my daughter is 4 y/o and she receives one inhaled dose of steroid daily. We give this to her because right before bed she coughs profusely - methodically almost, around the same time every single night. What we are trying to understand is why? She has not been diagnosed with Asthma, however when she gets a cold she coughs so severely that the doctor prescribes QVAR - steroid and albuterol to control the spasm of her cough. She started taking the medications in April and we have not been able to stop the meds.. Although my ultimate goal is for her not to need these medications. Therefore, I am curiously interested in knowing if it is the steroid causing a residual cough.....leading to further use of the inhaler. I also notice that my daughter asks for the inhaler....could she become addicted to it? I know that the med should ultimately be tapered off. Any information you provide will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Q: what are the common side effects of inhaled steroid use for asthma?
Hi Connie,
You have either been misinformed or have misconceptions. Doctors do not always give a definite diagnosis of asthma to infants, because it is hard to definitely know at such a young age what is really going on. However, if your doctor has prescribed an inhaled steroid, then asthma is definitely suspected.
There is no such thing as an addiction to an inhaler for asthma. And, if a person truly has asthma, then asthma medication will be needed on an ongoing basis to control the symptoms. Tapering the child off of the medicine is not realistic unless the asthma actually goes away, which is extremely rare. The dry cough at bedtime or during the night is one of the hallmark symptoms of asthma. It is not likely to be a side effect of the medicine.
For now, I recommend that you stop worrying about the medication for your daughter. Keep giving it to her. If the cough doesn't resolve, though, talk to your daughter's doctor about your concerns. It could be that the treatment plan needs to be tweaked slightly.
You should also evaluate your child's bedroom for asthma triggers. Does the family pet sleep in there? Is the room dusty or damp? These could all be triggers for the coughing symptom.
Let us know if you have any other questions, won't you? We're here for you. 
Best,
Kathi
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