Home › Forums › Infant Reflux Support › HELP!!! › Reflux issues/meds
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March 7, 2007 at 12:51 pm #26799
Anonymous
InactiveMy son (3 weeks old) is really having some discomfort after feedings. I can ear the spit-up come up to the top of his throat (it makes a gargling sound) but he never actually spits it up. He shows signs (cries) before and after this occurs. He also grunts and arches his back quite a bit.
He needs a lot of comforting and isn’t sleeping well. I believe the discomfort is causing him to squirm and grunt instead of resting/sleeping peacefully.
I discussed this issue with my ped and he prescribed Tagamet. I’ve read that the H-2 blockers only provide relief for a few days and then mysteriously quit working.
Have you guys found this to be true. I’m hoping that if he is indeed having reflux issues, while the Tagamet might not be a long-term solution…if it appears to work for a few days and his discomfort seems to disappear….at least I can accurately diagnose his reflux as the cause of his “issues” and start seeking a longer term solution. If the Tagamet doesn’t seem to improve his discomfort, it would seem likely I have a baby with colic issues and the spit up I hear isn’t really the culprit.
Does this make sense? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
March 7, 2007 at 1:28 pm #26802InactiveThere are some babies that do find relief from an H2 blocker, but you are right, for many that isn’t enough. I agree that the Tagament should provide some relief (even if it is short term), but if your son doesn’t do a 180 on Tagament, I wouldn’t rule out reflux. The signs you talk about sound exactly like reflux, and it may take a stronger medication, ie a PPI to find relief. Good luck.
March 7, 2007 at 1:35 pm #26803InactiveHi, welcome to the site.
What you describe sounds a lot like silent reflux to me. My daughter used to arch and grunt and refuse feedings, you could hear her reflux come up into her throat, and then hear her swallow it back down. This usually went along with hysterical screaming and fussy behaviour in general.
Some babies do get relief from H2 blockers, and do not need any additional medications until they outgrow their reflux. But those people typically aren’t the ones you see on these kinds of message boards b/c the problem has been controlled. So the sampling is a bit biased…
Most people on these boards have needed a stronger medication like a PPI to stop the acid production.
I would definitely give the Tagamet a try, but I don’t think your logic necessarily will lead you to the right answers. If the Tagamet works, likely it will work within a few days to a week, and the effect should last longer than a few days. The thing is that babies always have ups and downs, and those with reflux are no exception, so there may be days that things don’t go as well reflux-wise, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the Tagamet isn’t working. On the same note, if the Tagamet doesn’t relieve the discomfort, then you may also be dealing with colic issues on top of the reflux, or the reflux may warrant a stronger med, like a Proton Pump Inhibitor.
My daughter was on a decent dose of zantac and it did nothing for her because she likely already had damage to her esophagus at the same time, which the zantac won’t heal.
Another possibility is MSPI (milk/soy protein intolerance). It can cause reflux symptoms. Are you breast feeding or formula feeding, and if it’s formula what kind is it?
Here’s what I would do:
1. Try the acid blocker for a week and see if it makes a difference. If not, then I’d ask your ped to try a PPI.
2. In the meantime, check out Laura’s intro (the forum moderator) stickied under the introduce yourself forum. It’s full of tons of great info about everything you ever wanted to know about reflux.
3. I would also check out http://www.marci-kids.com. It’s full of all kinds of great information about reflux and medications. If you do need to go for a PPI, you might want to read this site before hand and go in prepared to your doctor.
Good luck. I hope that the tagamet does the trick. It can be hard trying to sort things out in the beginning trying to figure out what’s going on, but the back arching is a pretty typical sign of reflux. Most babies don’t do this otherwise.
March 7, 2007 at 2:12 pm #26812InactiveHello and welcome,
I agree with what Emily and Lori have said.
I’m glad you have found us and I hope your little guy is feeling better soon.
March 7, 2007 at 2:31 pm #26819InactiveThanks for the information and suggestions. I am breast feeding and it’s going very well from the standpoint of milk production, weight gain, etc…
quite the opposite from my first child…..so I am very pleased/relieved.He was 6lbs 15oz at birth, 6lbs 6oz at discharge, 7lbs 13oz @ two weeks, and 8lbs 11oz at 3 weeks….so he’s doing well. It’s frustrating b/c the ped looks at the weight gain and concludes that all is well. While I feel very blessed, I still want to provide my child some relief if possible.
