Domperidone - Does it help with silent reflux

[whensmydayoff]

10 week old has silent reflux but it's really bad.

She screams day and night with the pain.

I can tell when it is reflux because my DS had it but not as bad.

I can hear the liquid come up in her throat and she chokes and coughs and screams with the pain. Also when it's reflux bothering her, her screams are more piercing and she arches her back.

Problem is, she comfort feeds as opposed to going hungry as some baby's do (my DS did).

The doctors have not taken her seriously as they keep saying 'oh she is thriving' - which is polite speak for she's a podger!! The pain is unbearable for her and the screams for us.

Anyway, I keep going back and the omeprazole is upped again and again but although it eases it a little it's still bad.

My DS had Omeprazole and Domperidone but 3 docs have said she doesn't need Domperidone because she is not sick and not loosing weight.

Last night I had another appointment with a different Doc. She knew about as much about reflux as I do about quantum physics!
In the end she looked up my DS's old records and said oh well, just have the domperidone since your DS had it !

I know it has more possible side effects so I don't want to give her it if it's not needed. Did it help anyone else's silent refluxer?

i sympathise, my ds1 had terrible reflux but not the silent type, it was projectile 5 times a day yet like your dd, my ds was "thriving" (on the 90+ centile). he was properly diagnosed with reflux (overnight in hospital being monitored) and was on domperidone, gaviston and something else for ages, unfortunately it didn't help. he grew out out if around 10 months! sorry not what you want to hear.

on a side note domperidone is what they also prescribe to women who want to increase breast milk supply!!

your dd is still young, could be wind or simple tiredness?

hang in there

Go to a different doctor. Keep going until you find one willing to have her tested or to prescribe her some relief. If possible time the appointment with when she is often in pain so they can witness it. really, they should know that arching and stiffness is a classic sign, as is that high pitched squeal of pain.

Domperidone or ranitidine might work. Ranitidine is (I think) gentler. Fewer side effects. Powdered gaviscon in her feed might help (though this may be to keep food down not to alleviate symptoms. My son had very noisy reflux so not sure on the different remedies for silent.)

If she comfort feeds - would she take peppermint of spearmint tea for some feeds which might soothe her stomach and her throat? Or could you water some feeds down a little or change milk brand, if bottle feeding, because it might be the richness that is aggravating her stomach. Also - keep her very upright during and for a good time after feeds. But you probably know all this already if your son had it. Sorry not to be of more use. My son had chronic reflux for over three years and it was so distressing. You have my sympathy. At least if she's a good weight she might grow out of it more quickly.

DD was on Ranitidine and Domperidone for her reflux. The ranitidine helped with the reflux (combined with Enfamil AR formula), however DD was till suffering from sleep apnea and the domperidone helped with that. The dosage of ranitidine was a lot smaller than the domperidone.

I would add DD never lost weight despite chucking up endlessly

My ds is on ranitidine and domperidone. The paed told me that the domperidone was an anti-sickness thing and the ranitidine was for the acid.

Roslily - that's interesting. I always wondered what the difference was. They never prescribed Domperidone for my son, even though he was horrifically sick between five and ten times a day. I wonder why not? They kept saying it had side effects but I knew other babies who were on it. My son was really tiny for ages - like a prem baby. Do they have to be a certain weight to be prescribed it?

My DS had terrible reflux (not the silent type and he seemed to average about 20 sicks a day) and was prescribed domperidone. It did seem to help and he grew out of it at about 11 months.
He never lost weight - in fact he was thriving.
Push to see a dietician? They diagnosed my son with a milk intolerance and prescribed an "easier to digest" formula which did seem to help. He grew out of the intolerance at about a year as well.

Meant to add that I am generally anti medication and was uneasy about having him on drugs for that long. But I never noticed any immediate side-effects and the desperation that his reflux caused us was appalling.

My dd had silent reflux from 2 weeks she finally came off her medication just before Christmas aged 23 months. She was diagnosed at 2 weeks when she had a foul cold and kept stopping breathing; we went through the usual gaviscon, ranitidine and domperidone however none of these worked........she forever wanted to feed but would then arch her back and come off the breast in pain. Nights were the worst as she cried in pain, we did the usual tilt of the cot/moses basket......she spent many a night in her car seat when I was physically and mentally exhausted as this is where she was most comfortable as she was partially sat up (I hate to admit I did it but my paediatricion assured me this was fine for those nigths when nothing worked). We were given omeprazle in the end and when they got the dose right (note this is key and needs to be checked regularly as they gain weight) things did improve alot. I was told she would get better once weaned.......she did not, when she started sitting up and moving..........she did not. We gradually learnt what worked for her.....once weaned to limit acidic foods, not to feed her too late in the day etc. Like you she was always a thriving baby (born on the 25th percentile but jumped to the 98th very quickly and stayed there........exclusively breast fed for 12 months). In the end she just grew out of it, she is now 2.3 and is doing well, she will occasionally moan of a sore tummy but I can usually pinpoint a reason........late supper etc. Hope things improve for you soon.........

