Omeprazole Advice

[ELW85]

DS has Solent reflux (7 weeks old) and we were prescribed Omeprazole after a few weeks of Gaviscon not working and a trip to A&E after he’d been screaming for hours.
We can hear him swallow and then cry in pain, and it’s awful. He’s not getting into a decent sleep because of it, so cat naps through the day.
My reservation is about how hard of a drug it is and if I really want to medicate him at this age.
No judgements for anyone who uses it, I’m just super nervous. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I should point out he doesn’t cry all the time, but it definitely happens on a daily basis.
TIA

Hi
I had the same worries about giving it to my baby but wow, the difference with him on it compared to before outweighs the very small risks in my opinion.
He is so happy now & not in pain...I feel bad for not giving it sooner! The damage that can be done to the windpipe from untreated reflux is also a factor to consider.
Whatever route you go down, just know you’re doing the best for your baby with the knowledge and instincts you have.
Omeprazole is so widely used in infants & if you’ve tried everything else ie diet then I would go for it.

Thanks @Lou0712! Can I ask how bad your LO was when you gave it to them? Symptom wise?
As I say he has good days and bad so I’m in two minds but they say it peaks at 4 months so I can’t imagine how bad it could get.
My other concern is he’s coughing in his sleep when he manages to get sleep. His naps through the day have to usually be on me or DH or they’re cat naps. He sleeps for 2-3 3 hour stretches through the night (God knows how) but he still looks tired.

We gave it to him at 3 months old.....it got bad around 8 weeks, before that I thought it was normal baby stuff. He needed to be held upright or be in the pushchair on an incline to sleep...max he would do in his cot at night lying down was 2 hours. He was wheezy, had a cough, choked, blocked nose & took ages to feed.
He also had bad & good days. Have you tried a dairy and soy free diet for 3 weeks to see if that helps? A friend of mine tried that pre-omeprazole & it helped significantly.
We also had an a&e trip...it’s so scary!
It was a hard decision for me....I don’t even take pain killers, am so anti-meds & try to find natural remedies where possible but seeing my son in pain was too much. I am starting to wean him off them now 5 months later & have no regrets with my decision.

@Lou0712 - that sounds exactly like our little one. He’s got a cough and sometimes looks like he’s choking, and I think he’s wheezy but the GPs said it’s normal baby noises?!
He’s on formula as we had a scare when I was BF (long story) and the registrar didn’t think it was CMPA but I’d be willing to trial a formula before the Omeprazole. I’ll talk to the GP on Monday.
We’ve reduced his feeds, increased frequency and he has Gaviscon but it’s not working.
How are you finding the weaning?

DD has reflux (not silent, more projectile after every feed). We were given infant gaviscon, didn’t really help. Eventually I went to the doctors in tears saying I couldn’t cope any more. She was sick so much, 4 outfit changes a day was a good day and she cried whenever she was put down (we called her ‘Velcro baby’ she always wanted to be held!). We started her on Ranitidine (now withdrawn) and she was like a different baby! So much more settled and happy. One she was fully weaned and mobile (so uptight) the reflux settled and she didn’t need the meds any more. Honestly I would definitely try the meds if he’s struggling.

It’s been 9 years and I still remember the change in my little one when we started on this. It was so lovely to see him no longer screaming in pain.

They told me it was normal baby noises too & that his symptoms were colic but my instincts said otherwise & I sent recordings to a family friend who is a paediatrician who confirmed it was definitely silent reflux so I pushed the GP for help.
Reflux & CMPA have very similar symptoms & if I have dairy now, my son gets a mild flare up of his reflux even on the meds so it’s worth exploring....
But the meds were def the main saviour for us. Gaviscon did nothing & shorter, more frequent feeds didn’t help. In fact he was best when I let him feed constantly as the drinking soothed the pain.

Weaning has been great, he loves his food & I definitely think we can stop the meds soon as he started sleeping much better once he was eating more solids. Also as soon as he could sit up around 5 months he was much better too...

It’s a long journey but you will get there.

Omeprazole was a lifesaver for us. DS started at 10 weeks (10mg). He had been on ranitidine since 2.5 weeks but it did nothing. Omeprazole turned him into a different baby, so happy and content and sleeping through the night! It made a massive difference to him and us.

My friend is a teacher and she has had two children in her classes who have permanent vocal damage from untreated reflux. I'm sure they were severe cases but it's not something I would risk, especially when he was also so miserable and in pain.

He's 15 months now and still on it (only 7.5mg despite all the weight gain so weaning himself off it essentially). I hope to have him off it by 18 months but two paedetricians have told me they're perfectly happy for him to be on it this long because he needs it. They use it all the time in the hospital for babies and it is safe.

I’m sorry you’ve all been through this but it’s comforting to hear we’re not alone.
Will the omeprazole;

• help him sleep? His reflux disturbs him even if he doesn’t cry, it’ll be waking him on a level.
• help with the grunting etc? The GPs said he’s trying to find his voice but I’m not so sure.

When he coos and ‘talks’ or cries he doesn’t sound hoarse but his throat clearing is grunting if that makes sense? As you can tell @PippinStar I’m terrified of his voice being damaged. One Dr said it was impossible.

