Prevacid

[Anonymous]

Ok, I FINALLY got our Dr. to give Hunter Prevacid and get rid of the Zantac. Hunter is now 2 mos old and at 10lbs. He is on 2.5 ML once a day. I am so sad because I have not noticed a difference at all, if anything, he is doing worse! Has anyone noticed that Prevacid takes a while to kick in? Do other reflux babies eat around the clock? He is up eating more than sleeping!

Still on Dr. Browns bottles stage one nipple. Using Mylicon when uncomfortable with gas, not as much anymore. Still on Nutramigen, it almost seems like he is not getting enough to satisfy on current formula. Don’t dare to switch him as there are no other symptoms to support that. ???????? I just feel like i could be doing a little bit more for him but don’t know what that is.

MaineMom2006-11-12 14:38:55

[Anonymous]

I’ve heard PPIs can take up to 2 weeks to kick in. I noticed a difference within a week though, but kids can differ.

It also seems like a very low dose. If it’s 2 mg/ml, he’s only getting 5 mg a day. Gabby has been on 15 mg and it’s been approved for her to get 22.5 per day. (Although she had a huge bout of diarrhea with the increased dose) She has been on this dose since she was 10lbs 6 oz. I hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Hi Denise,
It took 2 weeks for it to really make a difference for us too. You might want to keep using the zantac until the prevacid kicks in. I agree that it does seem like a low dose. If it doesn’t help in a couple of weeks, you might want to ask for an increased dose. Bryce is taking 2ml 3 x day. Of course he’s probably a different weight.

Good luck. I hope it starts working for him soon.

[hellbennt]

in the meantime, use the zantac- just make sure you give it at least 2 hours seperate from the prevacid- or longer

[Anonymous]

That does seem like a very low dose, and only once per day? Most babies seem to need at least two doses and some need three because their metablolism is so fast that they metabolize and eliminate the drug 3-4 times faster than adults.

You can read more about this at http://www.marci-kids.com I had to print and fax this info to Myles’ doctor in order to convince her to put him on a high enough dose….and once he was on a good dose things really turned around for him.

Good luck. I know how hard it is to see your baby in pain. Don’t give up…..find another doctor if you have to. PPI’s at the right dose really do work!

[Anonymous]

Seems like we have similar situations… though my son has BEEN on a PPI and it has been upped to a higher dose and now seems worse… I am beginning to wonder that he just isn’t responding to this med., and I’m thinking about trying something else.

[Anonymous]

We were first prescribed 15mg of Prevacid and that kicked in in about 10 days….but Jacob was still having trouble. Then I used the marci-kids info and got his meds doubled to 30mg….again, took about a week or more to kick in….but he is STILL having trouble. We are now trying other formulas…on our 4th one….and no luck yet! It’s all trial and error. If I have learned anything, it is that it takes time to figure out your perfect combination, but it IS out there (that’s what I am told at least ). I think it makes it a lot easier if you can just accept that (not-so-easy-to-swallow) fact! Good luck!

Johanna

[Anonymous]

Not sure about the mg but the 2.5 ml of Prevacid is less than his dosage of Mylicon. I think he did better on the Zantac actually.

I wonder about the formula too. We are on Nutramigen but he doesn’t seem to be getting enough. He is only 2 mos old and we are going through 12 cans a month!

He seems to be getting fussier on the Prevacid too. We will tough it out for another week and then will talk to Dr. again.

I could not find the dosage amount for Hunter on Marci-kids maybe I am not looking in the right place but i went to dosage and it just showed <3mos

[Anonymous]

I have also noticed his bowel movements slowing down since Prevacid. Not constipated yet but getting there.

[Anonymous]

PPI’s are actually much more effective than h2 blcokers for treating reflux. they stop acid production all together where as h2 blockers only partially suppress acid.
there could be a few reasons for the prevacid not working:
the major one could be it is not being made correctly. it has to be made a specific way, and this is how:
https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4505&a mp;a mp;a mp;KW=ppi

also, doctors are known for underdosing PPI’s. many dont realize that babies metabolize these meds much faster than adults.
my son requires 42 mg of zegerid to get relief., that is much more than a standard adult dose.
you can go to marci-kids.com where they talk about PPI’s and how to do dosing in infants.
you can even show the info to your doc like many of us have.
good luck.

nataliachick72006-11-13 23:9:0

[Anonymous]

ppi’s don’t stop the acid production altogether in their tummies, if they did, these kids wouldn’t be able to digest anything. Just read all about it on the prevacid website, they decrease it and are much much more effective than h2’s but they don’t turn off all the pumps just a lot of them.

[Anonymous]

you actually dont need acid to digest anything, Joel from marci-kids.com explained all of this,
he talked about a disorder where some people dont produce any acid at all, and they digest food just fine. its a big myth that you need acid to digest your food.
our GI also told us that PPI’s shut off all acid pumps, thus stopping all acid production.

[Anonymous]

this is from the prevacid website:

Keep in mind the term OTC (over the counter) means products you can buy without a prescription. Rx refers to products prescribed by a doctor. As your results may vary, please discuss treatment options with your doctor.

Antacids	OTC	Neutralize acid in the stomach	Provide acute relief of symptoms although limited for some people.
H2 Blockers	Both OTC and Rx	Reduce the amount of acid produced in the stomach	For erosive esophagitis, prescription H2 Blockers reduce symptoms and promote esophageal healing. Do not limit acid production as much as PPIs.
PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors)	Both OTC and Rx	Turn off acid-producing pumps in the stomach	For erosive esophagitis, prescription PPIs provide symptom relief and promote esophageal healing.

that table states that h2 blockers reduce acid, and PPI,s completely shut off acid pumps.

[Anonymous]

shut off almost all pumps not all, sorry, my mom has been on ppi’s for 10 years and I trust her knowledge as well as the knowledge of the dr’s in the hospital she was in when she had her hiatal hernia repaired.-the table doesn’t say they turn off all the pumps, it just says turn off acid pruducing pumps in the stomach, which they do, just not all of them. Guess we just have a difference in opinion, and that’s cool just wanted to pass along the information I knew! There’s conflicting info on almost every topic in the medical world, it’s not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Jill, you’re probably right that the drugs do not turn off all of the pumps….but thankfully they do turn off enough to give our babies relief.

As for digestion, it is actually enzymes that digest food in our stomachs, however acid does play a role. From my limited memory of college A&P the acid works by denaturing the proteins for digestion, a sort of first step, so acid is part of the digestive process. The other main purpose of acid in the stomach is to prevent bacterial growth.

[Author]

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