Huge sympathies from me!

It took me five months to have dd formally diagnosed with reflux as she was 91st centile and didn't lose any weight

Dd was prescribed ranitidine which made a huge difference, and grew out of the sr (and was med free) by twelve months old.

Push for another referral, do your own research (there's a lot of info on the www), and don't give up until you're happy that it's sorted.

Also, dd loved to comfort suckle at the breast which made it worse. Giving her a dummy helped.

Thanks everyone. I finally started Domperidone this morning - was a bit nervous.

I feel the docs are clueless and im trying to get referred to hospital clinic.

Im sorry spottyslippers that it took so long for you, thats a nightmare. It makes me nervous as my DD sounds exactly like yours.

Im not handling it very well at all. Im starting to realise im depressed which makes me feel pathetic.(sorry)

Ive already been through this with DS but he was a completley different baby and so much easier in every respect. He slept well on his back too- DD needs to be on tummy before there's any chance of sleep. Means she cant settle easy though as she cant just lie and look round or watch the mobile etc. Nobody would like to drift off to sleep face down unable to move!

She is no doubt my last baby (2 with reflux is enough) and I feel like im missing out on her IYSWIM.

She is a lovely little thing and yet all that is keeping me going is wishing 6 months would come now. Im starting to realise that not all babies improve once on solids like my DS and I'll crack if thats the case.
I cant enjoy her at all like this. .

Try and get referred to a paediatrician if you can; this happended immediately for us as we took her to A&E when she stopped breathing four times one afternoon. Having heard other similar stories this was by far the best route as the paediatrician was very familiar with reflux and was happy to explore medicine options and we had a number of visits with her to talk through progress etc.

Sleeping on her front also helped her enormously (once I was able to accept that this was the only way I was ever going to get a few hours sleep although in the early days I was forever checking she was still breathing!) I resorted to putting her to sleep in the pushchair for her daytime naps which helped enormously. Her night time sleeping is not as good as DD1's as we tended to respond quicker to her cries as we naturally assumed she was distressed, this had the knock on effect that she has struggled to self settle.

However, the last two years have flown by and she really is a different child now.......happy, sleeping well and very robust (she copes with trips and grazes remarkably well, I often wonder if this is because she has a higher pain threshold as she had to put up with so much discomfort when she was young)........

I am now pregnant with DC3 and pray that we don't have another reflux baby.......looking back now I think DD1 had a mild form of silent reflux too.

Keeping pushing the professionals....it will settle down and most babies do grow out of it by 6 months (I was forever giving myself these milestones to work too....!) I do hope things get better soon.

congrats spottyslippers*. I hope you don't have a third with SR too. I think right now that has put me off 3 but I know once im out of this it will all seem like a short and distant phase!

I did speak to someone on MN who had 4 and 3 had it so it is possible for a sibling not to if its going to run in siblings IYSWIM

DD is on tummy too and I know what you mean, every whimper and we are on it

Hi Whensmydayoff,

I'm facing exactly the same problem as you. Reading your experience and feelings is exactly like i'm reading mine.
My DS2 is now about 13wks(7wks corrected as he is a 34weeker) and when he was ard 7wks plus, he started screaming, crying inconsolably and arching his back whenever he's awake. The only time he's quite when he's awake is when he's feeding. We ended up feeding him frequently and he was severely overweight. He does not spit up so reflux was not in my mind then. He seems to get worse and around week 10, it got so bad that he turned blue from all the crying. He was hospitalised for observation and we were sent home after 2 days with wind drops and advice to reduce his feeds. The diagnosis was overfeeding and colic. But i know it was more than that as his cries are that of agony, not fuss.

Took him to his neonatologist at wk 11 and described his condition to the paed. Omeprazole 5mg three times a day was prescribed and within three days his screaming and cries went down to about 50% and he's willing to take on the dummy. Day 4 and 5 was great but from day 6 of omeprazole it all went downhill again and the screaming starts again. On day 6, DS6 actual vomit projectile. He started choking and coughing till today. Each time after vomiting or a wet burp, he will start his screams (usually right after feeding) which will last for hrs till he's tired and fall asleep. However, he does not sleep well and often wakes suddenly and cry.

Brought him to the hospital A&E last week when the coughing was really bad and was dismissed as respiratory infection and just some nasal drops to clear his nose. I know its not. Brought him to another paed when the coughing worsen and domperidone 1ml three times a day was prescribed. I started the med yesterday and it seem to help a little. How's your baby responding to it? I hope its not another rollercoaster ride and i dare not be too happy yet.

I've even brought him to a cranial chiropractic but yet to see any results. Getting depressed to see my ds2 hurting and i'm trying anything and everything that works.

And yes, seeing him this way put having DC3 totally out of my thoughts.

Hope to hear from you on how your baby is doing.