zantac

my babies are 2 months old and Ava has reflux pretty bad so our pedi put her on Zantac - the problem is that the taste is so strong it takes her breath away! I breastfeed mostly (I cannot get the hang of tandem feeding in public so I give formula every now and then)
can I put the zantac in some EBM or formula so that it is not so strong tasting?? how do your babies tolerate it? they wanted Addison to take it also but she doesn't have as bad of a problem and I havn't even tried her on it yet because Ava reacts so badly to the taste!!!
PLEASE HELP!! I know she needs it but I feel so bad for her she makes faces and acts like she can't breathe!!

 

Ours didn't have it too bad and we did try zantac. There are flavors that can be added at the pharmacy, and I think it helped some. Try a medicine dropper. I would recommend not adding it to milk in that they might think that milk is bad & not drink it anymore. Good luck!

 

It's advised to take Zantac half hour before a feeding, so adding a flavor may be your best option.

More info on when to take these meds:
http://www.infantrefluxdisease.com/forums/...ead.php?t=21706

 

I wouldn't put it in the bottle. Not only does it pose the possibility of ruining the bottle flavor (as suggested by pp), but they won't be getting the full dose. It can stick to the sides of the bottle, settle at the bottom, clog the nipple, etc.

I would call around to different local pharmacies and see which ones flavor. Guess we've been lucky, my boys actually like it and open wide when it's time.

How are you administering it? We've always had good success with a simple syringe. Place it far back along the inside wall of the cheek. I give it to mine in a couple squirts so it's not more than they can handle in one swallow. Once I squirt the meds in, I squeeze their cheeks until they swallow so it doesn't dribble out down their chin.

 

Yeah - I didn't think about the dilution or left behind in the bottle factor - or the supposed to give it before feedings! this is why I love you guys!! I give it w/ a 1cc syringe (an insulin syringe) -
she takes 0.6cc which flavor do you think would be the best?
it smells kinda pepperminty now

 

Hi Heather,

I would ask the pharmacist which flavor he would recommend.....there might be a certain flavor that would mask the pepperminty taste it already has. It is horrible stuff, Jacob did the same thing when I gave it to him, so I tried it.

 

i don't know if this is any consolation or not, but our little one hated it at first. she'd have a facial expression that said "i really really really don't like this, but i'm going to swallow it just because you want me to and i want to please you". it broke our hearts (and made us giggle). after a few weeks that all changed and she grabbed the syringe and guided it to her mouth for us ... she grew to love it.

 

Both of my girls have been on it since about two months. We ran into the same problem with one of them, we had to force her to take it which was heartbreaking. After the first fill of the med, we started having it filled at Target because they have a new "FlavorRx" system where they can add grape flavoring. We never had a problem giving it to her after that.

I would definitely call around to see if any pharmacies in your area can flavor it.

 

Our DD hates it too! We've some up with a little system: We take the nipple off the bottle, cover the hole with a finger, pour a teeny bit of milk into it and then squeeze the medicine into that. So, its medicine diluted by a few sucks of milk, not the whole bottle. Even though I'm not sure the Zantac is the right med for her, this has worked well for getting the medicine down.

HTH,
Laura

 

I am going to call the pharmacy today!! thanks for all the help!!

 

I have heard that if you put it in the frig, it helps with the taste. I tasted it, and it is minty, very strong though, but not really bitter. I put it in a syringe, and put the syringe in the back corner of their cheeks, and squeezed it twice, making sure they swallowed after each time. If you hold their cheeks a bit, putting your fingers where their jaw bones come together, it helps to make sure they swallow, rather than spit it back out. At that age, I would try to make sure they were lying in a recline position, so that gravity helped it go down.
I doubt it is taking their breath away...they just do not like the flavor and I do not blame them. I do not agree with adding flavors...I think too many kids associate candy/sweetness with medicines. They will get used to it. Mine did not like it either, and they took it starting at 6 weeks.

 

we used to put it into a nipple with a little formula..now they just take it plain in the nipple

 

We tried flavoring ours and it tasted worse after the flavor. My husband tasted it before and after.

The easiest way to get ours to take it was to put it in their mouths and then immediately insert a paci or the nipple of the bottle. I was cautioned against adding it to the bottle because the baby won't end up getting it all.

Good luck finding what works best for your baby.