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Children's health

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Original poster

How long does omeprazole take to work?

29 replies

mawbroon · 16/09/2011 21:56

DS1 is almost 6 and has been prescribed omeprazole for his stomach troubles.

One doc said it takes a while to work and then the next said it works quite quickly.

We have an appointment in 6 weeks time, but have to go back before then if it's not making any difference.

It's not making any difference to him at all, but I am wondering what is a reasonable length of time to give it to work.

Anyone?

OP posts:

Original poster

mawbroon · 16/09/2011 23:13

nobody?

OP posts:

Heliopolis · 17/09/2011 11:05

It took about 3 days to see an improvement with my DS, but if there is a lot of inflammation you won't see any improvement until that heals which can take up to a month. Good luck.

Heliopolis · 17/09/2011 11:06

It took about 3 days to see an improvement with my DS, but if there is a lot of inflammation you won't see any improvement until that heals which can take up to a month. Good luck.

Original poster

mawbroon · 17/09/2011 22:21

Thanks Heliopolis. I guess that makes sense that it will take longer if there is a lot of inflamation.

I don't want to go back too soon just to be told that they will not do anything for another x number of weeks.

He did seem a fair bit better today until he did some crazy almost upside down manoever after lunch, despite being told to stay upright (I guess it's hard to remember when you're 5!)....

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BlingLoving · 17/09/2011 22:25

I take it as an adult. Took at least a week. But then it worked brilliantly.

Original poster

mawbroon · 19/09/2011 16:11

Thanks BlingLoving. Do you have to take it all the time?

The doc said oh and he might have to take these tablets for life. She said as if it were no big deal at all

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CombineArvester · 19/09/2011 16:20

Mawbroon what's wrong with your DS? Am just attempting to take DS2 off it at nearly 2 after some side effects, insomnia and reduced immunity unfortunately in his case. Some of the side effects mimic DS2's problems anyway, vomiting and diarrhoea are some of them! I would say keep a note on your calendar of the date you put him on it and a note of any improvement or any side effects. What dose are they putting him on? Can he take tablets ok?

I have to say it has not been the miracle that a similar drug was for my eldest child, I did not see a huge improvement that I had hoped for, he had diarrhoea almost immediately but some of his symptoms were improved after a week. However I do know for lots of older people it is really helpful, I hope it is for your DS.

HappyMummyOfOne · 19/09/2011 16:58

I take it as an adult and it takes about 10 days to kick in properly but then works wonders. I only take as needed and have had no side effects.

Original poster

mawbroon · 20/09/2011 10:58

Combine - he has had bother with his stomach since he had a dreadful d&v bug at 14months. It left him intolerent to dairy, except I hadn't twigged and kept giving him the stuff. Then about 6mo later, he had another bug but this time the intolerence escalated and it now meant cramping and severe pain, so I figured it out pretty quickly.

We would eliminate and reintroduce dairy according to how he was able to tolerate it, but he seemed to get more than his fair share of tummy bugs and we always stopped dairy during and after a bug to let him heal without the added burden of dairy.

So, he had two bugs over the xmas/new year hols and after that, he started showing symptoms of reflux. Doc gave him gaviscon and said it would prob take a few weeks to settle. It did eventually settle after about 8 weeks,so I thought no more about it. But, looking back over this period, I have since realised that he was coughing a lot and complaining of a sore throat, so I don't think the reflux type symptoms went away at all.

Then, at the beginning of July, he started really complaining of a sore tummy and had chest pains that stopped him in his tracks. We went back to the doc who put him back on Gaviscon and referred him to the paed at the children's hospital. The paed gave him the Omeprizole and that's been since a week past Fri he's been on it.

He is a bit better, undoubtedly, but he is still needing Gaviscon 4 or 5 times a day, so it's helping a bit, but probably only about 20%. We have done all the sloping bed, avoiding acidic food, avoiding eating and drinking at the same time etc etc.

I think I will give it another week and then phone for another appointment. She did say come back sooner than the 6 weeks if I felt he needed to.

HappyMum, I'm glad it works well for you. I guess if it's the right treatment, it should work wonders for ds1 too, so I am guessing it's probably not.

We have family history of heliobactor, ulcers and stomach cancer amongst other nasties, so I guess I don't want to be fobbed off with just some meds

OP posts:

NessaRose · 20/09/2011 11:16

DS2(8) is on 40mg. It worked very quickly for him about 2 weeks.

It could be that his dose needs to be increased. In my DS's case he has been on alot of meds and pretty much needing 2 or more each day (I can't remember all the names) before it was upped.

Pm me if you want to talk things through.

How old is your DS?

NessaRose · 20/09/2011 11:18

Sorry you've already said his age.

Original poster

mawbroon · 20/09/2011 12:02

He is on 20mg NessaRose. the patient leaflet says 10 or 20mgs depending on his weight. He weighs 20kgs, but I have no idea how high a dose he could go up to. Thanks for the offer of the PM, might take you up on it if things don't improve.

combine, sorry I didn't answer your question about being able to take the tabs ok. Do you mean physically take them? If so, then yes, he can swallow them down no problem which is great.

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WhereTheWildThingsWere · 20/09/2011 12:11

Not wanting to scare monger, but I was given this whilst on holiday as I had very painful indigestion that had not shifted for a week.

The drug took about 5 days to work fully, but was then very effective, however it made me extremely ill, stiff ( as in unturnable neck), horrific headaches, nausea, unbelievable dizziness (holding the wall to walk) and terrible anxiety. I told my own doctor and was taken straight off it but told the side effects may take a while to subside.

