Losec

[ellasmummy]

Hi there. My dd (6 weeks) is starting on losec as soon as the chemist rings me to tell me its in. Ours is a liquid, half a ml twice a day. I have friends who have been prescribed a tablet form, which seems like so much more stuffing around. My understanding is the liquid is a suspension mix of the tablet with water? Does anyone know if there is a difference in how tablet vs suspension mix work? Why would a Dr prescribe tablets for some bubs and liquid for others, especially with how much easier the liquid seems? Ah wish I had asked the gp all this but didn't realise. Thanks!

[feeb]

Tablets are a royal PITA as you need to cut in half NOT crush and then put in a syringe with water and then shake and dissolve but there is also small balls in it that you must not crush.

The suspension is made up specially by a compounding chemist to allow easier administartion.

I used both I fiddled with the tabs for a week to 10 days before going back asking for the suspension.

The suspension is $ (was about $47 a bottle nearly 3 years ago) and tablets are cheaper as covered by PBS and cheaper again with a HCC.

They both work the same and both taste yuck and are hard to administer but you get better at holding baby to do it quickly and with as little upsetting time.

[ellasmummy]

Ah cool, thanks for explaining can't wait to get it, but not excited for the cost lol. Although if it works I think I would pay anything for it!!

[feeb]

Yes thats it. My DS1 did not really like flavour much so next bottle the pharmacist flavoured with pineapple and cocanut and was slightly easier to get down.

Good luck hope it helps.

[angelaartsstudent]

I pay $55 for a month''s supply of suspension in Strawberry flavour. DD2 still hates it so much we have to hide it in her formula, but we wouldn''t be able to do that with the tabs.

[MrsBexie]

I pay $65 for a 30ml bottle which is 30 days...

BUT it is AMAZING stuff!! DD was on zantac for like 8 weeks and it wasnt doing anything! DD has been on losec almost 2 weeks and seriously is SO much better!! She goes to bed at around 6:30-7:30 instead of 11-1am! And she is happier and will let me put her on her play mat for 10-20mins at a time!!!

[JaCaMaDy]

I pay $50 per month supply of the Losec suspension 10mg/ml (made by compounding chemist). My DD has 1ml twice a day. It's bubblegum
flavour & it used to be a struggle, but DD opens her mouth when she see's the syringe lol


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[ellasmummy]

Oh awesome thanks heaps for sharing ladies I am really really hanging for the phone call from the chemist to tell me its ready, I'm hoping today instead of tomorrow. Boo for it being so exxy though, pretty sure my health fund lets me claim on some scripts, will have to suss it out

[*Beema*]

The suspension we have is the equivalent of 5mg per 1ml (the equivalent of 1/2 the above tablet of Losec), so if we use the suspension she is on 2ml per dose, morning and night. The suspension allows you to make slight alterations to the dosage that are much more difficult with the tablet, we were able to have DD2 on 1.5ml morning and night (15mg equvalent) for a period of time before we had to increase it back to the 20mg a day.

Generally with Losec if the 20mg a day doesn't work then administering more than that won't help as it is really the limitation of the medication (I am not a Dr, but this is what we have been told by our Paed and GP), all medications have their limitations.

Losec suspension only lasts about 1 month and it needs to be refrigerated all the time.

In addition we have found that using the infant gaviscon with the Losec works best, Losec neutralizes the acids in the stomach so when they do throw up it isn't burning their oesophegas (sp), the Gaviscon is a thickener which makes it heavier to hopefully keep it in the stomach.

After Losec the options are limited to another medication which basically stops the stomach from producing acid (which is a very big step).

I can recommend reading Colic Solved: The Essential Guide to Infant Reflux and the Care of Your Crying, Difficult-To- Soothe Baby By Dr Bryan Vartabedian, don't let the title confuse you it is really about Reflux and a very good read.

