Seeking Advice on Baby Reflux and Prevacid

Peppermint aggravates reflux.

My daughter, 7.5 months, was just put on prevacid. It's my understanding that prevacid decreases the amount of stomach acid produced. My daughter is on NJ feeds. Her reflux got worse so her pediatrician upped her dose *before* seeing her (he's really familiar with her case) and asked me to come in for a visit in a few days.

Her doctor is really good - Dallen Ormond. ###-###-####. He has worked up at PCMC. He's experienced with preemies - that's why my daughters go to him. His office is on 106th South and 13th East.

We bought a swing from Target. http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Rainforest-Open-Top-Cr...

my daughter sleeps in it at night. It's just the right incline for her. It's the only swing I've seen that can use batteries OR plug into an outlet. (We never attached the tray to it.) best $100 we ever spent.

My son that is now 5 also had acid reflux. I agree whole heartedly with the chiropractor suggestions. It's amazing what it can do! Also we used digestive enzymes that you get at the health food store. They really helped!

I am a mother of two beautiful girls who both suffer from Acid Reflux. My oldest, 5, has had it all her life as well. We have been going to a specialist at Primary Childrens. They have put her on a 30mg dose once a day of the Prevacid. She does mostly ok, except every once in a while she is still puking up just a little bit into the toilet. It is like the skim off the top of the milk kind of thing. We have addressed this, and they put her on Erythamiacin (an antibiotic that clears out bacteria in the stomach)along with still taking the Prevacid, and that seemed to work great-of course, until the prescription for the Erythamiacin was all gone. And, there is the debate of keeping a child on an antibiotic for too long as well. So, we are still working through things with her. We have to re-schedule with Primary Childrens. My other daughter, 2, seems to do just fine with the 15mg solu-tab. I don't know if, like you said, you could mention that maybe uping the dose would be good, or else trying the Erythamiacin. I hope this helps.

I'm so sorry to hear your little one has reflux!! I have a 6-month old who also has reflux and I'm not going to lie, it can be tough! It's SO frustrating in the beginning trying and hoping for some relief through medication. All I can tell you from my experience is to try to be patient. We also did Zantac to no avail and moved on to Prevacid but our Dr had us keep him on Zantac for an additional two weeks until the Prevacid started kicking in. The Prevacid really does take time to work- I don't know why. I would say we still had ups and downs that entire first month on Prevacid until it really started making a difference. And even then, know there might be date here and there when she'll have a bad tummy day and you'll never figure out why! But Prevacid has helped us so much! I got my baby back!! I still have to be mindful of keeping him upright after eating and he still sleeps with his crib mattress at a 30 degree angle- but without Prevacid, I don't know what we'd do! Have you tried propping her bassinett mattress (or whatever she sleeps in)? Cutting dairy, eggs, and coffee out of my diet also helped. If she takes formula, you may consider trying a soy based one. Keep in mind too, that with each change I made, it could take up to two weeks before I knew if it was working- so don't rule it out immediately. But I know it's so hard to stand by while your little one is in pain!!
As far as dosesge- that's the ever evolving question. We also started on 7.5 and can't remember what we went up to but we found a pharmacy to compound the Prevacid and found it easier to fine tune his doseage that way- but it is expensive, even with insurance! Please feel free to ask more questions. I couldn't emoathise with you more!

My son also had silent reflex between about 2 weeks and 5 1/2 months. Due to changes in his cortisol level, it only occurred between @10 PM and @10 AM. So, he napped well during the day, but was a wreck at night.

He was put on various doses of Prevacid and Zantac, none of which made any difference. (A specialist put him on a MUCH higher dose of Prevacid than his ped. did....) Like with your daughter, it seemed to help (my imagination?) for a day or two, and then didn't make a difference.

And the meds actually made him more fussy during the day when he was usually fine -- I think perhaps because he didn't have enough stomach acid during the day. (My brother has chronic digestive problems and says when he uses too much antacid, it gives him a "sour" feeling).

The two things that helped were sleeping on his left side at night, so that his esophagus was above his stomach. (I slept holding him on a Boppy, but eventually found a sleep positioner sturdy enough to work for a 4-month-old.) And, in the mornings, I just kept him upright in his Baby Bjorn. I'm a single parent, so with no one trade off with -- it did a serious number on my back -- but his "pouch" did keep him content and breathing clearly.

I don't know if these hints will help with your daughter, but best of luck. My son outgrew his reflux at 5 1/2 months, and I hope it will not be much longer for your daughter.

