Infant Gaviscon - Allergy?

[verygreenlawn]

18 week old ds3 has been presribed infant gaviscon for reflux - started it 3 days ago, and he now has a red pimply rash on his face, especially around his mouth.

He already has eczema, but it doesn't look like the rash - the rash is completely new.

Could it be the gaviscon? He's fully breastfed and so I give it to him on a spoon and despite my best efforts some does end up round his mouth.

He's also been given canesten cream for the folds around his neck which were getting very sore from constant dribbling and possetting - but I've only used this once and nowhere near his mouth.

Any ideas appreciated - TIA.

Hi, I have never heard of a child being allergic to gavi but that is not to say it does not happen. How are you giving it to him - are you expressing milk to mix it with?

DD had gavi for months, she used to have very dry skin and eczema and it made her constipated. I think it does have a 'drying' effect. Are you giving water yet?

Here is the write up by LittleRefluxers (which is a great site) www.littlerefluxers.co.uk/profiles/blog/show?id=1153284%3ABlogPost%3A262

You might want to post on there and see if any other Mums have had the same thing, there are some seriously experienced people there who's poor babies have been really unwell.

I would be wary of a mouth rash, does it go away? Is it hot? Does it seem to be itchy?

Thanks very much for the link I'll have a look at that when we get back from school later. I have noticed a drying effect, his poo is already more solid; at the moment I've just been mixing the powder with a little cooled boiled water and spoon feeding it.

The rash is just red and pimply and is right round his mouth - sort of looks like a red moustache/beard - doesn't feel hot but I think it itches as this morning he had little scratch marks round his mouth where I think he'd tried to scratch it.

Thanks for the advice - hopefully it will disappear as I don't want to replace one problem with another!

I would personally stop the gavi and go back to the doctor. I know reflux is super stressy (DD vomited for 8 months straight) but at the same time you don't want to 'create' any allergies.

There are other meds out that that work just as well if not better. I can go on for hours and hours if you need and more info

Does infant gaviscon have parabens in it? That can cause skin irritation in some people.

hijack-BBF, has your dd had new RASTs done since she has been eating peanuts. DS has been offered an oral challenge in May but the Dr. says there is no point in doing new RASTs as they once they are allergic then IgE levels don't go down.

Hijack back - ladyjuliafish hello! No RASTs yet, we are due in May as last time they could not get any blood! She does have 5 peanuts a day now as a daily does and the lead boy on the study had a snickers bar the other day and also a chinese meal!

I am not sure about the IgE thing but I am really expecting the RAST score to be lower or how is she tolerating the nuts? Where are you doing the oral challenge?

There are parabens in Adult Gavi but cannot find a direct link to Infant Gavi - it would make good sense though, good though LJF!

He is going to Derby City Hospital. He had a blood test in Dec 2007 and they said he had a grade 3 allergy (somewhere between 3.5-17-4). He went back last week and I thought they would do another blood test but the Dr. seemed to think it was a waste of time. I am considering delaying the challenge for a bit as he will be only just 5 and I think waiting may give him a better chance of growing out of it. Dr. said if he hasn't grown out of it by now then he isn't going to but I don't think I agree with that.

Hmmmm, tricky one. I think I read somewhere that a child is most likely to grow out of an allergy by 6 years old if they are going to do it at all. Perhaps waiting another year would be a good idea, just as long as you are happy with keeping him away from nuts for another year?

My DD3 is two in April and they will test her for nuts if we push due to her half-sister being anaphylactic. However, as DD had not had an attack in the year leading up to her study I wonder if some kids do get more resilient by age. Some do I think and some don't.

At the end of the day it is entirely up to you and your DP/DH and son.

Doubt this is a true allery, but could very easily be a contact dermatitis.

Gav is like glue, I suggest in first instance you keep face clean, and use a simple emollient. No ones skin will deal well with being smeared in alginate paste.

My son has reflux and gav (and ranitidine) and if he is having a day where he actually voms, or drools a lot, his skin gets dry and spotty and red.

I think you could be right on the contact derm rempy.

VeryGreenLawn - I used to mix the gavi up and give it to DD in a nurofen syringe, that way none of the gloop touched her skin - do you think that might help?

Yes I think you could be right - I tried a cup and a spoon and still got it everywhere which would explain the rash. I've got a syringe kicking about somewhere so I'll give that a go tonight. We had ranitidine/domperidone with ds1 - can't remember that causing any problems with him?

DS3 does seem to be supersensitive to some things, the latest being anything with paraffin in it (GP didn't believe that vaseline could possibly cause a reaction but after seeing his reaction to doublebase and epaderm had to concede it looked likely).

Thank you all for the advice, I feel much better now it's probably from the stuff he's dribbling.

DD was OK on ranitidine but gavi played havoc.

DD could not tolerate any paraffin based creams at that age, she looked like a burns victim!