Reflux medication

Hello Everyone. My little girl apparently has reflux - which explains the screaming and refusal to feed especially around 6pm each night (like clockwork!). The paed has suggested 1-2ml Mylanta before each feed which seems to be working. He has also written a script for Losec though and suggest we try it. It's $48 a bottle, and while I'll do anything to make my girl happier, I am not sure if we should just stick to Mylanta and see how we go, or go the Losec. I don't like giving her too many drugs if I can help it IYKWIM. Anyone have any experience with it or words of wisdom?

Hi Wheatie!! I'm so sorry that your little one has reflux. It truely sucks. I tried Matilda on Mylanta for 2 weeks before I went & got my script filled. I found gaviscon to work wonders (its over the counter) but it gave her constipation. I understand how you feel about not wanting to give too much medications at such a young age. I decided I would try one thing at a time & see how we went. Mylanta worked well for Matilda, but she was on Zantac and it worked wonders. HTH!

Sorry to hear that your little girl has reflux Soph. As Christy said, it sux :(

Zander was on Losec, but he was on tablets which we had to dissolve in water. For him it didn't make any difference whatsoever with the actul vomitting, but I was told to expect that. It works by stopping the production of stomach acids which makes it less painful when they do throw up and this I found to be very true. We were supposed to take him off it at about 14 weeks. We had 3 days of full on screaming before I said nope he's going bck on it. We tried 3 times to wean him off it before he was ok just before 6 months old.

So yup for us it worked wonders for the pain, but we still had a very very chucky baby. Just a few things though - we used Karicare (regular & thickened) formulas & the combination of the two made Zander very very constipated. It may not be the case for you ut just a warning. Also the Dr forgot to mention that you need to give the Losec 1/2 an hour before a feed so it kicks in beforehand. Also it only works while in their system, as soon as they stop taking it, that's it it's gone.

Sorry for the epic!! Hopefully I have given you some info that will help.

Thanks Christy and Sarah
Sarah - The Losec we can get is liquid form - only taken twice a day. I'm a bit confused to be honest with ethe whole reflux thing. Lucie obviously get sthe pain, but no really big spews, so I wonder if the acid never makes it's way right up, but gives her a bugger of grief sitting there. I don't know?? I am using Karicare too - no constipation as yet but that may be 'cos she is still getting some expressed breat milk ( I have a freezer full of the stuff!) and I think the Mylanta is a bit of a laxative. How is Zander now?

Zander was the same with no big spews to start with. I'd say Lucie has silent reflux, same s Zander, which IMO is worse. It where they bring everything up then swallow it back down which means that the acids burn on the way up & burn on the way back down - OUCHIES! Oh and his Losec was morning & night as well.

The Karicare was ok for Zander until he started on the Losec, so just keep an eye on it. Lucie might be ok though.

He's pretty good now. Off all meds, but still a bit spewy. I had said a few weeks ago that I thought he was totally over it, not quite it turns out! Buuut he's not in pain which is the main thing.

Just wanted to say I would go and get the script filled straight away I like you wanted to give Elle every opportunity not to be medicated and so tried everything else first - it got to the point where she completely stopped eating.
I gave her Losec and within 3 days i had a new baby, and a sleeping baby.
I understand how you feel but for them to even miss one feed it must be hurting them.

Ah Ladies thanks for all your great replies. Ambah - I'm off first thing this morning after your post - you are so right. I was thinking that I guess Mylanta just coats the throat and doesn't treat the problem like Losec perhaps? Would that be right?