Advice on reducing Gaviscon side effects.

[Mapal]

Hello there,

Just over a week ago DS (14 weeks) was diagnosed with silent reflux and prescribed Gaviscon. Fortunately this has really helped him and we have had much more cheerful days since starting on it.
However, the downside has been the nights..............he is waking up more often than he used to (every 2-3 hours, had previously been doing 5 hrs) due to painful wind. We can be up with him for an hour at a time sometimes just flexing his legs and comforting him until he passes his wind.
With the reflux he was always exhausted because he'd been crying all day and wouldn't nap (I guess because he was so uncomfortable).
Now, the day time naps are improving (hurrah!) but he's getting increasingly more tired at night now due to the wind.

Anyone got any tips on how to reduce this wind problem? He is exclusively breastfed.

Thanks in advance.

[Worrier28]

My boy is just over 5 months and has started to refuse his bottle unless he is in almost asleep or screams once finished - is this silent reflux? He doesn't spit up much, it is difficult to get his wind up and he is not the greatest of sleepers. He is now taking almost all his feed at night.

[BlueBumedFly]

Mapel - My daughter had Gavi from 6-14 months but her reflux was bad enough to have it in combination with ranitidine as well. Gavi does dry out their system, I noticed DD became very constipated and her skin became dry and patchy. Is he pooing as much as normal? As he is tiny and I guess not weaned you will obviously not want to be giving fruit juice or lactolose which is what we had to resort to. Will he take water? You may have to look very closely at your own diet as he is BF as you will not want to be eating anything that may worsen the situation (ie broccoli etc). If the Gavi is making him more poorly due to the night time issues he may need to change his meds, Gavi may not be for him. There are a few other drugs available that your doctor can prescribe and they are a lot easier to use as well! Go back to your doc if it is distressing him, there is more that can be done. I would keep a diary of when he wakes, for how long and his state of distress, this gives the doc hard facts to make a decision on. Reflux is largely undiagnosed and horrible for a baby.

Worrier - this may well be silent reflux. If it is silent they do not always spit up so much, the milk rises back out of their stomach only high enough to burn the back of their throat then goes back down. You will want him to be feeding due the day so he does not become dehydrated. The symptoms we had at the start were back arching, screaming and refusing the bottle. As she got older we moved onto projectile vomiting and she failed to thrive at which point she was referred and we got a resolution. I would go see the doc, it can be tricky to get a diagnosis when they are calm and asleep at the surgery but you need to stand your ground, you are Mum, you know best.

Good luck both of you. My DD is now 2.4 and has been refulx free since around 20 months. I do find that she struggles after a tummy bug for a week or so and I keep some Gavi in the house just in case, even now.

[Mapal]

BlueBumedFly - many thanks for your helpful message. I think I'm definitely going back to the Docs as I think the Gaviscon just isn't working that well for him anymore, poor thing. He now seems to have a permanent cold and is foaming at the mouth/dribbling a lot more.
It is SO awful when you can't do anything to help.
Sounds like your poor DD has had a rough time of it - oh dear I do hope we can get on top of this for my little one without it becoming so bad.

Thanks again - going back too the GP for sure.

[BlueBumedFly]

I think that is best, it sounds like the Gavi is not working. To be honest I hated the stuff, I put it in a bottle just once and it turned it into a gray, latte like substance, almost yelly like. Bleugh.

We had ranitidine which is drops and worked well once I managed to get a diagnosis! If you can get on top of it then I think it can be cleared a lot quicker, my GP obviously did not believe me the first 3 times I went!!!

Also if he has a cold/dribbling I would say he is teething too? Teething and Reflux, not a great combination poor little pickle!

[BlueBumedFly]

Goodness me, I don't seem to be able to type today, 'jelly' obviously not 'yelly' and what is with all the !!!!! - I thinks its time for a coffee (!)

[GreenMonkies]

Have you cut dairy out of your diet?

50% of babies with reflux are sensitive to cows milk protein, and it passes from you into your milk. It takes 10-14 days for your system to be free of residual traces of dairy, so the results aren't instant, but it worked wonders for me with DD2. She went from a screaming, windy, explosively (green-slimey) pooing rough/dry skinned miserable baby to a smooth-skinned happy girl in a week, by two weeks she was a different baby. If you remove the cause of the reflux you can stop the medication.

[BlueBumedFly]

GreenMonkies - that is really interesting. My DD is now 2.4 and will not touch any dairy other than milk of which she drinks gallons!

However, she will not touch any cheese, butter, cream based sauces etc. Also we still have skin flair ups with some wheat products. Does the milk thing continue or is it a forever do you think?

TIA

[Mapal]

Hmm, yes think I will try the dairy thing too. It's interesting as my younger brother had a similar problem as a baby and had problems with dairy until he was a few years old, when it just seemed to stop. My Mum recalls holding him over the sink to be sick after ever feed as a baby! Thanks.

[GreenMonkies]

Dairy and wheat often go hand in hand, the protein structures are similar. Most children with dairy intolerance grow out of it at about school age (my DD2 is 3 now and much less sensitive now, she can eat cheese and yoghurt in moderation, but still gets belly ache from ice cream and other milk products), and these intolerances tend to run in families. If wheat gives her eczema it might be worth getting her tested for dermatitis herpetiformis, which is form of coeliac disease.

[BlueBumedFly]

Thank you GreenMonkies, I will ask the allergist when she is tested next month for peanuts and see what they say.

[alypaly]

ASk yur doctor if he can try infacol or colief drops . You have to give it about 15 minutes b4 feeds but it really helps. Check it is ok with the gaviscon paediatric sachets though