8-mo diagnosed with temporary lactose intolerance - can't find formula paed suggested while abroad here. Should I pick any (and any suggestions if so, please) from shelves or do I need to see gp again?

[SalLikesCoffee]

Sorry for long topic. My 8 month old seemed to have developed a temporary lactose intolerance after antibiotics and short illness. I thought his mild diarrhea / too regular dirty nappies was linked to his teething, but after nothing seemed to help I saw a paed whilst on holiday, who suggested temp. lactose intolerance. I switched to lf with immediate results.

As I can't find that formula here (NAN ), should I use anyone I can find on the shelf (a quick search only led me to SMA Lactose Free), or do I need to see my gp here?

Thank you very much in advance for any advice.

I'd definitely ask GP/pharmacist for advice, especially as you saw paed whilst awaycan't do any harm. You might be referred to a dietitian and even be able to get the formula on prescription if it's going to be a long-term thing (DD has had this, but she is olderboth times a week off cows' milk products did the trick)
In the meantime, if you know the name and make a pharmacist might be able to find out whether the formula is available in the UK under a different name, or you could google it and see what you discover.

Oh and forgot to mention, diarrhoea is a side effect of many paediatric antibiotics but it doesn't nrmally linger after the course of meds has stopped.

def see GP, you can get lactose free formulas on prescription if theyh're absolutely necessary.

Thanks Arabica. It's NAN (which is Nestle, which is why I can't find it here). The price there was roughly the same as the "normal" formula tins, but sadly the only thing that I could find here by searching Boots etc was SMA LF and that seems to be a lot more expensive. Fingers crossed that he doesn't need to use it for long!

I hate worrying about whether or not the gp will think I'm wasting his / her time whilst there, but I don't really know enough about it to guess when and how to reintroduce lactose etc.

Sorry, slow post on my side. Thanks for input too thisisyesterday. Maybe they'll think such a major change warrants seeing gp (hopefully).

I think the intolerance started because of the antibiotics, but it got worse until I saw paed about 3 weeks after the course has finished.

Your GP definitely will not think you are wasting his or her time, it's always worth getting these things checked out, espcially in a baby who is still young enough to be getting most of their calories from milk.

I thought the 'NAN ' meant you were apologising to your grandma about not knowing the name of the formula...didn't realise it was a brand name!!

Hehehe. No, the '' was purely for my use of a Nestle brand! Every time I see "NAN" from now on I bet you I'll think of the apologies to grandmother and laugh!

Hi Sal

My DD has just been diagnosed with lactose intolerance and we get her milk wysoy by SMA free on prescription.

I had to drop off a sample of her poo to the hospital where they found there was sugar in it which means she has intolerance.

You will also be referred to see a dietitian (we are waiting to see one)who will help with when to start re-introducing milk etc.

hi sal
2 of my girls had lactose intolerance and were put on sma wysoy. My son Ashton has it too but has been put on pepti junior as new research has shown that soya based milk such as wysoy is not ideal for baby boys. Worth going back to dr to discuss options and get a referral. Hope all works out.

That's good (well, agree on the " factor, but can see the point) news simpson, as I was a little worried as to how I would know when to switch back on my own! How is your daughter doing now?

What is it with me and my slow posts / forgetting to refresh tonight?!

Gemprincess, I'm kind of relieved to hear you mention the soya research, as I wasn't sure whether the articles I've read today was just nonsense. I'll mention that to GP tomorrow as well if she suggests soya straight away.

With the poo sample - as I'm now already using the NAN lf (which I'll run out of soon), I wonder whether they'll have me use "normal" formula again to see his reaction or whether they'll accept the paed's report (which relied on my answers, not actual tests).

She has only been on soya milk for 3 days but it has made SUCH a difference
She had the opposite problem to your DS, was constipated constantly and screaming/straining ALL day. It got so bad she got the baby version of piles

She eats soya yogurts and hipp organic do a pudding jar (banana rice pudding) which is dairy free.

Our GP was fab and didn't question me at all...just got referred to hosp and were seen within 2 wks.

Thought I was going to run out of soya milk yesterday as chemist have had to order it in for me and when I was out saw it in another chemist and thought "Oh I'll just buy a tin" Was totally at the price!!

That's wonderful news (for you as well I can only just imagine!) Poor thing, must have been really hard (no pun intended). The immediate improvement when I started the lactose free shocked me, but in a good way at least. Tbh I felt guilty about not having done something earlier, as not even Bepanthen helped his poor bottom anymore by the time I saw the paed. I kept telling myself it's just his teeth coming trough and that it would disappear on it's own (his teething coinsided with this happening, the poor thing).

SMA Lactose Free ( light blue can with SMA LF on it) is the best. I tried alll of them, the LF ones, the goats milk and soy milk ones etc etc.

Sal - your poor DS

I was the same TBH, before I weaned her I didn't notice anything wrong although she was not the easiest to feed and never seemed to "like" milk. Now I know why!!

When I weaned her she became bunged up straight away and at first I put it down to babyrice/weetabix etc. Feel awful that her bum got so bad too Do think a mother's middle name is "guilt" though.

Have noticed that the soya milk is a bugger to get out of bottle when you clean it, it is so gloopy.

Oh, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your posts. I was hoping for one or two so that I could at least know whether or not to "bother" the gp tomorrow morning, but I now feel a lot better and less alone with the lactose issue (none of my rl friends have had any problems with lactose, so no-one I could just chat to about it).

Quick report back. GP was great and said that, as lactose free seemed to have worked immediately, she'd go with that without having to resort back to normal formula for tests (and I assume mainly because it is only temporary anyway).

She prescribed SMA Lactose Free to be used for a month, and after that to try reintroducing lactose again gradually. Hopefully it'll have sorted itself out by then.

Thanks for all your help.

Sal

Glad it went well with GP it would have been awful to have had to put him on cows milk formula just to do the test iyswim.

Went out to a kids party yesterday afternoon and DS (3) fed DD a mini pizza and I didn't notice till she had eaten nearly all of it so we have having a BAD day here. Lots of straining/screaming etc Lots of poo pellets...

Not helped by having had half a banana after breakfast too!! Oh well looks like prunes for tea!!

Oh dear, Simpson! Guess these things happen though, but good luck for tonight!

Glad the GP was so helpful