Toddler on Gaviscon Infant

[Beamae]

We had an appointment with the community paediatrician yesterday and he has prescribed Gaviscon Infant for one of our 21 month old twins in case she has reflux. We used to add it to her bottles until she was around 6 months old (she had silent reflux, was born at 34 weeks) but then were told to stop by the GP once we'd started weaning.

I'm quite interested to hear from anyone else who has a toddler on Gaviscon. Most of the info I'm finding online refers to newborns and speaks about adding it to bottles. We have to mix up 2 sachets to give after every meal and two before bed. It's already a HUGE hassle. That stuff is almost impossible to mix to a smooth paste! And she absolutely hates it. I've already wasted so many sachets which she just spits out. Last night and this morning, I managed to get a half dose of one sachet into her by mixing it with 10ml water and 5ml orange juice. I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but it seems to me it's better than not getting any in at all. She hates taking medicine at the best of times, let alone the 6 syringes I was trying to get into her yesterday.

If you do have a toddler who has reflux and is on Gaviscon, would you mind telling me how they behaved before it was diagnosed, and then after it was prescribed? Did it help? My child has cried for 14 months. It is very rare to get her in a good mood and I'm really hoping that this is the solution. Anyone else in this boat?

[MissMarplesBloomers]

Bumping for the evening crowd - someone will have some answers, must be a nightmare for you.

Don't blame her for spitting it out ....vile stuff!

[Beamae]

Thank you!

I made my husband taste it. He said it was Not Good.

[twilight81]

Sounds like she needs more than the gaviscon, it really won't be helping much if she is in pain. She needs something to stop the acid production.. My ds had terrible silent reflux, was very very unhappy screamed and screamed and refused feeding often for the first year or so, we found either omeprazole or lansoprazole to be most effective. Ideally you need to see a gastro pead can you get a referral?

[Beamae]

From what I understand, the Gaviscon is a first port of call because he said it has the least side effects. He mentioned moving to something like domperidone further down the line if needs be. At this stage I'm not sure that he knows for sure that it is reflux. I have a dietician referral in August, so maybe something will come of that. Will ask about the gastro paed though.

[twilight81]

Well to be honest I do think its hard for anyone else to diagnose, I just knew my ds had it from researching the symptoms etc and then being with him all time..even when we were fobbed off by various doctors at first with the its colic line. I just knew that it wasn't normal for a baby to be do unhappy and so difficult to feed.
Months down the line it was all proved by barium swallow and later a 24 hour ph study.

[Beamae]

How old was your DS when you did the barium swallow?