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Children's health

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Original poster

Silent reflux - when does omeprazole work?

11 replies

Ma2024 · 27/02/2025 07:50

Hi all

Looking for people's experiences with silent reflux and omeprazole. When did it start to work for yours?

After unsuccessfully trying gaviscon we've now been given omeprazole and today is our first day. I'm full of hope but wondering what our road looks like for the next little while

OP posts:

77summers · 27/02/2025 08:05

if you take it, before you start to eat anything, it works best. They tend to give you that in Spain, if suddenly you are prescribed with different medicationin tablets to proterct the stomach, and tend to give you the advice to take it, just before breakdfast. Good luck with that.

User415373 · 27/02/2025 08:08

Ho OP, how old is your baby?
Silent reflux is rubbish, my first had it and I feel for you! I'm sure someone will be along in a minute with experience of it but I just wanted to share my experience.
I become obsessed with 'fixing' the silent reflux, trying the gripe water and gaviscon etc. I did so much reading around the topic and always back at the doctors etc. Omeprazole was the next stage. In the end, I chose not to go down that route as there is limited/no evidence that treatments like omeprazole ( or any of the previous stuff) work. Studies have found this. Some of my friends used in with their babies, some found it helped a bit, some found it worse, some found it a nightmare to administer, but all our babies improved around the same time so hard to say whether it was the treatment or whether they just grew out of it!
Of course worth a try if that's what you want to do but there's lots of support and advice out there to get you through if you find it doesn't work as you'd hoped.
There's a lot of thought out there that silent reflux is part of normal development (which would explain why cases are soaring) and can be managed naturally until they grow out of it.
In the end all that helped us was regular breastfeeding - little and often, and allow her to stau on the breast to suckle for comfort as much as she wanted to help with pain. Being upright all the time helped, which meant she was in the carrier on my chest constantly. Moving to co sleeping almost instantly solved the issue at night though I know that's not for everyone. We also tried a dummy but she wouldn't take it! It was very hard and she was glued to me but it helped. She grew out of it in the end and once I'd mentally let go of the need to 'fix' it, it became easier.
Best of luck, it's so hard x

TragicMuse · 27/02/2025 08:11

Absolutely follow the dosage guidance on when to take it - 30-60 minutes before food.

Did you use Gaviscon or Gaviscon Advance? The Advance stuff is the one for serious reflux issues rather than just a bit of indigestion. Texture is hideous but it works!

I take lansoprazole, which is the same family, and the daily capsules are essential. I really know when I haven't had them.

Good luck!

User415373 · 27/02/2025 08:21

Sorry OP I presumed you meant for a baby! Ignore me 🙈

Justgoingforaweeliedown · 27/02/2025 08:21

It never worked for us. It caused so much discomfort I decided to take my son off it. Like PP, we did some research and we're not convinced the way you're told to administer it is effective, to the point that I think baby was constantly under dosed and suffering with a permanent acid battle. He was like a new baby when we took him off it. That did result in the stomach acid causing other discomfort (including sore throat and bottom) so paediatrician recommended we need to treat the reflux rather than leave baby in pain. We were prescribed lansoprazole which was a tablet you pop under baby's tongue and it dissolves. It was honestly a game changer for us. Apart from the fact it was so easy to administer, the sickness almost disappeared overnight (although not completely) and DS was the most comfortable he's ever been.

Baby reflux is really rough and feels relentless but it does improve. Our son was off lansoprazole and no reflux shortly after turning one.

Original poster

Ma2024 · 27/02/2025 08:21

User415373 · 27/02/2025 08:21

Sorry OP I presumed you meant for a baby! Ignore me 🙈

I did! Trying to edit the post now!

OP posts:

Sunandsea13 · 27/02/2025 08:24

Hi OP! This was me back in December! My baby was suffering so badly and we were given omeprazole. It was a complete game changer and we noticed a difference right away! You should see your baby really calm down and we then got all of her smiles and giggles, before that she was just upset most of the time, bless her. We were told to give it 2 hours after food and then wait 30 mins to feed for it to work.

Really recommend keeping your baby upright after feeds. My baby is 4 months now and is on a super low dose every other day and we should be off it by April.

If you want to chat at all just DM me x

77summers · 27/02/2025 08:38

Sorry, muddle brain, I thought we were talking about an adult here.

Original poster

Ma2024 · 27/02/2025 08:56

Can't edit... not sure if that's just me being muddle brain

Thanks everyone for your responses it's really helpful.

To add its for my daughter who is almost 10 weeks. We had the same with my son although we were able to manage his without medication. For my daughter this is a whole different ball game, constant screaming and writhing in pain so we need to do something, we're on a CMPA pathway and we're almost 2 weeks without dairy or soy so hoping that helps the healing journey. This discomfort is 100% acid she smells a bit sour and I can see it coming up and being gulped down followed by pure screams.

Started the omeprazole this morning so fingers crossed this is the turning point, after 8 weeks of screaming in lower GI discomfort from the CMPA I just would like a day where she enjoys life...

OP posts:

User415373 · 27/02/2025 09:27

Ah bless you OP it's awful isn't it. Mine had cmpa as well actually so that was definitely not helping and it took a few weeks of it being out of my system but that really helped too.
Hope you see some improvements soon. I also used to hold my girl with her back against my chest, with my hands under her thighs and give her a little bounce, this would get so much wind out that helped as well (couldn't do bicycle legs as she'd never lie on her back!)

skkyelark · 28/02/2025 11:58

DD2's reflux was most definitely not silent, but omeprazole made a dramatic difference within 48 hours. They say it takes a bit longer than that to reach full effectiveness, though. It didn't help that much in terms of her being sick (that's not what it's primarily designed to do), but it was absolutely night and day in terms of her screaming in pain.

One tip is when you're changing, roll them to the side (one side, then the other) instead of lifting their legs up in the normal way. Then you don't squish the milk out nearly as much. And for anyone reading this where the reflux is not silent, put a muslin/flannel/etc. under baby's head or on their chest, wherever they tend to be sick. It saved us a great many outfit changes and hair washes.

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