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Allergies and intolerances

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Wysoy on prescription or fancy goats formula?!

39 replies

Picante · 26/01/2010 19:39

What are your thoughts on Wysoy - I don't like the idea that it's made by SMA.

DD has been breastfed so far but I'm introducing formula to give me a break. Unfortunately she reacted to Aptimil yesterday (ds had dairy allergy).

I've found that Nanny Milk goats formula in waitrose - VERY expensive but looks very good. Got the doc to give Wysoy on prescription so would obviously be free.

Thoughts?

OP posts:
carrieboo75 · 26/01/2010 19:52

I had 3 ds's with milk intolerance/allergy. The doc route was always wysoy, nutramigen etc. never goats milk. I chose to buy goats milk for ds2 and it was fab, not only did he have no reaction to it but it also really helped with his ecxema/asthma/congestion. My boys are 8,6 and 4 and between the 2nd and 3rd the rules changed and doc would only pay for every other tin of formula (i.e. the price difference between normal formula and the Wysoy). I didn't like the idea of the boys being on soy for too long because of the eastrogen in it, that added to the fact the doc would only pay for every other one I decided to just buy the goats milk from the shop. You may be luck the rules could of changed again and doc may perscribe goats milk. How old is your child? I switched to normal st. Helens goats milk at 10 months to reduce the cost, and he got on well with that too.

Picante · 26/01/2010 20:05

She's only 23 weeks. Don't think I can get it on prescription but I guess it's worth a try - thanks for your recommendation.

I've just been reading online some horrible things about Wysoy - don't think I'm even going to bother picking that prescription up!!

OP posts:
almondfinger · 26/01/2010 20:23

Stay away from the soy milk, the oestrogens cause premature development in girls and retard developement in boys. It's equivalent to giving her the pill.

The only good forms of soy to eat are fermented - miso, tempeh. Definately not baby formula.

The nanny goat formula is good, gave it to my dd. It is twice the price of Aptamil which is a bit of a stinger, but worth it.

carrieboo75 · 26/01/2010 20:37

At 23 weeks I would give nutramigen a go first as doc will perscribe that. It smells and tastes awfull so she may well let it no where near her, but there is a chance that she is still young enough that she may take to it. A friends little girl took to it no problem, my ds would not take it. Good luck.

trixymalixy · 26/01/2010 21:40

Stay away from the soya formula.

She may react to the nanny milk formula as well as the proteins are similar.

nighbynight · 26/01/2010 21:45

Sorry, can someone give me a link to why unfermented soya is the devils food?

I eat soya yoghurts often at work, and have soy spread in the house for the children!

CantSleepWontSleep · 26/01/2010 21:50

Your GP is a muppet for prescribing Wysoy.

From this article.

The poll also found many of the doctors did not know the best treatment. Without treatment food allergies can be distressing and even deadly.

Officials recommend babies who are allergic to cow's milk can be given special low-allergy or hypoallergenic milk, such as an amino-acid based formula.

Many of the doctors questioned, however, said they would advise a soy-based formula.

The Department of Health and the British Dietetics Association advise against this because soy contains high levels of compounds called phytoestrogens that mimic the action of the female hormone oestrogen and which could pose a risk to the long-term fertility of infants.

There is also a risk that babies who are allergic to cow's milk will also be allergic to soy milk, and sheep and goat's milk.

I'm also puzzled by nanny goat formula being available - it's been illegal to sell it in the UK since 2005 .

thisisyesterday · 26/01/2010 21:56

i wouldn't use wysoy or nanny goat formula

if you really need a formula then ask to be prescribed nutramigen or neocate.
neither of them taste particularly nice though

tbh you're best off expressing and storing EBM in the freezer to use if you need it, that's what I did for ds2 who is intolerant to dairy

almondfinger · 26/01/2010 22:07

Soy in its unfermented form, yoghurts, veggie products is a very concentrated form of protein and if taken regularly can lead to excess protein intake and as a result excessive calcium excretion.

Asian folk who are the original 'soy' consumers, eat it more as a condiment rather then the protien percentage of their meal.

NN, why not have a live natural yoghurt? Soy yoghurt is mushed beans with sugar added for flavour.

From an ethical point of view, Monsanto own the tm on soybeans and are selling these gm beans worldwide and having a devastating effect on farmers who can no longer save seeds to replant the following year as they have had it made illegal and their beans only survive a year, so next year you must buy more. Good for them, not so good for poor farmers.

Picante · 27/01/2010 07:58

Why was nanny care formula made illegal??? I found it in Waitrose...

Will write a letter to gp today asking for Neocate.

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 27/01/2010 10:53

if you read the pack carefully, the nanny formula in waitrose is sold as 'growing-up' milk for 1-3yo - it's not suitable from birth

Picante · 27/01/2010 10:58

No it's definitely not - there was a separate tin labelled growing up milk. The one I found in waitrose was this one.

It doesn't have any age guidelines on it. I've done some research and think one bottle a day is fine - it's used from 4 months in Germany.

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 27/01/2010 11:25

however this may be worth a read re why it isn't more widely available

thisisyesterday · 27/01/2010 12:49

it isn't "illegal" but GP's are told not to prescribe it in this coutnry although it is used elsewhere in europe

if a baby is allergic/intolerant to cow's milk proteins they are highly likely to be intolerant to goat's as well as they're very similar

TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied · 27/01/2010 13:05

This thread has me worried, please could I ask something?