My son improved greatly when I started giving him probiotics on the recommendation of our naturopath I finally got desperate enough to see (had never seen a naturopath before my son!). They are the healthy bacteria that live in the gut. You can get baby probiotics at whole foods or vitamin cottage.

We also had luck with the elevated sleeping positions: swing, car seat, or elevated bassinet on one end. About 30 degrees elevation is ideal, not directly upright.

If you are breastfeeding and start looking at some of the diet changes suggested below, make sure to go to a La Leche League meeting or call a leader (www.llli.org) to get some assistance with this, as it can be extremely overwhelming and you have to make sure you continue to get enough calories. It's also frequently recommended, but not always the answer, as documented both by research and anecdotal evidence.

Good luck!

My little girl (three weeks old) has acid reflux too. My husband has a narrowing of the esophagus due to acid reflux and genetics. He can't even swallow pills. He has to take prilosec everyday. Even then he still gets a food stick. His dad has the same problem and has to get surgery to stretch the esophagus. So we think there is a chance that our little girl might have that genetic disposition so we are watching her closely. and Luckily for us it isn't horrible, at least not yet, so I don't know if anything I say will help you, but we sleep her on her stomach on an incline. we have propped her playpen up with some very thick books. That seems to help her. I know everyone says not to sleep your baby on their tummy's but otherwise she gags and chokes so we do. I also am starting to watch my diet. No milk. that makes her acid reflux worse. I am working still on ruling out some other culprits, my doctor suggested that chocolate can make it worse, but you might try analyzing your diet if you are breastfedding, or try a different formula if you are bottle-feeding. Also try naps in a swing or a car-seat (watch her head) so that she can be upright. Sorry if that is not much help, I am stil new at this, and I wil be watching to see the other adice you get.

My baby has reflux too. She is on the same dose as your daughter. It helped her much more when we gave it to her in the evenings. Also giving her Isomil (soy formula, not Prosobee--that is constipating) helped a ton. We also gave her baby probiotics from the health food store. All this combined helped her a ton. For some reason giving her the Prevacid in the mornings made her spit up more, so the doctor recommended giving it to her in the evenings, and that has worked like a charm. Good luck!

Has your doctor done an ultra sound on your babies stomach? To rule out PYLORIC STENOSIS. There may be something more going on. Is your baby gaining weight? If not, have your doctor check for this. Good Luck!

Our son was on Prevacid Solutab 7.5 mg twice a day. It made things much better but it wasn't perfect and still isn't. He is now 6 months old and spits up alot - it's driving me nuts but the doctor says it's nothing to worry about. . . anyway, I would call your doctor and just ask to increase to twice per day. Can't see why they would say no.

My daughter at about this same age had the same issues and Zantac worked in liquid form for a while like yours did but like you only for a few weeks.
I can say the real miracle worker for us was Neutramigen predigested formula. That turned her around 100% and no more medication. It was already broken down so it was so much easier on her digestive system. I had breast fed but everything I ate upset her stomach and I was down to bread and water mainly! Seriously, so after the second or third month I put her on the special formula per my Peditricians recommendation. It isn't cheap but worth it to have a happy baby! I used the concentrate and made it up in the mornings, premade bottles up in the morning put them in the fridge and actually gave her cool bottles, she loved it, felt better and it was a miracle worker for us. I was happy to have her off meds too.
Good luck! If it isn't working talk to your Dr, he should be very open to any concerns you have.

Hi K.--
I'm one of those mother's that does everything naturally with no medication, and I think I may have an answer for you. My little guy also had problems. There are two routes you could try.
1. My son had what is referred to as a hiatal hernia. In essence, the muscles in the abdomen are not strong enough to keep the stomach in place and it pushes up into the esophagus and diaphragm. Periodically we simply put a finger just under the sternum, and when he exhales we literally pull his stomach down. Do this about three times. You'll have to do it often initially, but eventually the baby's muscles get stronger and the stomach will stay down.
In the meantime, y our daughter probably has some inflammation from the stomach acid. You can naturally treat this with a tummy comfort herbal liquid (wish garden makes a good one). This contains ginger, peppermint, catnip, and fennel. You can also give her a few drops of pure, organic aloe vera juice.
2. Take the baby to a chiropractor. I learned this technique from the chiropractor and it worked miracles. A simple adjustment could also solve the problem
3. If this doesn't work there is a very real possibility that your daughter has a food allergy. This was the case with my eldest son. Eliminating the allergenic foods would clear the problem.

The problem with antacids is you need acid to digest protein. If you give the baby antacid they don't properly digest protein and it isn't good for them in the long run.

If you have questions I'd be happy to answer. My pediatrician also suggested antacids and I chose not to go that route, so I did a lot of research into this. I also have a great natural doc who is wonderful with kids who I would recommend to anyone if you are interested.

