Ranitidine query? Please help!!

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Permalink Reply by Helena on March 17, 2009 at 13:29

Hi
My LO was intially put on ranitidine too. It's not that it can make the reflux worse, it's just that it does not work in quite a high percentage of cases so the reflux continues its course and the pain gets worse as the medication is not doing anything for your little mite's foodpipe.
When this is the case, the baby should be prescribed a different drug, such as Omeprazole which inhibits the production of acid too but works in a different way from the ranitidine and in my own experience works much better.
If your LO is vomiting, ask the paed to add domperidone, which helps the stomach empty more quickly, it works for some babies.
Also, does your LO sleep in an angle? Sorry but I hadn't visited the website for ages so I don't know your story. Using a cot wedge and bed blocks will diminish the risk of choking and will make it more difficult for the stomach contents to travel up the oesophagus. I've got a wedge and bedblocks that I'm not cirrently using so I'm happy to lend it to you if you want.
Good luck, it's so awful watching them in pain... Hope things improve very soon.
Helena x

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Permalink Reply by Karen McConnell on March 17, 2009 at 16:27

Ladies
Thanks for your replies. Poppy has just started vomiting in the last few weeks we're due for a review at the hospital on the 7 th April and for a barium swallow on the 30th March. Do any of you have any experiences of this? Whenn we discovered POppy had reflux I looked into the sleeping issue and we actually purchasesd an Amby Baby Nature Nest which has been a godsend. It has changed Poppy's sleeping habits at night almost immediately she still mgets up during the night but only once twice at most now (used to be 4 and 5 times). I don't know about you but things just seem easier when you get your sleep. Helena thanks ever so much for the kind offer and if her reflux is still bad when we mover her to her cot at 12 months then we'll no doubt look into elevating the cot. How are your LO's getting on? It's just so difficult and terrible to watch them in pain? Karen x

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Permalink Reply by Helena on March 17, 2009 at 17:50

Hi Karen

Mi little girl had a barium swallow a few months ago. They put some special chalky liquid in their bottle and they watch through Xray as they're drinking.
In Alexandra's case it wasn't traumatic as by then the pain was under control with the Omeprazole. Apart from the reflux related pain issue, the test itself is non invasive and shouldn't cause your lol any distress. Hope by then the paed will already have adjusted Poppy's meds.
Helena

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Permalink Reply by Karen McConnell on March 17, 2009 at 20:32

That's good to hear. I don't know if I should phone the hospital to ask about her meds as we're not due back for another 3 weeks. I was going to give it 2 weeks on the ranitadine but not sure if we'll last the 2 weeks on it if things continue as they do. Karen

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Permalink Reply by Anna on March 18, 2009 at 15:22

Hi there,
We believe that my little boy (4 months) has reflux too and was started on raniditine and domperidone two weeks ago and I found that the symptoms did not get any better and i was having to give gaviscon in addition to ranitidine to help with the pain and stop him vomiting. I saw our pead again yesterday and he has incresed the dose of both medications, so he is now on 3mls domperidone (1mg/ml) four times a day and 1.5ml ranitidine (150mg/10ml) three times a day, with gaviscon as needed, which I have already had to give again!! We have not had any type of testing. Gaviscon works almost instantly for his pain but has the side-effect of making him constipated which makes matters worse in the long run. I am wondering if his symptoms would be better managed on Omeprazole.....i'm not sure how long to give the higher dose of ranitidine for until contacted the paed again. We have his cot elevated but he is still a very poor sleeper at night.....sometimes i'm up 1-2 hourly and he always wakes up screaming.....

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Permalink Reply by Karen McConnell on March 18, 2009 at 20:51

Ann
My Lo is on 0.4ml as far as I can gatherb they like to start low and increase accordingly. We're not due back until the 7th April so we've got a couple of weeks to wait unfortunately. I'm still giving Poppy Gaviscon in her bottle although I read somewere that you shouldn't give Gaviscon within 2 hours of giving ranitidine so we have been trying to work it in (the paed didn't tell us this). It's just so frustrating and it really is playing a waiting game. My LO's night sleep patterns aren't too bad (touch hairy wood) she tends to go from 7 until 4.30 without a feed although she does wake up a couple of times inbetween for her dummy. We've got an Amby Baby and I usually give her her dummy and a wee bounce and that usually does the trick. You must be exhausted I know what I'm like and things just seem a hundred times worse when you've not had enough sleep and you're tired and emotional. Let me know how you get on as our LO's are the same age. It's a pity we didn't live local to each other and we could have met for a chat. I get very frustrated and feel as if people don't really understand reflux and think it's not really that bad and babies cry so just got on with it - I don't know what your experience is of this. Anyways thanks and speak soon. Karen

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Permalink Reply by Anna on March 18, 2009 at 22:49

