My 6 week old baby has been very unhappy basically since birth, and has many of the reflux symptons. After discussing with my plunket nurse about it she suggested i go to the Dr and get Losec.
As we live in a small town the Dr didn't know much about reflux medications.
He looked on the net and said I needed to try Zantac first but couldn't find a dosage, so he rung the local pharmacy and they didn't know either, So they were going to look into the dosage amount and get back to him. He sent me home and called me later and said they had figured a dose amount out. It was to be 1mL once in the morning and there was a script at the pharmacy for me.
When I got home I noticed it was Omeprazole 1mg/1ml Suspension and she is only to have 1ml.
So is that just 1mg she would be having? If so it kind of seems pointless as she is nearly 5kg.
would that help any?
I have a pediatric app but not for another 3 weeks. Kind of need some insight into this thanks.
Hard going with a nearly 3yo and a baby you can't put down and just screams.

Hi

If you look on the cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz website it has everything you need to know about medication and dosage for reflux. You can print it out and show your dr or get him to look it up while your there seeing him. The omeprazole in the susension form doesnt work that well. Most paeds and dr presribe it as a capsule that you then open and put into babies mouth either in a small bit of apple puree or just on its own.

I hope that helps. Best of luck

Hi There,

There are several things here - zantac or ranitidine (same med) is a good first port of call but not everyone uses it first off and just goes straight to omeprazole.

The omeprazole solution really doesn't work as well as the granules. The granules can be given in a tiny amount of pureed pear or something - the amount is so tiny that it really really isn't counted as starting solids.

There's info about this and the dosage chart on the Crying Over Spilt Milk site.

http://www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz/MedicalTreatment/MedicationwithDosages.htm

Considering a low dose would be 0.7 - 1.5mg per kg I wouldn't be confident that your GP's dose will be effective for a 5kg baby!

On the web site there is a chart you can print with dosages so you might want to do that and go back to the doctor with it.

Best of luck!

Hey Melissa - I'd have thought that since it can be a pretty gritty feel - and the granules need something acidic as a carrier - that pouring it into a baby's mouth would be a truly last resort kind of thing.

Hi Eleanor

Thats the way we were told how to give it to our first refluxer (by our paed) and we did this right up untill she was 16mnths old when I read you could put it into some apple. I know alot of other people also put straight into the mouth and it wasnt a last resort, it was just what they were told to do. With number two we put it with pear simply because it was easier and made me feel better after reading cosm . I asked the pharmasit if he needed something acidic with the granules when first prescribed losec and he said it doesnt really need it as it makes little difference. But I do use pear for flynn.
Isnt it interesting to hear what others have been told.
I also have seen no difference in giving it both ways in regards to it working. Hmmm now Im wondering if maybe the pear could be giving flynn the upset tummy, might try it in apple. Im now grasping at straws lol

Hi,

I'm pretty inexperienced in this whole thing but we were given omeprazole as a suspension first and it didn't make any difference. We started the granules and noticed immediate effect. We give straight into mouth as my little girl gets super upset when we try and give it with pear/jam/whatever. It is much easier for us to give it straight and then follow with a sip of water, or straight onto formula if she's really hungry. We always try and wait 20 minutes if we can but it's not always possible.
At the mother and baby unit at Waikato hospital, they don't worry about waiting though, although they do give it in pear.

Best of luck.

I'm just a little concerned about the number of people recently who have said that they give the granules and then immediately give milk etc.

This is straight from the Crying Over Spilt Milk website.
-----------
The granules should then be mixed with something acidic before administration as mixing with other substances eg. milk will reduce its effectiveness. A few mls of fruit juice, or ½ to 1 teaspoon of pureed fruit or fruit yoghurt is ideal.


-----------

My concern is the numbers giving milk straight after and then asking when they'll see a response to the omeprazole or saying it's not helping.

Trust me - I absolutely know what it's like trying to get a medicine into a totally non-compliant child - I tried every single trick in the book and then then some for Thomas and yes, some med is better than no med.

But for those of you who are finding your child isn't responding properly or fully to the med and are giving it that way - I'd really really suggest you try not giving something alkaline - like milk after. It needs the acid in the fruit to actually become effective.

Ironically the suspension works in the opposite way and milk after is fine!

I have to agree with Eleanor on this one. With my first I wasnt aware of having to wait 1/2 and hour after taking the losec before having her milk and she was a nightare all day and all night long. And she would throw the losec back up 6 times out of ten. And then I came across the cosm site and read about waiting half and it made a big difference. Its hard I know when they are hungry but its better for them in the long run. We give flynn his as soon as he wakes up in some pear, we dont change his nappy first or anything. If he seems really hungry and wont settle then we give him his bottle first and then we wait an hour and give him his losec. Also on the losec bottle it states to wait half an hour before food also.