Good luck!
J.

If your baby is bottle fed, you should try peppermint candy(the hard red and white ones). I used them with my two kids and sure I will here in a couple weeks with my third. But what you can do is take a full one to 8ozs, just fill the bottle full of HOT water. Of course let it set before making the bottle, and the candy will dissolve once the bottle is cool or the candy has dissolved which one you want to wait for, but then make your bottle. Just make sure to take out any remaining candy before making the bottle. I hope that works for you, I know how heart breaking it is to see your baby in pain.

I would see if your doctor would let you try 3 doses instead of 2. Both medicines have to be exactly the right dose per weight, so she should need an increase every few weeks at this age. Our son was on Zantac in the am and Prevacid in the pm for a while. They both work differently, so that worked well for him. I don't remember exactly what our daughter weighed at 8 weeks, but at the time she was doing 15mg/ml strength Zantac, taking .5 ml 3x a day. From there she went to 1ml 2x/day, to 1ml 3x/day. Starting at about 6 months we did 1.5 ml 2x/day. The 3x a day did wonders for her. At first our doctor made us give her less medicine for each dose, but it was soon apparent she just needed the additional medicine. Unless Prevacid is now available in syrup form, I find Zantac much easier to give. Our daughter likes it with the grape flavoring, but our son takes it without flavoring. I didn't look where you live, but if you can get in at National Jewish, they are great! It's our pulmonologist there that over sees both our kids. Our doctor has been very supportive of how they've treated our kids, even though it isn't necessarily always the norm. As an infant, the 3 doses a day did wonders for our baby girl. Our allergist's son does really well on Axid, so that's always another option. I guess it doesn't contain alcohol. (Does that mean the others do? I don't know.) GL! I know seeing your baby in pain is no fun. I totally disagree with the 2 weeks waiting period. None of the 3 doctors we have worked with on this have done that. It's either working or it's not. If it helps when talking to the doctor, Zantac was originally set up to be dosed 3x/day. They just found that parents usually forgot the middle of the day dose, so they changed it to be set up for 2x/day. Hope something here helps. We've been down this road 3x. Once untreated, once undiagnosed, and once with great success. I'm grateful we've had our specialists. GL!

My daughter had GERD and the doc wanted to do Prevacid. At the same time, we found out about a local pediatric chiropractor. We did the Prevacid at the same time as starting the chiropractor. She took medicine once a day. After 2 days of medicine, she was better - it happened to be the 2nd doctor treatment as well. I was breastfeeding, and I went completely off of dairy (I read labels from everything I ate). This seemed to help the colic.
I don't know what made her better, but we still see the chiropractor for everything from earaches and runny noses to something is just not right. Look one up in your area - it is well worth it!

?s to ask yourself:

Are you seeing a pediatric gastroenterologist?
HAs your daughter had a ph probe test (24 hour test, no anthesia, very minimally invasive)?

are you nursing? If so are you avoiding caffiene, chocolate, garlic, tomatoes, citrus, diary and high fat foods. it takes 2 weeks to get that stuff out of your system.

If formula fed, are you using nutramigen or alimentum?
Try different bottles.

Gas drops are your very good friend when your child has reflux. Use before and after feeding in the pm.

Have you tried lying you baby on her tummy during the day (scary I know but it will actually close esophagus flap and lesson the pain)?

Are you timing your nursing sessions or how much you feed her and how fast she drinks it? She should eat slowly.

By four to six months she should be on a military like schedule of feedings, medication and naps....that allows her tummy to be less full for naps and ready for meds etc.

Life gets much easier once they can sit up.

Are you using too tight of diapers, my kids always wore the next size up and Pampers to keep from pushing their tummies in.

No tight clothing what so ever.

Life with reflux is akin to colic that lasts up to 9 months plus. So plan accordingly. Leave the house in the afternoons, the distraction can soothe your daughter help her forget the pain. Teething and a cold can increase reflux due to mucus draining into the tummy.

Oh if you haven't already order a crib mattress sling so that she is strapped in so that you can tilt the mattress 45 degrees.

Oh and use a sound machine it is soothing to them during naps and at night.

Also try those tummy wrap things on Leaps and Bounds. Oh and a tummy water pad (warm water not too hot).

Hang in there feel free to email me or call me! It isn't easy! I understand, you and her will be just fine!
R.

My son was on 7.5 mg of Prevacid at 6 weeks, so I think it's probably the right dose. He went up to 15mg (7.5 twice/day) around 5 months. The only other thing I can think of to suggest is to make sure you are giving her the medicine at least an hour before she eats so that it can be most effective. We weren't told this initially and happened to read it on the pamphlet the pharmacy provided.

