Prevacid and Mylanta not working

[Anonymous]

My 5 week old was diagnosed just about 2 weeks ago with reflux. The pediatrician put him on Prevacid, 7.5 mg twice a day (it says to give on an empty stomach, but there is no way I will let him holler for 30 minutes after waking up when he’s starving). No improvement 4 days ago, and on the phone, the pedi told me to increase his dose to 15 mg twice a day, and if that wasn’t working by our appointment this Thursday, she would add Mylanta. I asked if we could start him on Zantac instead, and she said that would just be a step backwards.

Well, 2 nights ago, my son started choking in his sleep (scared the crap out of me), and now he’s coughing a ton and keeps clearing his throat, as well as spitting up a ton. We have already added Mylanta, and last night was just as horrible as the past ones…

How long before this stupid Prevacid kicks in? Should I ask/demand again that he be switched to another medicine? Anyone have some success stories out there? I’m already doing all the non-pharmacological interventions (elevating bed, in the baby bjorn all day).

[hellbennt]

yes! I have a success story!

welcome!

please read my welcome/intro and book mark it!! https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&am p;am p;PN=1&TPN=1

from the link above please read ‘prevacid 101’ and from there you can learn about CARACREAM and see if that’s a possibility for your baby & then you truly don’t have to worry about 30 minutes or not…

also, maybe it’s his formula? are you breastfeeding? again, from the link above you can read all about GERD and the causes, also check on the link about MSPI!

Ok, I’ve given you enough to do!

glad you found us!

~laura

[Anonymous]

Hi and Welcome.

It does normally take two weeks for the prevacid to kick in. It really is worth the wait. My son has been doing so well on it. For him I noticed big changes in about 10 days.

Your ped is right about Zantac. Most babies don’t do that well on it. My daughter was on it and she never improved. I didn’t even bother trying it with my son because I knew how useless it was.

The 30 minute wait is very difficult for small babies. If you want to try something different you might ask for Zegerid. It’s a PPI like Prevacid but can be given with or without food. I don’t have any experience with Zegerid but I’ve read here that many babies have done very well on it.

Here’s a link where you can read more about PPI medications for reflux.

http://www.marci-kids.com/

Your ped seems to be well informed. Many doctors don’t prescribe high enough doses of these meds for our babies, but your’s is right on! I’d stick with the prevacid for two weeks and keep trying the Mylanta, and/or ask about Zegerid so you can avoid the empty stomach rule. Also, you might try splitting his dose into three (10 mg / 3 times daily). That is what my son gets. The researchers at marci-kids believe dosing three times daily works best for infants.

What I used to do with Myles when he was tiny was to try giving him his prevacid 30 minutes before I thought he’d be waking up to eat. He used to eat every 3 hrs at that age, so 1/2 hr before he was likely to get hungry I’d sneak into his room and give him his prevacid before he was awake. I’d squirt it in very slowly so he wouldn’t choke and then give him a nuk to suck on. Most of the time he’d go back to sleep and then he’d wake to eat or I’d wake him 30 minutes later and feed him.

It is really hard timing the prevacid around meals with a newborn, so I understand your frustration. I thought about switching to Zegerid many times, but once Myles got older and was on a more predictable feeding schedule and not eating so often, it became much more manageable.

Well, good luck. I hope your little guy is feeling better soon.

[Anonymous]

We use Zegerid which is a form of prilosec but it comes in packets and you mix it into a liquid. Our lives changed when we started it. Colt was tiny and couldn’t wait to eat so this was our only hope. We can give him his zegerid and feed him whenever we want. Colt is almost 16months old now and he has been able to drop his dosage to just 16 mgs. I couldn’t get thru this without it. Check out http://www.marci-kids.com and read up on the different meds that are out there.

[Anonymous]

Just so you know the Mylanta won’t do anything for the symptoms like coughing or spitting up. It just soothes the throat. I’m not saying you shouldn’t give it – just understand what it does. It also causes loose stools so be prepared for that.

Karen

[Author]

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