I think the reason I’m worried is that I don’t want any side effects if it’s semi-manageable but to be honest we’re having daily episodes of him swallowing his reflux. He doesn’t always cry which is making me hold off on the omeprazole but he also has bad days.
Was anyone else’s LO like this?

@Lou0712 - did the meds not make much if a difference on his sleep until he was sat up etc?

Thanks again for all the help everyone!

I was worried too about the voice @ELW85 ... I have no idea if it's possible or not. However, I have read that it can happen and my I'm just sharing what my friend told me.

DS slept much, much better after starting omeprazole, and the grunting / throat clearing (which the doctor told me was normal) stopped pretty quickly too!

Thanks @PippinStar - I’ve had a mix of docs but stuck to my guns. They even tried to say I was depressed and there was nothing wrong with him. I might be new at this, but I know my boy and I knew I was right. The registrar at hospital was great, but her daughter had reflux so she was very sympathetic.

Also, stupid question but how quickly did you see an improvement/how did you know it was working?

My DD had an ambulance trip at a few days old due to a reflux episode from being prem. She started gaviscon and then omeprazole fairly early around 4 or 5 weeks once they'd established it wasn't the odd occurrence. My eldest had reflux too and was on ranitidine and let me tell you the difference in them both when medicated is amazing. My baby is 4 months now and I can lay her down, theres less sick, she's less fussy and doesnt arch her back or cry with pain anymore, she is MUCH happier. With my eldest, we were able to come off reflux meds after weaning so it's hopefully not going to be ages that they will need it for. I 100% would give both my children the meds again.

What do you do when you have heartburn OP?

@gamerchick - not exactly a fair comparison when I can judge the pain of my heartburn for myself and understand the risks associated with taking them for a fully formed adult...

Yes you can judge the pain. Your baby can't communicate that and is totally and utterly depending on you.

You have a tiny baby who is suffering and you're fannying on about side effects. Why?

So yes, I'm being harsh. Give the medication to your child. You have a thread with multiple posts saying what a difference it has made.

@gamerchick - you must be really well versed on the side effects of it to judge me so quickly.
I presume you’ve got loads of experience in this particular subject to justify essentially calling me a terrible parent?
If not, remove yourself from my presence, polish off your multiple mother of the year awards and go troll a 12 year old on COD. I came here for insight and support, not idiots like you.

Yes he did sleep better once on the meds....we could finally put him down in his cot at night! He still didn’t do lengthy stints but at least we got our evenings back & I didn’t have to co-sleep.
They also improved all the noises.....he still has a reflux cough if I eat something that triggers it but you won’t get that with formula.
Also I’d say you’re a great mother for considering dealing with the sleepless nights & worry etc to avoid pumping a tiny baby full of drugs that you’re worried they don’t need so ignore the above!
BUT, I do think you the meds will benefit your son & I was reassured by a top paediatrician that short term use is harmless x

Thank you @Lou0712 - that’s been so helpful and I really appreciate your advice!
LO has slept in a 4/3/2 hour stint through the night broken up by feeds, so we can put him down but he’s really restless with throat clearing etc so it would be nice to see an improvement in him so he can get a deep sleep.

Hi @ELW85 to answer your question re how long it took to see a difference, I can't remember exactly as it was over a year ago now. But I know it was probably a week or less, definitely less than 2 weeks as he starting sleeping through from 12 weeks and he started the medication at 10 weeks. I do think it was only a few days though.

@FlowerTink - so sorry you’ve been through that; it’s awful when they’re so distressed.

Thanks for your input (nearly) all; it’s a tough time but it’s been great to hear your experiences and insight.

@PippinStar - forgot to ask; how/when did you decide to wean him off? I know he’s 15 months but I was thinking it would only be a few months?
DS isn’t losing weight; the only issue he has is the meal time fussiness, swallowing reflux and coughing/grunting etc

He's still on omeprazole, which shows how badly he would have needed it as a baby I think. He has zero symptoms now, and hasn't since he was maybe 4-6 months old. We only know there's an issue as when we attempt to wean off it, the symptoms return.

We have tried weaning him off it maybe 3 times. However, we have been able to reduce his dose to 7.5mg with no flare-ups. I'll try another wean in 2-3 months.

The only reason I won't try sooner is that the doctor has advised against it at the moment as when we do wean, the acid goes into his chest and causes a chest infection. Which isn't great with Covid-19 around! Hopefully though, he'll have no flare-up this time.

Also, lots of babies are only on it for a few months. DS is on it longer than average. But my viewpoint is: if they need it, they need it.

I am an adult and have to take omoprezole daily for reflux. I'd say the coughing from my own experience is due to the reflux as the acid can sometimes come up and irritate your throat when you lay down. I still get heartburn when I eat certain foods (spicy). Also tomato soup is a no no would be up all night in agony. I definitely think the omoprezole is for the best. As I said I still get a bit of heartburn sometimes but couldn't live without the omoprezole.
I know your child is only a baby but thought I'd let you know how it feels as an adult incase your child is feeling this and maybe help you later on when they eat properly to decide about trigger foods x