Omeprazole causing stomach cramps

[Parker23]

Our 12 week old DD has been on Omperazole for about 6 weeks and has had her dosage increased to 10ml in the last week because it stopped working and she was showing signs of reflux again.

The thing is she takes the Omeprazole fine, dispersed in water and about 2ml of baby juice (which takes away the nasty taste and makes the tablet disperse better) But about 3-5mins after she has taken it she doubles up with cramps and really screams. Yesterday she screamed so hard she couldn't breath and was sweating!

She sometimes still has reflux symptoms after feeds but very mild compared to before the Omeprazole. I just wondered whether anyone else using Omeprazole has experienced this? I thought it could be the juice but it didn't seem to trouble her to start with. Then I thought it might be because she doesn't always manage to drink all the liquid. She usually leaves about 2ml of the water/juice mixture but she definitely gets all the grains down as I make sure they go in first.

It's very distressing to know we're giving her the medication and it might be causing her pain, on top of the reflux discomfort!

Anyone been through this too?

I have 13 years experience of my son being on Omeprazole and so sympathise with you predicament! We have had to 'mess about' with it so many times over the years. Have you changed brand with the increase in dose? My son does react to different brands. I notice you mention the grains. My son does not tolerate Omeprazole in this form at all. He is a bit better on the suspension. But the one that works best for him is the Gastro-resistant tablets which we crush and dissolve (which the instructions advise you not to do!) However my very lovely pharmacist contacted the drug company who said it is actually ok! Hope that helps!

Omeprazole can definitely cause stomach cramps as a side effect. I would go straight back to the GP/ Paed and see if they can offer you anything else instead.

Thanks for the advice guys!

Slumby I think we may be using the gastro-resistant tablets already. They are orange tables which we just put in juice/water mix and they slowly break down, leaving the grains in the liquid. I then just syringe the grains into her mouth. She often leaves some of the liquid. I will ask if there is anything else she can take instead but we are waiting for a referral appointment at the hospital so we are between doctors. Will just have to stick it out till then.

Just a thought as we had this issue, have you tried it without the fruit juice?

I was giving my ds his omeprazole in fruit juice when he was about this age and he was having stomach cramps like colicky pains. When mixed with water he did not have these issue, could be worth a try

My dad has had similar reactions with taking (I think) Omeprazole and other things. It's reacted badly with ibuprofen, and with liquorice.

i give dd 8 weeks her 10mg disolved in small amount of water and then mix it with her dom peridone as it is sweet,i use the orange syringe that comes with baby nurofen as it has a bigger hole.dd gets no cramps but still has a few reflux symptoms but lots better.

Omeprazole Causes lots of side effects, am an adult an I can't even tolerate the side effects .

tooloudhere I thought exactly the same! I'm using baby juice but it has been on my mind that she's very young and the juice could be the problem. Thing is she hates the taste and spits it out so the juice did help her take it better. I'll try tonight's dose without the juice! Thanks for bringing that up!

DD had the capsules which contained granules (Teva was the manufacturer). I would open the capsule and sprinkle them on a teaspoon of apple puree. Always went down fine and no stomach cramps. I gave them to her first thing in the morning, ideally half an hour before any milk or food. This way the granules would pass through her stomach quickly - best way to get maximum efficacy from them.

That sounds like a great way to give her the meds RunningOutOfIdeas! Thing is my DD is only 13wks old. I'm guessing it's way too early to be giving her apple puree? What age was your DD when you gave her that?

Also I've posted a different thread here about the sleeping patterns of my DD and whether it's connected to the reflux or just her own routine. Seeing as you guys have experience with reflux babies, can you take a look?

DD was older. So it might be best to check with your gp about using apple purée. However I don't see it as much different to using juice, but it will also depend on whether your DD can swallow a spoon of purée. It is important to give omeprazol in something acidic to get it working the best because the coating on the granules or tablet is designed to dissolve in the less acid conditions of the intestines. If you give it in something that is not sufficiently acidic, the drug will be released in the stomach and broken down so there is less available for absorption from the intestines so it is less effective.

I will have a look at your other thread. DD is nearly 3 now and has very few reflux problems (just lots of hiccups). She improved gradually as she spent more time upright - sitting then standing.

Running? Nobody told me that,i give it in water for my dd 7wks.Im worried im not doing it right now,i thought somthing acidic would trigger her reflux tbh.

I spent hours reading info on omeprazole pharmacokinetics to work what I should be doing. I got none of it from my gp. I am lucky in that I have a biochemistry degree and work in the right kind of job to find this info.

so i need to dilute in somhting acidy-even for 7wk old?

One website I found very useful was cryingoverspiltmilk (sorry can't do links easily on my phone). It has a lot of details on the different drugs and how they should be taken.

ok ill look thanks,i wonder if it is the reason why its not completely worked,i dont think she has reflux that badly as doesnt scream,is more just wriggly,i was surprised that 5mg wasnt enough and 10 hasnt competely stopped it.