Hi! I would like to know if anyone has a child who has tried both Prevacid and Nexium, and which one they preferred. A little history: my 5 month old has been on Prevacid for gastroesophageal reflux since she was less than 1 month old, and her dose was increased to 15 mg twice a day at 2 months. I am exclusively breastfeeding her. She does mostly well as long as I stay very strict on my diet - no dairy or beans and limited nuts and veggies. I tried solids and while she is developmentally ready to eat (and loves it), her little system was clearly not mature enough to handle it. Her GI doctor said we could try Nexium if we want, but there is no way to know in advance if it will work any better or worse. I am torn, because under perfect circumstances she does well on the Prevacid, so if it's not broke...right? However, she will need to start eating some solids soon, and it would be nice to cheat on my diet every now and then! We have no family history of allergies, so I'm not sure why she is so sensitive! Thanks in advance to anyone who has advice on this!
Prevacid Solutabs are bay far the best thing out there!!! Believe me...I've done TONS of research and it is the best.
Hope this helps!
C.
E.
I think if something is working, leave it alone. My daughter who is 12 takes Prevacid from time to time and it works great.I take Protonix daily and it works for me. This may be something she outgrows. Do not be afraid o try different foods, this is why she takes the medicine. What do you mean by solid foods? She should be ready for baby food such as veg. and chicken, veg. and bacon. chicken noodle,etc. Is she on fruits and cereal? I would leave her on the prevacid, you will know when it is not working.
S. Miller
E.,
I have a son with GERD and work with a lot of families who are experiencing similar situations.
Regarding using Nexium, please please please be sure that that's approved for your child's age group. I have never heard of a doctor recommending that for a 5 month old child. You may want to consider getting a second opinion from another GI. If she's having that much trouble, it could be that she has another GI issue. I never had to alter diet for my son when he was on Prevasid or Zantac (the 2 drugs usually prescribed for children with GERD). I'm suspecting something else is going on especially since you say you eliminated dairy. Your child does need a balanced diet or one that provides her the nutrition she needs and eliminates foods based on a specific diagnosis.
If you'd like to talk more with me, please feel free to email me or call off the group.
I work with families who have children with any kind of special health need. I'm the Program Supervisor for the Family to Family Health Information Center in Louisiana. If you aren't in LA, you can also contact the F2FHIC in your state and I can connect you if you'd like.
K. Scallan
Louisiana Family to Family Health Information Center
A Statewide Program of Bayou Land Families Helping Families
204 East Bayou Road
Thibodaux, Louisiana 70301
###-###-#### or (800) 331-5570
Fax; ###-###-####
Email: ____@____.com
I don't know about babies but as for my self. I prefer nexium. Prevasid and protonix neither one worked well for me. Nexium works much much better. What ever you think will work best for you and your lifestyle. Good luck
well, we were on zantac and reglan at that age. we didn't switch to prevacid until dd was 4 years, that's right, YEARS old and weaned her off of it last year (she just turned 7, and we may have to go back on it). If you haven't had her tested for allergies, I would ask for it. Many times the major ones can be detected with a simple blood draw instead of a long drawn out pin-stick test. My dd is not allergic to anything, but she cannot eat large amounts of anything with mint oils or flavorings, large amounts of caffiene, or chocolate. She can have citrus juices only with a full meal, preferably one with dairy or soy in it to balance the harshness of it. however, for some reason, tomatoes and tomato juice do not bother her.
as an infant she could not eat green vegetables, peaches, oatmeal, or sweet potatoes without problems...so I would wait on those. The easiest to start with are bananas, apples, pears, and squash. feel free to email me if you like
M.
There is a doctor at Baylor University, who is doing research on reflux and colic. His research is beginning to show yeast overgrowth as a major culprit. Is your baby on a probiotic (you can get one at a good healthfood store made specifically for infants/children)? Once that is under control, you may find foods more tolerable, and less of a need for medications. At 5 months, she is still young enough not to need solids just yet, and Nexium is not going to mature her system. I'd consider working on balancing her system, then try solids in a month.
You're setting yourself and your baby both up for a fall if you're limiting your fresh vegetable intake. Fresh, whole foods contain the essentials you need for proper cellular development. If you havent done so already, cut all your MSG intake - its the main culprit for most of the problems and sensitivities you're having. Here are a couple websites that help explain...
http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/msg091405.cfm
http://www.drhoffman.com/page.cfm/38
My own child takes Zantac, and has done very well. However, a word of warning on Nexium: I just read an article that said it can prevent or reduce calcium absorption. I take it myself, so am now trying to see my Doc and do some investigating. This is a crucial time for baby to build strong bones and calcium supply, so I would talk to your doctor. Like I said, this just came to my attention and I don't know all the details yet, but wanted to share the heads up!
Good luck to you, and by the way, my first outgrew her problem by 6 or 7 months, so maybe yours will, too!
My son had some reflux issues as a baby.
We took him to a chiropractor that is trained to work with babies and small children. After a few adjustments (actually after the 1st one) his reflux stopped. NO DRUGS WERE NEEDED!
I also gave him some baby acidophilus on a regular basis for his little tummy and digestion. It worked wonders.
Those drugs have so many negative side affects that I wanted to try other options first.
HOpe this helps!
Hi E.,
My daughter has a chronic cough, and the consensus (at least for a while) seemed to be GERD. Long story short, I took her to an ENT who put her on Nexium for awhile. When we went back to the specialist she had been seeing, the doctor was kind of surprised/shocked as she said it isn't approved for use in that age group (my daughter was 3 at the time). I don't know that doing something like that is so uncommon, but I just thought you might want to ask about it.
Good luck!
PS I'm not one who is a big fan of pharmaceuticals either, but don't feel guilty if your child ends up benefiting from them! Natural solutions are ideal (I always try them first!), but modern medicine has prevented much suffering and helped save many lives that would have been lost in the past. But I guess as a nurse you know that. ;-)