My DS had gross reflux, it was beyond a joke, he was in and out of hospital but always put on weight well which was strange I suppose as he'd projectile vomit a bottle up and then start choking and thrashing around.

GP prescribed Wysoy along with domperidone, infant gaviscon and... something beginning with an M that made him very withdrawn. It was very strong peppermint and he'd sometimes choke on that too. I took him off that one. This went on from birth until I weaned him early as I'd had enough and then he was still having bits of wysoy until about 8 months.

Is he likely to be infertile when he's older or have other problems? I'm really quite worried about it and feel very guilty as I was happy to have him on Wysoy as it was free and baby milk is so expensive (we were very skint at the time).

carrieboo75 · 27/01/2010 16:26

Totally -

All three of my ds's had Wysoy, ds's was the only one that had goats milk as he was allergic/intollerant for the longest time frame and I didn't want to expose him to it for that length of time. At the time that is what was perscribed first before trying nutramigen as babies often refuse nutramigen, however most doctors now perscribe nutramigen first and fall back to Wysoy if the baby will not take it.

I do not know if they know for sure what the effects are/will be, but there are a lot of questions around it. The fact it is still perscribed would suggest that it is still considered safe despite the questions. I do worry about the future but that is what docs perscribed and the choice was Wysoy or no milk at all as they would not take Nutramigen and refused the breast past 6 months ish, so what was I supposed to do. Most of these things need to be prolonged use to cause a real problem so I am hoping it will be the same with Wysoy.

carrieboo75 · 27/01/2010 16:42

Just read the article about goats milk and it is not that it causes harm just that it is not proven to be less allergic than cows milk.

That said ds one went on to be allergic to Wsoy but all three where ok on goats milk. The protiens in goats milk are smaller than those in cows milk so often that is enough to make it digestible.

So where as Wysoy is questionable in terms of eastrogens, goats milk may simply still cause the allergy. So if you try it and baby isn't any better you just move on to try something else.

nighbynight · 27/01/2010 18:18

thanks, cantsleep and almondfinger.
AF, I actually like the soya yoghurt! and it is lower calorie. Being vegetable, it's more neutral and easier to eat than animal products.
I am sensitive to lactose, so dont like eating too much cows milk, even though it is ok when mixed lactose free milk (ie lactase).
But will rethink now!

3 of my children were mixed fed and had nanny goats milk formula together with b/milk, the youngest from 6 weeks. It was absolutely fine.

It is very difficult to find out facts about goats milk.
I know that I am ok with goats milk and also with lactose free milk, but ordinary cows milk makes me very ill, about a day after taking it(have made myself ill loads of times before I convinced myself). All my family suffers from the same. A very old doctor in Germany suggested to me that these symptoms were compatible with lactose allergy, even the delayed reaction. Tried lactose free milk and had no reaction.
I am just thankful that I can now eat mainstream food, but would love to know more.

NotAnOtter · 27/01/2010 18:21

I used wysoy with 3 of mine but nanny with the next 3

wsoy reeks is clumpy and thick and bloats them ( all went HUGE!) but got it on script which was great

nanny is lovely - thin- white(!) - does not reek and keeps them under a million lbs! but £££££££££££££

still love it - buy it from local health food store

NotAnOtter · 27/01/2010 18:25

csws i would be most perturbed if goats milk formula was taken off the market

it is no longer called 'infant nutrition' but i havr 3 bouncing bright boys to recommend it

long live nanny

treedelivery · 27/01/2010 18:27

My dd is very very dairy intolerant, certainly cows milk protein and probably lactose.

We tried Nutramigen and Cow&Gate pepti through the consultant, in the end Pepti jnr was advised by the dietician. It is hydrolysed even further, and is semi-elemental. We decided not to 'go there' with the Nanny, mainly due to the £££££££ and it wasn't worth the risk of finding something else she is intolerant too.

mspotatochip · 27/01/2010 18:36

ds 8 months is having the nanny goats milk. he is bf but I hate expressing and he has about 7 ozs a day as a drink with meals and in porridge etc. I have no idea why he's ok with it and not cows milk (got rash and bad excema) but his dad is exactly the same.

I have found it near impossible to get guidance from HCPs (Gp said its 'only excema' and lets see what else he reacts to before I refer you). My only fear with the nanny milk (apart form the £££'s) is that as the proteins are supposedly too similar I might be further sensitising him to cows milk which is pretty ubiquitous in processed food which he will inevitably be exposed to as he gets older

almondfinger · 27/01/2010 20:04

totallyandutterly, they will be fine. It's where children have lots of soy products that can cause the problems. If this wysoy is the only thing a child will drink then it may be your only option. There is definately a gap in the market for a good formula that is neither lactose or soy based, any chemists on the thread?

I also fed dd1 nanny goats milk from about 6 mths withe no pbs.

treedelivery · 27/01/2010 20:59

My understanding [such as it is] is that Pepti junior is semi-elemental, so it is nearly as you describe almondfinger.

There are tru elemental formulas, so I guess they are a group of base elements that are required by infants. I think they are used in quite specific severe cases.

I found a really usefull overview once, let me look for it....

treedelivery · 27/01/2010 21:01

here is the bunny. The tables running through all the formulas are really interesting, if you are a nerd like me