Synthetic DHA/RHA Can Cause Symptoms That Mimic Colic or Reflux!!

Updated on July 17, 2012
J.M. asks from Wilmington, DE
4 answers

I want to get the word out because I think this could help so many Moms struggling to figure out "colic" or reflux!! I just sent this to my daughter's GI doc. Even though it has been almost 2 years since he treated her, we JUST NOW figured out what caused her problems! Dear Dr. XXXXXXXX,
I wanted to share something with you we recently discovered about our daughter, Charlotte (now 2.5 yrs), who you treated a couple of years ago (very briefly when she was about 2-3months old). Charlotte was suffering from severe GI episodes after almost every feeding. We treated for reflux without much improvement. Around 6-8months or so, things got better, but were still not great. By the time she was a year or so, all seemed just fine. We wrote it off as "colic" as everyone did. However, we recently made a discovery that I want to share because I think it could help other children. Charlotte has a severe GI reaction to synthetic DHA/RHA!! We only discovered it because we have her on organic milk and my husband purchased a different brand once that had "added DHA/RHA." After about 1.5 days, it was as if we went back in time! She was gassy, in pain, screaming her tummy hurt (since at least she can talk now!) and crying through the night. It never occurred to us it was the milk - we chalked it up to a bug. It persisted, but never worsened (no fever, diarrhea or vomitting) so I wondered if there was something in the milk causing her problem (the only thing different). We stopped the milk as a precaution and within 24 hours, she was fine. About a week later, my husband, who was convinced this was coincidence, brought home the same DHA fortified milk. Within 24 hours, Charlotte was a mess again! Same exact symptoms!! I did some internet research (I know, but stay with me!) and found several articles that suggest synthetic DHA/RHA can cause GI problems. We stopped the milk immediately and she immediately returned to normal. Unscientific, I know, but as a mom, I am 100% convinced that Charlotte could not tolerate all of synthetic DHA that was added to her formula and food. It explains why as she transitioned to table food and milk, her symptoms improved and ultimately resolved completely once she was off DHA altogether. I am no doctor, but I watched my baby suffer for a year and it broke my heart, so I thought I should share this with you (and with Charlotte's peds, and anyone else who will listen) if it could help another child not go through this. I now believe my other two children who were treated for reflux with no great improvements (not by you, but by their ped) also suffered the same issue. Just some food for thought! I hope this finds you well.

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So What Happened?

I don't have a "question" - just trying to spread my experience to help others.
I do realize majority of babies do just fine with synthetic DHA, but for those who don't, it's ugly!

More Answers

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B..

answers from Dallas on

And my son and thousands like him never had a single problem, and still don't.

What is your question?

ETA: This is a site for asking questions and gathering advice, not posting anecdotal evidence. Read the guidelines, or ask a real question.

3 moms found this helpful
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D.H.

answers from Louisville on

I also think that stuff was a problem for my grand! The parents never really addressed it with the doc - so I went and got the formula the hospital started her on (before the father proudly announced they'd have WIC - ugh) and over that weekend, she became a different child! Much less spit-up (esp projectile) and baby doo looked like baby doo not rabbit doo....

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

Excellent info . . . I'm not surprised either.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.N.

answers from Philadelphia on

Thank you for the info. My kids may have had some level of reflux but it was not as terrible as you decribed. More just a lot of spitting up but they were not miserable. With my first, I was crazy about finding a way to make him stop but never found anything that worked. It got better and was gone by the time he turned 1. I wonder now if it was the DHA. I'll make sure to look at my mild labels more closely now. I will also say that when I was pregnant I starting taking a pre natal vitamin with DHA supplement and it made me feel sick. I woke up feeling fine than felt awful after taking the vitamin. I starting to notice a pattern of feeling better on days that I forgot to take my vitamin. I ended up getting rid of them and taking a regular multi-vitamin with iron.

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