Ranitidine dosage / experiences?

[Mollywobbles82]

Does anyone have some experience with ranitidine for a newborn? DS is nearly 4 weeks. Currently weights about 4kg. Earlier this week, the GP prescribed him ranitidine - dosage 6mg up to 3 x per day. BNF (bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/ranitidine.html) says dose is 1mg per kg 3x per day but with the caveat in brackets that the max. per dose is 3 mg/kg 3 times a day. Does the prescribed dose seem right? He's on his second day of taking it. It does seem to have helped with the pain he was obviously in before. However, if anything he's sicking even more than he was before? Has anyone else had this experience?

Before the doctor agreed to prescribe him anything, she asked if we'd tried infacol. I said we had not, as I prefer to give medications that are evidence based if I'm going to give anything to a newborn. However, it took 48 hrs to get the prescription made up as it was not in stock in the right concentration anywhere, so in desperation I got some infacol to try.

I am sure it's just being stuck at home in the rain with a newborn and a toddler playing tricks on my mind but I'm starting to doubt all these decisions. Is it a good / bad idea to continue to give both the infacol and ranitidine? And does the dose seem ok?! And what about the increased sicking? I feel so bad that I've had to resort to this at all but the endless endless crying and failing to bring up wind and general unhappiness was taking too large a toll on all of us.

My ds is 12 weeks old and also about 4.5 kg (he was 6 weeks prem) and his dosage is 0.6 3xday, so sounds about right.

I've had hell with him, still do most days. Like yours, his pain seems to have stopped but he projectile vomits and struggles terribly with wind/bowel pain. He's just constantly miserable. I've pushed for a consultant appointment in September.

I've read on various "reflux" forums that infacol and gripe water should be avoided because they relax the sphincter muscle, which is the problem in reflux babies, so make it worse!

I'd keep going back to your gp until you're happy that baby is happy

I think he's written the dose wrong. My doc also did this. They usually start them on around 0.3 to 0.6 and increase from there to max dose as stated in bnf.

Also we use ranitadine with gaviscon works wonders for my little one.

Infacol does bugger all but makes their burps smell of orange and makes you feel vaguely better as you're 'doing something's.

@shakevigorously, my experience sounds v similar to yours. The projectile vomiting and wind pain are the same here. It's only been two days but he seems to be recovering faster after each feed if that makes sense but is still v unhappy each and every time. How many times have you seen your gp? Mine was v reluctant to do anything, i had to send out some serious 'I'm going nowhere until you do something' vibes.

This is my second baby and will more than likely be my last and it's so sad that instead of lovely snuggly newborn days we have such an unhappy baby who can't be comforted. It's broken my usually eternally optimistic dh. And our poor toddler dd is getting everybody's short shrift.

Interesting about avoiding infacol. I tend to agree with katniss, if there was evidence that it helped gps would be prescribing that instead...

@Mollywobbles82
I've been to the gp almost every week since he's been home from Scbu.

In the early days they blamed a lot on his prematurity.
It wasn't until they saw him in meltdown mode that they agreed to the ranitidine.
I'm not even sure the ranitidine is doing anything anymore, so many different issues and no one seems to have any answers.
It's so very frustrating isn't it.

He's my 3rd baby and if I'd had him first I'd never have had more.
I've turned into an exhausted anxious mess.

I went last week because the vomit was hitting the ceiling and he was constantly screaming and moaning. They made an urgent referral- but that's still 4 weeks away!

You know yourself your baby isn't right, it's awful we have to fight. Keep on at them.

Oh you poor thing! I hope something positive comes out of your referral.

It's shocking that there seems to be a belief among gps that tiny babies who can't speak up for themselves should just go away and suffer and their parents and siblings should just put up with it too. I Hope things get better for you soon!