thread: Losec Dosage Help? Under dosing, Over dosing??

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Jun 2008
    Brisbane, QLD
    484

    Losec Dosage Help? Under dosing, Over dosing??

    After being labelled 'Failure to Thrive' yesterday my 9 week old DD was prescribed Losec for her silent reflux. This comes after spending the last almost 2 weeks on Zantac which seemed to help the first few days but not at all after that so my GP said Losec it is from now on. Thing is she was mighty sketchy on the dosage, had a bit of a search on her computer and decided on 2.5mg. The information the computer gave us was 10-20mg for 10-20kgs so I assumed this meant 1mg per 1kg? That was in the tablet form though and we have the composition but I don't think that would change things? Anywhoo my Dr admitted she wasn't quite sure on the dosage and that if the pharmacist needed her to change anything to just call and she'd speak to them or send a fax through etc.. When I called the pharmacy to see of they made the composition, the pharmacist talked me through it, asked her weight etc and without asking what was prescribed did her calculations and said DD required 5mg which would be 2.5ml of the composition which is 2mg:1ml. As DD is just under 4.1kg, that sounded about right.. When I went in to pick it up and gave her the script she came back and said the Dr has prescribed 2.5mg so that 1.5ml... But I'm worried I've got the incorrect dose as my Dr really has no idea about Losec and it's dosages etc??

    Does that sound right? 2.5mg? I am normally not one much for medication, takes alot for me to medicate myself even so I definitely am not wanting to up her dose if it's not required but at the same time her GORD is severe, she's only put on 970 grams since birth, won't take a proper feed and screams in pain most of the day so I definitely don't want to waste any time under dosing her and risking it not working because of this.

    Most of what I'm reading on the net are infants on doses of 10mg or more.. Not sure if that's the tablets or composition though and if it makes a difference? I'm thinking it shouldn't be different between the tablet and composition, it's the same medication but obviously this is nowhere near my expertise, I haven't a clue except for what I've read!

    I hope this lengthy ramble makes sense to someone and that someone can help me figure this out.. I'm planning on calling the pharmacist this morning and asking her but I don't want to cause more confusion by not absolutely knowing what I'm talking about..

    Can anyone help please?

  2. #2
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber

    Jan 2006
    11,633

    Is your doctor a pead or gp? I'd be looking for some more medical advice, perhaps? And sometimes the pharmacists are better up to date with medicines and dosages.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Sep 2008
    Sydney
    1,413

    When my dd was 10kg she was on 10mg so I think it is around 1mg per kilo of weight, However, I am NOT a doctor, please dont take my advice!

    I found my Gp knew nothing really bout reflux, thats why going to a paediatrician is great. My dd is almost 2.5years so we have been seeing our paed regulary for all that time. She has only just come off her meds to see if the reflux is gone, we tried other times but all the symptoms came back.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Oct 2008
    675

    That is a tough one because I think there is a 'normal' dose that you would start with (based on weight) then some babies need a larger dose than that to actually get it under control.

    Most of the people I know who have got Losec for 8-10 week olds were put on 10mg per day, some stayed at that amount and some had it increased because 10mg didn't cut it. DD2 would have been about 3.5kg when she got it prescribed and her doctor said 5mg. I've recently upped it to 10mg because the really bad pain was making an appearance again with 5mg - I guess she had got big enough for the dose to need to increase??

    I am definitely not a medical expert, so I am really not qualified to comment, but 2.5g sounds like a lower dose than what I've heard of other babies (even littlies like ours) having so I would suggest getting a second opinion on the dose, even if they tell you that the 2.5mg is correct, it is worth it for your peace of mind.

  5. #5
    BellyBelly Member

    Aug 2008
    anywhere and everywhere
    718

    Im definstely no expert, but what happened with my dd is at around 4kg when she first started on it the gp prescribed .5ml twice a day which basically did nothing, upped it to .8ml twice a day and it worked like a charm. Every 1-2kg of weight gain we were upping it, until around 8kgs she was put on 2ml twice a day which has remained a good dose. She is 10kgs now...tried to wean off it recently with a big fail, so its definitely effective. I also found it took a day or so to notice it working after starting or upping a dose