After 2upper gi's, an ultrasound, and a ph probe, the dr finally Figured out my 6mo old is suffering greatly from acid reflux! Happy to at least know what is wrong now. Just a little worried about the meds. They put him on zantac. was just wondering if anyone else ever had a child put on zantac, if it worked, had any bad side effects?

By Trina~moderator on Friday, September 5, 2003 - 10:56 am:

Oh, those tests are awful aren't they?! Glad to hear it wasn't something more serious and the GERD has been diagnosed. Things will go up hill from here. My DD had GERD as an infant. What a nightmare! Zantac made a huge difference. I can't remember the exact dosages 2x daily, but with the doctor's guidance we played around a bit before we found a dosage that suited her well. As she grew we had to up her meds a little to still be effective. She outgrew it at about 15 mos.. There are side effects but I don't recall them being a problem for DD. The benefits definitely out weighed the downfalls.

By Amy~moderator on Friday, September 5, 2003 - 11:26 am:

My ds had acid reflux as well. It was diagnosed when he was about 2-3 months old. He was also put on Zantac, and we experienced no problems at all. He outgrew it at about 8 months.

By Clair~moderator on Friday, September 5, 2003 - 03:54 pm:

My youngest has GERD - ditto everything Trina said though my daughter is 19 months and still has occasional episodes but nothing like when she was an infant!

By Pamt on Friday, September 5, 2003 - 06:06 pm:

My youngest has had reflux since he was a few months old. As an infant he was put on Zantac and Propulsid and they did nothing for him I *thought* he had outgrown his relux at about 15-18 months since he wasn't "spewing" anymore. However, I noticed he always had bad breath, even right after I brushed his teeth. I realized he was throwing up and re-swallowing. Gross, I know. We just went back for a follow-up visit with his GI specialist and we've upped his meds again. he's now on Prevacid (proron-pump inhibitor) and Reglan (tightens the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach). I asked the MD if he would have to be on meds forever and he said we'll just have to wait and see, but we may have to consider surgery . DS (age 6.5 yrs) has a chronic cough, frequent croup, and occasional hoarse voice. Ped and GI referred us to an ENT to see if this is reflux related or something else. We go for that appt on MOnday.

All this to say...make sure you stay on top of it and if the meds don't work, let your doctor know. Chronic reflux can cause damage to the esophagus and contribute to asthma and other respiratory conditions if it spills over to the vocal cords. Good luck and (((hugs))) Hope your laundry load decreases soon too

By Pamt on Friday, September 5, 2003 - 06:07 pm:

Wow! The typos---sorry. I really CAN spell

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, September 5, 2003 - 06:54 pm:

Absolutely you have to stay on top of it. My mom had been treated for "heartburn" and "acid stomach". She also had a really bad cough for many years, so bad sometimes when we were on the phone she'd have to hang up, and I worried about her getting a coughing spell when she was driving. After I moved them out here, when her condition didn't improve I got her to an ENT recommended by a doctor/lawyer at the firm where I worked (which did medical malpractice work); his wife went to this guy. One visit and he put her on Prilosec, saying of course you have a bad cough, you have acid reflux and your esophagus and vocal cords are damaged. He also put her on a no caffeine (including chocolate) no alcohol no spicy foods regime. Within a month her cough was reduced by 90%, but the damage to her esophagus was really bad. I am glad you got a diagnosis, and hope the meds work.
PamT, Prevacid is the next generation medication after Prilosec and is supposed to be really excellent - hope it works as well for your son as Prilosec did for my mom.

By Tyaustinsma on Saturday, September 6, 2003 - 12:12 am:

Well I started ds on the zantac today and it almost seems like his vomiting is worse, don't know if this is possible that the zantac could make it worse or if its just a bad day for him. How long do you think it takes before it starts to help, if it's going to? I don't know I am just so worried I will call DR in the morning . Thanks to you all for telling me your experiences I am so glad I joined your board, you are all so helpful and kind!

By Marcia on Saturday, September 6, 2003 - 12:34 am:

Zantac won't stop the vomiting, but will take the acid out of it. That will prevent any damage to his esophagus. The non stop reflux can be dangerous if he aspirates, which is probably what Ginny's mom was doing. This is what happens to one of my kiddos quite often - aspiration pneumonia. She's on Losec and Motilium.
If the vomiting continues, I'd definitely let the doc know. You don't want to deal with aspiration. There are several meds that deal with reflux, and sometimes it takes a few different meds, or different doses, before you find the right one.