Need help getting 9 week old to take omeprazole

[Janefx40]

Help if you can!

9 week old has been prescribed omeprazole but can't get it in him as

A) he hates the taste and cries and won't suck/swallow

B) the tablet doesn't dissolve properly and much of the dose is being left as sediment in the container when I suck it into the syringe.

I even bought a dummy-style dispenser that you are meant to syringe through a dummy into their mouth but that just doesn't pick up the medicine properly (all sediment left behind) and he won't take it.

Calpol syringe picks it up better but he won't suck it/take it and I worry it will hurt his soft pallet as he is resisting.

Any tips? Or shared experiences?

Thanks

Are you aiming the syringe into his cheek? I found that worked better than in the centre of the mouth for DD.

As for dissolving, we found doing it when the boiled water wasn't completely cooled worked better. The doctor said once we'd given the first syringe, suck up more water to dissolve the remaining granules.

Sending hugs OP, I remember my dd going through reflux and its heartbreaking! No easy fixes unfortunately, she was on liquid medicine for a while as opposed to dispersible tablet, (possibly ranitidine but apparently that's been discontinued), but omeprazole worked better. So wide syringe is best, you get good at hoovering up all the bits eventually!

Hang in there, it's tough especially if your little one has cows milk protein allergy, are you doing some kind of diagnostic oathway with doctor? Eventually we weaned her early and got simulac and neonate which solved things. We had to be quite pushy though as they're expensive... Good luck and wishing you all the best!

Pop the tablet into the end of the syringe and dissolve it in there. That way you can add more liquid but all the sediment is already in the syringe.

@Cocorico22 thank you so much. I don't really have any dairy anyway but maybe need to cut out the little we have. We agreed to try the omeprazole first because of this it seemed more likely. We had ranitidine for my DD which was so much easier!

@Whentwobecomesthree thank you. I will try this! 5th day lucky. Just have to somehow stop him spitting it all out!!

I actually think the doctor may have given him too large a dose by mistake (but not dangerously large just unusual according to nice guidelines) so maybe he's still getting as much as he needs.

@MoltenLasagne thank you! These are great tips. I will try this.

They say you can't mix with milk but it doesn't make sense to me since it's getting mixed with milk immediately in his tummy. I think a tiny addition of breast milk might make it taste a bit nicer!

On Sunday I squirted the last bit into the side of his mouth when he was breastfeeding and he didn't spit it out!

We have liquid and add it to the first bottle of the day, get if your breastfeeding might be different but could you ask for liquid?

@Kathryn91 thanks. I will ask for liquid if I can't get this into him but I checked and it is £216 per pack as opposed to £9 so I can see why they want to try this first!

@Janefx40
Holy Cr*p that’s crazy money!
It is a bit of a faff to first make it up but once you get the hang of it, it’s ok.
We we’re only given the liquid not the dissolvable thankgod x

Just wanted to say a massive thank you to you all. Tried an amalgamation of all of your tips and it worked!!! Managed to get the dose into him for the first time! He hated it and was in such a massive rage afterwards that he wouldn't even take the boob fit 5 mins BUT it worked and he will hopefully feel better in the long run. So thank you!

Good that you got it into him. Hopefully he'll get used to it and it will become easier. DD2 hated carobel and gaviscon with a passion, but came to tolerate the omeprazole pretty well, so hopefully your boy will be the same.

Give it a good mix before you draw it to help get the right amount of granules, and yes, a Calpol or nurofen syringe is best. You say it's a large dose for weight - perhaps worth doubled checking with the doctor or pharmacist if he's supposed to have the whole tablet. I think the smallest tablet is 10mg, and my DD is on 1mg per kg of body weight (very common dose), so when she was wee, we were mixing it in 10ml of water, giving it a good mix, and giving her 4ml of mixture. She didn't get the whole tablet until she weighed 10kg.

Thanks @skkyelark yes that's what I thought re dose but for some reason she gave him 10mg when he only weighs 5kg. I am going to query today. Thanks again

It actually interferes with the absorption of nutrients, so that’s why they say not to mix it with milk. I used to mix mine with a teaspoon of jarred baby jelly. (She was on it from 3 weeks, so I know the meds well.) I would suck that up into an Ibuprofen dispenser and she’d suck on it. The little grains aren’t supposed to be crushed, so I gave it to her “grainy”.

We had the same problem and spoke with our GP who confirmed we could mix the omeprazole in with our baby’s milk (pumped breastmilk into bottle). They increased the dose because it would be diluted if taken with milk but it’s been absolutely fine and worked wonders. He’s 9 weeks old approx 6kg and on 3ml mixed with 4-5oz milk once a day. Hope that helps!