I’m hoping the H-2 blocker gives us some feedback.
How expensive are the PPI meds? I’m guessing they are quite expensive.
March 7, 2007 at 2:39 pm #26823InactiveZegerid is the most expensive I think. I don’t about the others though. We used Zegerid. I hope things get better soon.
March 7, 2007 at 2:40 pm #26824Inactivemalonja wrote: Thanks for the information and suggestions. I am breast feeding and it’s going very well from the standpoint of milk production, weight gain, etc…
quite the opposite from my first child…..so I am very pleased/relieved.He was 6lbs 15oz at birth, 6lbs 6oz at discharge, 7lbs 13oz @ two weeks, and 8lbs 11oz at 3 weeks….so he’s doing well. It’s frustrating b/c the ped looks at the weight gain and concludes that all is well. While I feel very blessed, I still want to provide my child some relief if possible.
I’m hoping the H-2 blocker gives us some feedback.
How expensive are the PPI meds? I’m guessing they are quite expensive.
we get prevacid free bc our insurance has a contract with them…zegerid was costing us $400 a month at one point…
March 7, 2007 at 4:15 pm #26844InactiveI hated it when the doc used to look at the weight and conclude that everything is fine. Glad to hear that BF is going well.
March 7, 2007 at 6:50 pm #26863InactiveThat’s great that he’s gaining well and breast feeding is going well.
Sometimes doctors don’t take our complaints and concerns very seriously though when our babies are growing and gaining, so be persistent if you think he’s in pain and the Tagament doesn’t seem to help him.March 7, 2007 at 8:35 pm #26885InactiveI hope you get your little guy some relief. I watched a home video of Adriana sleeping at 2 weeks old and all the grunting and tossing made me want to cry now that I know that she was suffering the whole time.
The PPI worked best for us.
March 7, 2007 at 8:38 pm #26888hellbennt
KeymasterMarch 8, 2007 at 4:19 am #26921InactiveAlana also gained well…but definately had silent reflux. She did a little better on the Zantac when she was under 10lb, but after that things went downhill. Once on a PPI she became a happier, different baby. I agree with everyone else…if the Tagamet doesn’t work I would still do a trial with a PPI. I would do it now (even if it does not help and it isn’t reflux)…at least then you will know…it could save you and your little one some heartache.
March 8, 2007 at 1:25 pm #26954InactiveFor those who had success, even if only temporary, with the Tagamet….how long did it take to start working? If only temporary relief, how long was it successful? thanks
March 11, 2007 at 11:22 pm #27231InactiveI didn’t use Tagamet myself, but we used Ranitidine (Zantac is the other name for it) and it is the same type of drug (an H2 blocker). We found improvement for the first week, then Paige went right back to the same old symptoms. I got so discouraged! We have now switched to a PPI (Prevacid). Today is day 7 on that, and we’re maybe starting to notice a bit of improvement, nothing drastic yet though. I found most everyone here told me that they noticed improvement with the PPI by about 10-14 days.
With both of my kids the pediatrician wasn’t very concerned because they were gaining well too. With my son, he kept saying that things must be fine because he was growing so fast (he was nearly 20 lbs at 4 months). I thought, well why don’t you take him home for the night, and then tell me things are OK!! It wasn’t until I broke down and cried in his office at the 6 month checkup that he seemed to take me seriously.
Hang in there, and good luck. I’m pretty new to this forum too, but I’ve found it to be so helpful! Everyone here is great, and we’ve all gone through the same thing.
March 12, 2007 at 1:40 pm #27260InactiveAddy gained weight well too but still struggled with reflux until we finally got a pedi to prescribe us a ppi at 6 months. (She was on Zantac at 4 months and it did not work for her). Some babies do fine with the H-2 blockers but others need something else like a PPI. It is so wonderful you noticed the signs of reflux right away so hopefully the tagament will work, but if not, I wouldn’t rule out reflux yet. Ask your doc to prescribe a PPI that will hopefully help. As others have said, check out marci-kids.com for the proper dose for your little one’s age/weight. I hope this helps! Good luck!
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