Zantac?

JuddandJessica

Has anyone had to start it with their baby? What was your experience like?

Karen1998

Yep.  We had a colic and reflux baby.  He took another med for the first few months, but it had supply issues, so we switched to generic Zantac.  I think the first med worked better, but it wasn't enough better to pay the extra $75 a month for the name brand and chase down a pharmacy that had it.  He took it until we weaned him off around 10m.  It seemed to help him and to reduce his irritability.  I also was BFing and cut out all milk, including hidden milk, as that aggravated his symptoms.  

He liked the first med, but we had to crush it and dissolve it in water and then give it by syringe.  The Ranitidine was already liquid, so it was much easier to give.  Since I EPed, we just mixed it into an ounce of BM and fed it to him in a bottle.  Otherwise, he HATED the taste of it.  It's bitter.  

martinimomma

Ah, the joys of reflux.  G had wicked colic, reflux and dairy and soy intolerance (the latter part continues today).  He started out on Zantac pretty early and was on that for a good while before switching to Prevacid. For us, the Prevacid was a breakthrough. But at first, even the Zantac was a big improvement. Our pedi does not like to start Prevacid till  6 mos of age or later.  He started it about 8 months or so, I think. 

The Zantac suspension is, as Karen wisely noted, easy to use.  G took his well using a syringe.  The Prevacid was a dissolving tablet, and at first we dissolved it and shot it in his mouth, but soon he got the hang of letting it dissolve in his mouth. It tasted like (fake) strawberries and he actually got excited when we gave it to him. Kind of funny.  

One important thing to know and  remember about Zantac is that it is very weight dependent. If you see relief in your LO and after a brief period that changes for the worse, you probably need to have him weighed and the dose adjusted. We took DS in for weight checks every couple weeks (pedis office is across the street so it was easy for us) to keep the dose up to date and try and keep him comfortable. 

We were able to wean him off all reflux meds by 13 months.  Wish I could say the same for resolution of the dairy and soy issues!

Good luck! It can be tough to get used to, but you can do it. 

martinimomma

Jessiebug81:

Karen1998:

Yep.  We had a colic and reflux baby.  He took another med for the first few months, but it had supply issues, so we switched to generic Zantac.  I think the first med worked better, but it wasn't enough better to pay the extra $75 a month for the name brand and chase down a pharmacy that had it.  He took it until we weaned him off around 10m.  It seemed to help him and to reduce his irritability.  I also was BFing and cut out all milk, including hidden milk, as that aggravated his symptoms.  

He liked the first med, but we had to crush it and dissolve it in water and then give it by syringe.  The Ranitidine was already liquid, so it was much easier to give.  Since I EPed, we just mixed it into an ounce of BM and fed it to him in a bottle.  Otherwise, he HATED the taste of it.  It's bitter.  

Good to know you can do that! I just gave Millie her first dose and she did NOT care for the taste. I guess it'd be fine to mix in formula too?

Yes.  The key is to make sure they get all of it - so don't mix it in the full bottle (which might not be finished), mix it with a small amount they are sure to finish, and make sure try get every last drop. 

luvmyducks

Just posted on the other thread, but Zantac was a life saver for DD.  Just make sure to watch for signs again as LO grows bc the dose needs to be adjusted based off weight.  Also, the dose is always a range based off weight.  Pedi always Rx in the middle of the range.  At one point her symptoms were showing back up again, I brought it up to the Pedi and she said her weight still fit in the same formula for her current dosage.  DH is a Pharmacist, so he did the math at home and we tried with the max dose for a couple days and it fixed it.  Called the Pedi and told them and they adjusted her Rx.  

JuddandJessica

Good to know! Thanks girls. I'll try the bottle trick for the next dosage.

edinger3

DS was placed on Zantac since he was 4 days old. It works wonders, but I will have to take him to the pedi for a weight check. I've noticed he's starting to spit up again, so I'm curious to see if he needs the dose increased. A trick that works wonders that a NICU nurse taught us was to put the medicine in a nipple let LO suck it down. You don't have to worry about if they took it all or not. Another plus to this method is LO can take the medicine at their own pace! No need to worry about pushing the syringe too fast. Good luck!