Omeprazol dosage ok?

[LindsayS79]

Hi all
I've eventually been given omeprazol for my DD who is 10 wks and 5.2 kg. My GP told me to dissolve the tablet in 10ml of milk and give 3.5ml to the wee one. Is this an ok dose? Reason I ask is because when she gave me ranitidine it was a tiny amount and I had to keep going back to get a decent dose. The ranitidine has stopped working so I'm hoping I can get off to a good start with the omeprazol....
She told me to stop the ranitadine immediately so I'm scared of what lies ahead before the omeprazol kicks on!!!

Well, the dose sounds low, but you never know, it may be enough for your LO. However, you definitely should not dissolve omeprazole in milk, milk will make it ineffective. You should give it on an empty stomach and as far from a milk feed as possible. (Try 30 min before a feed but don't stress if its not possible) dissolve in water.
Is it generic omeprazole you've been given or losec?

Is it Omeprazole MUPS you've been prescribed? Or the normal adult tablets? My DS was on 20mg MUPS, we dissolved it in a little water then added it to fruit purée or yoghurt.

Perhaps a pharmacist could advise you on the correct thing to do?

Do you mind me asking what happended when ranitidine stopped working? Did it work for a bit? Did upping the dose not help?
I'm trying o figure out if ranitidine has stopped working for my lo or if an increased dosage will eventually help...

Sorry I can't help with your issue, but you have my sympathy. Ranitidine stopped working for us and its been 10 days of hell. Just waiting for increased dose to kick in (if its going to!)

Best of luck. Xx

The pack says it's called 'mezzopram' and it's 10mg. It's a pink tablet if that helps?
My GP had to call a paediatric consultant who specialises in reflux at the local sick kids hospital as she didn't know how best to administer it. They told her to dissolve it in milk. Shall I just do it with water then?
Lem31, the ranitadine seemed to make her a bit better for about 2 weeks, however she has started struggling with feeds again and is generally very grumpy, whereas when (I think) it was working I had a much happier and smiley baby! She had put on 0.5kg so I upped the ranitadine dose but it doesn't seem to have had a great affect.
My GP didn't hesitate when giving me omeprazol so I guess it's worth a shot. I know exactly how hard it is, I've been in tears every day since her reflux got worse!

Yes, I seem to be having the same story. Just as I had a happy baby, sleeping well, developing etc i now once again have a baby struggling to eat and sleep. It's so heartbreaking to watch, isn't it?
Thanks for the info. I'm seeing the consultant next week so if there is no change I will be armed with this as another option.
Good luck with your new meds. Giving anything to them s a nightmare I'm finding! But have to remind myself its for the greater good...
X

Definitely water not milk. Use warm water as it gets the tablet to dissolve better. I found Mezzopram awful as it just doesn't dissolve properly and leave little lumps, obviously unsuitable for a small baby. You may need to go back to your GP and ask for Losec MUPS - they prefer not to prescribe this as it's more expensive but I explained that my DD was choking on the Mezzopram. DD2 started on Omeprazole at about 8 weeks old and weighed similar (or less than ) your DD. I was told the safe dosage range for her weight was between 3 and 13ml. I started at 3ml and then gradually increased it until it seemed to be helping. Ask the GP for the minimum and maximum safe dose. Also, I kept up the Ranitidine for a few days while starting the Omeprazole - GP said this was fine. The omeprazole takes a few days to kick in, but did seem to do the trick. Good luck!

Thanks for that!! It was a total disaster to 'dissolve'!! I'll try the water tmrw and think i'll still give some ranitadine too. I'll check with the pharmacist tmrw as they seem to know more than my GP!!

It was the pharmacist who sorted it out with the GP for me. Emphasise how dangerous it is for babies to have a tablet which doesn't dissolve properly!

Ooo I hate mezzopram! Impossible to dissolve. If you are still when you next visit the docs (and you find it as much of a pig to dissolve as i did) then as for losec mups brand of dispersible omeprazole, so much better. Dose wise both mine started on 1mg per kilo then went to my peds max of 3mg per kilo up to a maximum of 20mg per day. I have heard of other babies being on up to 40mg. To give it make sure you aren't crushing it or leaving it in water for longer than 15mins or so before giving it as these will hugely affect its potency. I second not giving it in milk, ideally you need an acid environment for it to work best so give it no less than 2hrs after a feed and 30 mins before the next one. We split the dose in to half morning and half evening.

Okay, thanks. My LO feeds every 2 hrs on the dot, it's like she has an in-built timer!! So will that affect the success of it working? That means ill have to give her it 1.5 hrs after her last feed.

Lindsay, my DD was the same. I rarely managed to give it to her 30 minutes before a feed, but managed about 15 minutes before. I think it's important that it's given on an empty stomach.

I called my GP and managed to get losec MUPS!! Soooo much better to dissolve. Fingers crossed it starts working soon as she's screaming at every feed again...!