Hi K.,
My baby girls have reflux and they are both on Zantac and Reglan. This combination has really worked for them, occassionaly one of my girls still gets a lot of gas and will arch and cry and then we give her the mylicon drops also and she is fine. They started this medicine when they were in the hospital and the doctors said it would take about 5 days before they would be able to tell if it was working or not.

You know your child better than the docs, I would stand your ground against him if you really think it is not working.

Good luck!!!

Hi K.!
I'm sure my advice is going to freak you out, just as it did when I was given it, but... when my 15 month old daughter was 1 month old, she started getting reflux. The doctor put her on Zantac which absolutely did nothing. Her reflux was horrible. She'd scream for hours and throw up bigtime after every feeding. Finally when she was about 3 months I gave in to the advice my sister (a pediatric nurse)was giving me and I took her to a chiropractor. The doctor specialized in infants so I felt better about that. She was in major need of an adjustment and no joke-she never had an episode after that. She would spit up sometimes as is normal with babies, but no more pain, screaming, or full-on throwing up. Our chiropractor is our hero! I hope this helps and good luck!

K.,
I would second the suggestion to try a chiropractor first. My oldest son was a preemie and had very bad reflux but I was hesitant to put him on any more meds. A friedn had her son so prevacid and even though it's supposed to be a temporary fix until they grow out of it, her son is 5 and still requires the meds because he got to accusomed to them.
My pediatrician said it couldn't hurt to try chiropractic adjustments and if it worked for him, great, and if it didn't, she would still write the prescription for prevacid/zantac.

The adjustments helped tremendously, and we never did have to put him on meds. I take both of my kids with me once or twice a month and they have stayed relatively healthy.

Hi K.,
I feel your pain. My son was diagnosed with Acid Reflux at about the age of your daughter. At that point he was spitting up about 15-20 times a day, groaning when he slept, and at times screaming out in pain. The doc put him on Zantac once a day at .4... it didn't take long before we realized it wasn't working. He is now 8 months old and has been on Zantac 4 times a day at .5. I really think spreading it out through out the day helped. It is very similar to when you have heartburn. I know when I had horrible heartburn when I was pregnant, I counted down until I could take my next dose of Zantac. I would ask if maybe you could lower the dose and give it to her more times during the day.

Also, Someone else said this already but if you are nursing I would take all those acidic foods out of your diet. I know it stinks to have to do this but I know for me that my son was really affected by what I ate. I would stop having coffee, garlic, onions, anything with tomatoes, anything spicy, lessen the amount of dairy... anything that could make you gassy or have heartburn can make your baby have the same reaction.

Last thought, from about 8 weeks old we started having our son sleep in his car seat for all nap times and at night. We tried elevating his crib mattress but he just slid down. The car seat was a life saver... and he still sleeps in it. The doc recommended it because reflux is so much worse when you are lying flat on your back. Also, try to keep her upright for a good 30 minutes after you feed her. All of these things helped us.

Good luck!

All 3 of my kids had reflux, not as bad as yours and they were all on zatac and it only worked for a few weeks too. With my last one, I tried Grip water and it seemed to work best. I know its not especially for reflux but it helped him. Also, know that they outgrow it before you know it, so hang in there...

Hi K. my oldest son dealt with this when he was born until he was almost 1yr old none of the meds the doc tried worked now with your child only being 8 months you would want to consult a doc be fore you do what im about to suggest but first try getting her to sleep in her car seat this is how my son had to sleep for the first 6 months because he also would not lay flat also try making he bottles thick like a milkshake so it is less likely to come back up just add rice cereal to her bottles and get the heavy flow nipples you will see your child gain weight but after a while she wont be in as much pain let me know how this works for you

I hane an almost three year old dd who has been a diagnosed refluxer since two weeks. It is very hard to have a little one with it. we started on zantac as well but soon switched to prevacid. It takes time to really work. we also needed reglan for a while-but it made her a little extra crabby, but it did help. i cant remember her dose from wnen she was that little, but she is on 15mg twice a day. I know it is weight bases-Mallorie is 24lbs right now. we stll have times that are really bad. we stll contemplate surgery often. have her sleep with her head raised. eep her upright as much as you can. you may neec to give her half her dose of prevacid in am and half in pm. get into a pediatric gi as soon as you can. they will be a great help to you. feel free to ask me anything you want. we are no experts, but we do have almost three years of experience now. :)Good luck, and feel free to send a message for advice and support- reflux babies can be tough lil cookies.