They initially got much, much worse and I really didn't see how I could go on, I have never felt so ill, a month later and I still have them though they are abating. On googling I have found an awful lot of people are effected this way (though obviously a vast amount more are not) and it looks like they are looking to ban it on the US.

In all probability your ds will be fine on it, but please be aware if he starts to feel ill.

I would

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 20/09/2011 12:12

Don't know where the rouge 'I would' came from?

Original poster

mawbroon · 20/09/2011 12:42

Yikes, those side effects sound awful WheretheWTW. No sign of any side effects with ds yet, but it is hard to know with him sometimes.

I will def kleep an eye out for them though, thanks.

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CombineArvester · 20/09/2011 13:31

I would ask for tests to make sure he hasn't got a stomach ulcer, I know it is possible to develop dairy intolerance following stomach bugs but if he is off dairy I would have thought the vomiting symptoms would go. It is very rare to develop reflux at this age.

Omeprazole is a huge big thing to be having when the cause of his symptoms hasn't been fully investigated - have they done barium swallow / ph tests / food allergy testing? Did they try him on ranitidine first? Or domperidone if he is actually vomiting?

The usual starting dose is 1mg a kilogram so that sounds about right, they will often go up to 1.5mg a kg as DS was on, max 2mg a kg.

Original poster

mawbroon · 20/09/2011 13:57

He's not actually vomiting, but he sometimes a bit sick in his mouth. We tried a month with complete dairy elmination during August, and tbh it didn't make the slightest bit of difference. I think the dairy intolerence might be a red herring in all this.

They haven't done any tests. First port of call after the Gaviscon was to try him on Omeprazole. The paed did say that if this didn't work, he would be referred to the gastro doc and they would probably do an endoscopy.

We did have his allergies dealt with when he was a bit younger. He was allergic to egg which he has now outgrown, and we talked to them at that point about the dairy thing, but of course there are no tests as such for an intolerence (I don't think?)

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CombineArvester · 20/09/2011 14:36

I do find it surprising that they put a child this age on omeprazole before a referral to a gastric specialist. There has to be a reason why he has started vomiting and this is what they should be looking for first. I think in a baby it is reasonable to assume that the valve between the stomach and the osepheagus is immature and medicate accordingly; but in a 6 year old?

NessaRose · 20/09/2011 16:55

Ok, this is what I would do*
ask for the refural to the gastroenterologist,
when you get your appointment take a list of worries/concerns with you,
ask about having a berium swallow xray (the drs can see reflux with this.) then if necessary the endoscopy and ph study. Or having the meds increased. Although the info leaflet gives a dose the gastro's can increase as was the case with my DS2.

I am not a dr this is my own experience.

Original poster

mawbroon · 20/09/2011 19:49

OK, decision made. I collected ds1 from school today and he seemed fine at first, but by the time we got home, he clearly wasn't.

I am phoning tomorrow to get an appointment asap. Every other referral we have had to the childrens' hospital (respiritory for allergies, ortho for stuck thumb, ent for hearing trouble), we have seen a specialist on the first appointment, but for some reason, this time we saw the sort of general paed first. So I guess it will be back to her and then a referral to gastro which could take ages

Poor ds1, it's really shite for him

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WhereTheWildThingsWere · 20/09/2011 21:45

Bless him I hope for you both that you get something sorted soon, fingers crossed for you.

NessaRose · 21/09/2011 11:00

Your poor DS. When my ds was refered it took about 2 weeks for the letter to come so I could phone and make the appointment the when I phoned I got an appointment for 3 days later!

Reflux is a horrid illness for them to have. If you need to pm me and I might be able to help even if its just reasurrance.

Just had a thought and I am sorry I missed it of my list, but you can ask for a referral to the dietitions and they can help by elmiating foods that are known to have a bad affect on reflux ie milk, spicey foods, dairy ect.

Original poster

mawbroon · 21/09/2011 12:53

Thanks NessaRose. We have already tried eliminating the usual suspects, and it's made no difference at all. DS is actually finding that milk products seem to soothe his stomach a bit, so we are back on those. We saw a dietician a while ago about reintroducing milk following his intolerence, and she was a bit, well, if he won't eat it, you tell him that there is nothing else. I don't really agree with that under normal circumstances, never mind with an allergic child

Another thing that I have read is that reflux can affect the ears too. He has been having ongoing hearing tests and has congestion in his ear that hasn't shifted for a couple of years. A couple of times, he has been at the doc for something else and on looking in his ears, the doc has found one of them to be bright red, but he's never complained about pain. If this is related to the reflux (which it may or may not be), then it means he's been having trouble with it for far longer than I have realised.

I called the hospital today and the clinics are completely full, so the secretary has to speak to the doc to ok an extra appointment for ds. She did say at the time that we could call if we needed to come back, so I'm sure it will be fine. But the doc isn't in til tomorrow, and I have no idea when she will be able to squeeze him in.

OP posts:

fairimum · 21/09/2011 16:50

my son is 17 months and on 20mg once a day...

NessaRose · 22/09/2011 23:42

He is going through a rough time bless him.

DS2 says that he feels abit better if he sits still for 10 mins after he has eaten. His pead says that it helps as it is reducing the pressure on the abdo.

Does any one fancy doing a support thread for those of us who are unlucky enough to have DC's with reflux? (Sorry for the highjack Mawbroon.)

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