Experiences with Zantac for baby?

JKM416

DS2 had his two-month check-up yesterday and was prescribed Zantac.  He's a fussy guy and has the same spitting up/gagging/screaming/back-arching/etc. symptoms that DD had (back when I was new at everything and took the pediatrician's admonition that "Babies cry.  She will get over it." as evidence I was worrying over something normal).  Looking back, I'm pretty sure she had some form of reflux and feel bad that I didn't pursue treatment further 

So I'm pretty sure I want to use the Zantac for DS2, but any medication given to a tiny baby makes me nervous.  I was juggling three kids at the appointment and we'd already been there for forever.  I realized once I got home that I didn't find out more specifics about best times of day to give the twice-daily dose, how it should be scheduled around eating, how quickly I could expect to see results (and what those improvements might be), etc.

If anyone can share their experiences and reassure me that it's worth trying, I'd appreciate it.

Jitterbug2668

DS was on Zantac as well.  I gave him the first dose as soon as he woke up for the day and his 2nd right before bedtime - that got moved to before dinner time when he started solids.  I noticed results within 3-4 days.  Magical!

tracy042206

It was a life saver for us with Maggie.  She did everything you said - arching, screaming, crying and it was all just escalating from about 1.5weeks-5weeks old.  It was getting to the point were she was refusing the bottle and I was just at wits end with the screaming and crying all the time - DH would come home to find me crying over her crib while just cried and I could not soothe her for the life of me (the Happiest Baby on the Block techniques helped in the beginning but I think her reflux was just getting worse until they only rarely helped). 

At first some of the pedi's were just like that was normal blah blah blah but finally when I took her in at 5 weeks I think the pedi saw my face and how run down I was and just said, well, let's try reflux meds since some babies don't spit up but still have reflux.  It worked within a day and in 3 days it was like we had a new baby.  She was still fussy and would cry but it was handleable (probably not a word). 

She took it twice a day, we just did it first thing in the morning and before bedtime (I remember always giving it to her in the crib).  She loved taking it, oddly enough, after the first few times.  We would start to notice an increase in the symptoms and then would call the doc and they would up the dose since it is very weight dependent and they would adjust at all her check up visits for her new weight.  She stayed on it until about 9 months old when we weaned her off and she did great.

 

ETA:  The pedi told me it is a very mild med and that was why she just suggested trying it to see if it would work for us.

 

2vthokies

DD1 had reflux (with projectile vomiting, so fun).  We did Zantac for a few weeks (I think weeks 3-7), but ultimately switched to Prevacid.  It worked better for her because she kept outgrowing the Zantac dose.  She didn't like taking Zantac so I gave it to her while she slept in the morning and then in the evening.  She loved taking the Prevacid, so we never had an issue with that.

I felt the same way you did, but when I saw the change in my fussy baby I never looked back.

QueSrah

Zantac is really mild - so mild that it didn't help DD a whole heck of a lot at 2 months.  I don't think you have to worry about when to give the doses - get them in when you can, depending on when DS2's schedule and how much he likes the flavor.  (The one we had was minty, and DD didn't seem to mind it.)  It's not that fussy of a prescription.  Within weeks we had moved on to Prevacid because it was only mildly helping DD.  It's definitely worth trying, and if it works it will be great for you.  If it doesn't work wonders within a few weeks, talk to your ped. about trying something stronger.  (Our ped. switched DD to Prevacid rather than trying a higher dose of Zantac, just based on her minimal relief from the initial dosing.)

drslizndan

This for us too.  Zantac really didn't help DD even tho they kept upping her dose.  We really saw a change in our DD in 3-4 days.   To us, it was a lifesaver.  She eventually outgrew the use of it after 5 months or so.  The crazy part was finding a "compounding" pharmacy that could grind up the pills.   They kept sending us to a place in Vienna off of 123.  On a trip to CVS in Burke for some shampoo, I asked the pharmacist if they were a compounding pharmacy, and they said "yep".  And they had drive thru service.  Huzzah!

drslizndan

p.s. DD was on the meds from like 7 days old until 5 months.  I think It's a totally benign drug for little kids as long as it's given in teh right dosages according to dr's instructions. My sister whose a pediatrician also had her two children on it from birth to 6 months.

JKM416

Thanks, everyone!  You've made me feel better about dosing my little guy.  I don't want to give him something unfamiliar just before bed, so I'll start tomorrow right when he wakes up.  Hopefully it'll help ease his discomfort (and if not, I'll try the other options).  But I'm pretty sure he's hardwired to be a bit of a (cute and sweet) fusspot no matter what.  I don't anticipate a major personality shift

Artslvr

We tried Zantac, but it didn't work, probably because reflux was not the problem.  Turns out DS was just a colicky baby, probably stemming from milk allergy and asthma issues.  Fun fun fun!

Hope the Zantac works!!!

MrsNJSwimmer

We tried Zantac, but ultimately switched to Prevacid, which he was on for about a year.  I think we gave him the meds about 30 mins before the dinner bottle and right before I left for work in the morning (so about 1 hour after morning bottle). 

I think it's because he doesn't remember a time he didn't take a daily medicine that he's so good about taking any meds when I feel he needs it!  (silver lining here)