Hi Karen,
Thanks for replying. I didn't know that about the ranitidine and gaviscon, do they interact? I have been giving them together as I hadn't been advised of this either.....
I totally know what you mean about people not understanding, i'm sick of people asking me "did Harrison sleap last night?" as if he will just suddenly be ok! I know you're probably the same, but I just hate seeing him crying in pain all the time, he woke up screaming as I wrote the last line in my reply above, which is why i didn't finish off properly! It is very difficult and to make things harder we don't have any close family around us, but we are managing ok at the moment....
How well does Poppy feed? I am still breastfeeding Harrison, but will have to stop soon as i'm due to go back to work, which i'm dreading already and have managed to delay it until July but then financially I have to go back.... Harrison has had a bottle previously, but only took two ozs - this was prior to being diagnosed with reflux, so I thought that he was refusing the bottle when actually I think its to do with his reflux. He breast feeds every 2-3 hours during the day. I have stopped feeding him so much at night as I read that this can make symptoms worse so he wakes a lot during the night but at the moment, like you, i'm managing just to feed him at 4am ish and give his dummy the other times. What formula do you use? I asked my paed and he said to use any normal formula but I get the impression from on here that this could cause problems.... Have you started weaning yet? I was advised by the paed to start weaning so have, but it is hit and miss...Harrison loves spoon feeding - he was laughing while feeding the other day - but then often gets pained afterwards, so i'm taking it very slowly.
If you feel like you can't wait to see the paed again then ring and speak to his secretary and explain that you feel things aren't getting any better.....this is what I did and he saw me the next day and increased Harrison's medication. Sometimes you have to be a bit pushy!!
Well, keep in touch, speak to you soon.

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Permalink Reply by Karen McConnell on March 19, 2009 at 22:28

Hi Anna
I wish I had a pound for every time someone asked me if Poppy slept all night and then the phrase that really annoys me 'has she been good' I feel like screaming the poor wee soul can't help it that she's in pain. I'm very lucky as I've got my maum and dad just five mins down the road from us and they help a lot. I'm not sure if the Gaviscon & Ranitidine interact but read somewhere that giving them together can make the Ranitidine less effective!! I'm going to ask my HV about this on Monday when I see her I'll let you know. I use Nutramigen as my HV thinks the reflux is being caused by a cows milk intolerance but Nutramigen is not totally diary free but it certainly has helped her compared to the ordinary formula. That's interesting about the weaing our Paed told us to hang off with the weaning!!! I'm hoping that at the next visit he'll tell us to go ahead as my younger daughter Ava had a lot of feeding problems etc exactly like Poppy but was undiagnosed but very likely she had reflux and she defo improved when I weaned her. You must be finding the breast feeding hard going I BF my Ava but and she most likely had reflux and it was very draining. Don't beat yourself up about giving up the BF my oldest Elise who's 4 was BF for about 4 weeks and she's as strong as an Ox and I BF Ava for a year and she is the most sickly wee girl you'll meet!!! In fact she's off nursery the now with an ear infection and this is her 3 in 2 months and she's had a chest infection inbetween that. Anyway sorry for rambling on hope Harrison gets better very soon. Speak soon Karen x

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Permalink Reply by Anna on March 20, 2009 at 1:32

Hi Karen,
Well, I tried Harrison on some formula this morning which he took but the results have been unbelieveable.....he has screamed at a new level today and has been sick, sick, sick, sick all day. I gave him Aptamil, as this had been recommended to me, and it obviously did not agree with him, He has been too sick to have any other solids today so it can't be anything else that I have given him. I am womdering if his symptoms are due to cows milk protein intolerence...interestingly, I gave up drinking milk weeks ago so I obviously knew it was affecting him then, so i'm off to the gp again tomorrow to see what formula they recommend - have you seen the post about neocate? Well, speak soon.x

Permalink Reply by Karen McConnell on March 24, 2009 at 16:01

Hi Anna
How did you get on at your GP has Harrison been put on different formula? I did see the post on Neocate and I'm going to ask the Paed about this when we go back to the hospital. Poppy had a nightmare last nite as she had her injections yesterday as well and she was just really unsettled. She's put 1ib on in three weeks time which isn't great but it's not too bad. I'm going to ask about weaning again when I go back as well. Have you weaned Harrison? Speak soon x

Permalink Reply by ann taylor on March 25, 2009 at 16:44

yes it can i was insistant that it did after much rangling and hospital stays they put her on omerapozole, which has made her a different baby. Place your baby at angle, as the reflux can be quite forceful, and sont worry if she is sick youll hear her and be there. try and keep a diary of off and on ranitidaine as your proof.

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Permalink Reply by Karen McConnell on March 26, 2009 at 16:36

Hi Ann
Thanks for your. Poppy's in an Amby Natures nest which is at an angle. I've been keeping a diary as well. Things have just been an absolute nightmare we're having the ocassional good day in fact I can't remember the last good day we had the poor wee mite and I feel so frustrated and sad that my LO is on so much pain. We've got a barium swallow on Monday with her so hopefully that'll show how bad things are.

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