's hit if it ever hit then I'd want to do that, wc that is.

So I"m still unclear on if it would be more dangerous to give her the 4th dose closer to her 7th birthday, would it be more reactive even then they say it already is?

[aniT]

Originally Posted by girlsmamma2

Yeah, I know it's not the most effective, hence all the booster shots obviously. But if I can diminish it's hit if it ever hit then I'd want to do that, wc that is.

So I"m still unclear on if it would be more dangerous to give her the 4th dose closer to her 7th birthday, would it be more reactive even then they say it already is?

Honestly, I don't think her birthday makes that much of a difference. In my opinion it is dangerous to give it to her period. But you have to do what you have to do.

[ZoeyZoo]

I've been vaxed and still got pertussis. I didn't get a bad case though... just lots of coughing. I was worried bcause I have an unvaxed baby who was about 7 months when I got it. She was fine and never deveoped it. This was one vax where the vax scared me more than the disease. As pps mentioned it does not have a high efficiancy rate and is very reactive. You also cannot get the P portion by itself.

At that age your dd would be past the danger period with pertussis (which is under 6 months). It does not protect against transmission so it will not help anyone else in the household if they get it.

[ericswifey27]

I'd be very, very careful of the P in DTaP as it is highly reactive. (see my siggy)
Have you thought about drawing titers-that would make your decision really easy if the titers show immunity!

I definitely agree there's no going back and that it is so important to wait until you are 100% sure about how to proceed.