Ours is $70 for 100ml (30 days worth) and it's banana flavoured, we can't get anything back from Mutual Community, but hopefully we should at tax time

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

DD2 (12 weeks) has just been put on Losec....and well its fun and games trying to get it down her!! - the stuff is foul so i don't blame her - anyway, for those of you who got the suspension did you just ask for it to be flavoured at the time of lodging the script or does that need to be written down on the script? i've got a repeat script for her so i want to get the next one flavoured

TIA

[angelaartsstudent]

At the time of lodging the script...they might even give you a choice of flavours.

However, the flavour has made no difference to DD2...we still have to hide it in her formula and even then, she screws up her face and spits it everywhere!

Good luck!

[feeb]

I just asked for it to be flavored when I lodged script.

[ellasmummy]

Mine came favoured - tutti fruitti. Didn't have to ask. It ended up costing $45, but seems to be helping so far

[Swoop]

We found with the suspension that it was becoming ineffective after approx 2 weeks, even though it was supposed to last a month. Now we have the tablets - we put one in an egg cup with a bit of apple juice and she happily (@20 months) drinks it out of the egg cup and even eats what's left in the bottom with her finger.

The paed told us that although the tablets are a bit more work they're much more effective because they're fresh every time you make one up.

I think we used to get banana flavour when we had the suspension, and it was $74 for a 4 week supply. The tablets cost about half that amount. And we get about half back from our health insurance I think.

ETA: I would also highly recommend having a look at the book that Beema suggested.

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

At the time of lodging the script...they might even give you a choice of flavours.

However, the flavour has made no difference to DD2...we still have to hide it in her formula and even then, she screws up her face and spits it everywhere!

Good luck!

thanks hun....yeah im worried she'll still spit most of it out even when flavoured ahh well gotta try at least!!!

ETA: just another quick question ladies.....on the bottle of mixture it says give 2.5ml (5mg dose) orally once daily. does that mean its a one off dose of 2.5mls per day (which is what ive been doing) or is it 5mg in two lots of 2.5mls? - guess i should've double checked that with the paed
Also ive read some of the prices that you girls have been paying for the mix and just wanted to know if thats because its done through a private compounding pharmacy? the mix i got cost $34.20 from the hospital pharmacy (Knox Private Hospital)

[angelaartsstudent]

I am pretty sure it means 2.5ml once a day. Ml is a liquid measurement and milligrams is a measurement of solids.

So I'd suspect that there is 5mg of Losec in 2.5ml of suspension...but maybe call your pead to double check...or even the pharmacist.

[*Beema*]

Yep it means that per every 2.5ml of solution there is 5mg of Losec.

You can try a split dosage as well, where you give 1.25ml in the morning and 1.25ml at night, if you find that the single dosage doesn't cover for the full 24 hours.

Your price is great, 1/2 of what we are paying, but we have a significantly higher dosage, 5mg of Losec per 1ml so paying for more Losec

[buliej]

I had a lot of trouble getting DS to take his banana flavored losec - here's what I do (other bellybelly-ers gave me heaps of advice). I really try to do it when DH is home, but when I can't I do it when he is wrapped (meaning swaddled) because he pushes my hand away. I fill the syringe with the full dose BUT I administer it in thirds - I hold him so he's kind of lying down (or if he's wrapped I do this on the change table). I put the syringe down the side of his mouth and (and I hate this part because I feel so mean but it's the only way to get him to swallow) before he has a chance to do anything I squeeze his cheeks together with 1 of my hands - this forces him to swallow and prevents him from spitting it out. This is why I do it in thirds - so he isn't drowning in liquid. If he spits any out despite all this, I immediately brush it back into his mouth with the syringe while still holding his cheeks together. Sometimes he cries but most often he just grizzles and even if he cries after all of this it lasts seconds.

DS really hates it - and it smells good - but then again, DS won't take a bottle or a dummy so if it's not real flesh he doesn't want anything to do with it!

I never thought of taking the chemist receipts to HBA to see if private health insurance will cover - I'll have to do that.