4 Month Old on Prevacid

We have 8 mon old twins, one of which still has some reflux. I think your earlier post said he cried during and after a bottle, and Nathan did the same. Zantac didn't do it for him but Prevacid did. He takes it once a day in the afternoon since his troubles are now at night. We found he had relief pretty quickly, after about a week on the medication.

Good luck!

-K.

Hi K.,

I had my 9 year old daughter on prevacid, and the doctor had her take it for 3 months straight. He said that was how long it took to heal the inflammation that it causes. I believe it took about 3 weeks to start working. She also had to modify her diet, and stay away from certain foods. Have you tried changing his formula? We also raised the head of her bed, so perhaps you can do the same with his crib. You can either use a wedge under the mattress, or blocks of wood under the feet of the crib. I hope this helps!

Hi K.,

When my son was 4 weeks old, they stated that he had acid reflux. They prescribed him Axcid...which I heard works better than the prevacid. I decided not to give him the medication after a week, for I did not believe he had reflux, that we learned he was a very hungry baby. Maybe you can discuss with your doctor the other choice of perscription. We were advised to give him the medicine before eating. Good luck

Hi again! I always gave her prevacid about 15 min before feeding, if i am not mistaken that is what the doctor said (maybe i am wrong) As far as i understand the medication helps to balance the acid in the stomach. Also try feeding her sitting. (Hold her so she is sitting when you feed her)
Sorry for my speeling mistakes

You might not see any REAL improvement for at least 2 weeks because of the nature of the PPI. It needs to build up in the system and you also need to give the esophogus time to heal from the previous acid damage

Hello K.,

Fortunately we didn't have to resort to a PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitor) like Prevacid for our children's mild reflux, but I do want to tell you a bit how they work and when you should administer them. I used to be a pharm rep selling Protonix (not indicated for children), similar to Prevacid. Basically, the PPI works by preventing the proton pump (in your stomach) from producing certain acids once you start eating or drinking. Therefore, you ALWAYS want to give a PPI BEFORE food or liquid because it will cut down significantly on that acid, thus preventing the burning. As adults, Protonix is to be taken as soon as you wake up, before you even think about that first cup of coffee or smell that bacon because the pumps will start doing their thing! I'm assuming it's the same concept for children!
Definitely elevate the head of the bed too. Watch what you eat if you're breast feeding, or stir (don't shake) the formula to prevent bubbles. Hope this helps. Good luck!!

My child was on zantac then prevacid 2 times a day after the bottle and I found that the prevacid worked better but I really dont believe that it was nessessary due to my child being premature,I think their systems arent fully developed yet and I quit using after about a month and it cleared up on its own. I am not saying you should make that same decision but really monitor your child and keep him elevated for awhile after feeding and prop his head up while sleeping or while laying down and getting them through a rough patch until they are able to hold their heads up on their own and then able to digest properly,I am just not a fan of constant medications for everything but I understand why its nessessary.