Prevacid and Newborn Dosage

My son was on 15mg once a day (same dosage). I asked the same question of my pediatrician at the time and he said that is completely normal and it only affects neutralizing the acids in the stomach, it does not affect anything else and is not an overdose. I questioned it though because I know adults on 30mg of prevacid and my little guy was an infant and on half the dose, but I was told it is the normal dosage for infants and is okay . . . He was able to go off it at ~15months . . .

I am hearing more and more about doctors prescribing babies Prevacid and similar prescriptions.

The body is made to make acid to help digest food. So when given a medication to prevent/slow down this normal function, may have a long term affect on anyone, especially a baby.

I am not in a position to treat or diagnose, but if it were my baby I would do everything I could naturally to help him/her.

Prescriptions are tested on adults. Doctors guess what amount to be given to a child and babies.

This message is not to insult anyone but to make aware there are natural ways to help the body function optimally without side affects.

As mothers out gut instinct will tell us what to do as we know our children BETTER than anyone.

Many blessings.

When my daughter was 9 weeks old (at 9 lbs), she was also put on that same dosage of prevacid. She is currently 6.5 months and is on 27 mg each day (but we use the compounded version because her GI likes that better). This is my second child with severe GERD and prevacid has been a blessing for us. The most important thing with these babies is that they are kept comfortable. My daughter ended up in Children's for 8 days in February due to severe dehydration because she stopped eating for approx. 3 weeks (they only way she would eat was with a 5 Ml medicine syringe) due to uncontrolled pain. I know a lot of people will give you both negitive and positive feedback, but when your child is screaming in pain, you want them to be happy and healthy. And, there are complications when the reflux isn't treated (like the feeding aversions and respiratory issues--both of which my daughter has). There is a wonderful site (Marci-kids.org....you can google it) that has a prevacid (PPI) dosage chart. This is a website based out of the University of Missouri and it explains on there that babies metabolize prevacid much faster than an adult, which is why they are often given higher doses. This can be a very stressful time, but it will get easier as she gets older. Good luck to you and your daughter.

My son was born at just over ten pounds, and four weeks later he was on a slightly higher dose than that (at which point he was almost 12 pounds). I think they decide according to their weight AND how bad their symptoms are. I wouldn't worry too much, each child is different. The same dose dosn't apply to every child. But if your still really concerned about it, maybe you should schedual a consult with the doctor or get a second opinion.

My daughter was on it from about 2 months to 6 months. We were on 15mg once a day- at night. My daughter was around that weight.

That does sound like quite a large dose for so small a person. My son took Prevacid for two months-- ONE 7.5 solutab daily, and he was close to 18 lbs. at the time. Our dr. said the trick is to find the absolute smallest dose that is effective, so if this is the first go-round, I'm not sure why they started with such a large dosing schedule.

well you already asked the pediatrician if your not happy get a second opinion I think the ped is right though cuz i remember my daughter being on that like that twice a day but not sure the dosage.

My little guy has been on Prevacid since 4 weeks. We tried Zantac from 2 weeks to 4 weeks old. We started with the 15 mg. solutabe cut up in quarters. Around 12 lbs. we needed to up his dose (probably sooner but I wasn't thinking about upping his does to help). So now he gets half the solutabe (7.5 mg) in the morning and hlaf at night. I tried to take him off it a couple of weeks ago and for a while he was just spitting up or having reflux with no bother but then he was miserable again with the arching back and screaming in pain. I hate to do the medication thing with my 11 week old but it makes a huge difference for him.
My ped. wouldn't prescribe the prevacid since he was so young. She felt more comfortable with a us seeing GI doctor. He's the one who set the dosage.
On a diff. note I have to say that the post below kinda makes me mad. I assume that Mary Beth has been lucky enough to avoid having a baby with reflux. Obviously all us of that posted here have babies that are/were so umfortable or in such pain that we as mothers knew something was wrong and felt we needed to consult with a medical doctor. The sleepness nights for baby when all they do do is scream and cry because it hurts so bad and you can't do a darn thing but sit and cry with them because you feel so helpless. No one wants to be on medication (natural or not). But for the sake of your child you do what needs to be done. You do your research, talk it over with your partner and go from there.

Hi J.----I know this does not address your question, but I have been just shocked reading about all of the babies that are being put on prevacid. I am a wellness educator, taking a series of classes taught by a naturopath and I work with several renouned pediatricians, Dr. Bill and Jim Sears (ABC The Doctors). I have read emerging research that shows that a lot of these digestive problems are actually caused by too little stomach acid, not too much. Proper levels of stomach acids/digestive enzymes are necessary for optimal absorption of nutrients. Not absorbing nutrients can cause a whole cascade of problems down the road as we age.

Are you breastfeeding your daughter? You can reduce her digestive issues by going on an elimination diet yourself. Remove the offending foods until her system is ready to handle digesting those foods on her own. Keep a food diary to keep track of what is and is not affecting her. If she is on formula, ask your ped to prescribe a predigested formula for her. It is more expensive but I am of the opinion that food, which directly determines our health outcomes, is not negotiable. I feel as though I am investing in my health.

When my oldest was a baby, she had alot of 'gas' pains. Warm water bottles, rubbing her back when laid on her tummy on my legs, cycling her legs all seemed to help. There is also a baby formula of gas drops that we used, started with an M, Mylecon, I think. Mostly, worked at cleaning up my diet of foods that she couldn't handle. I know it takes more work, but it is so well worth it.

I hope that you truly understand that I am not being critical. I am hoping to get you and all of the other moms out there to consider another option, as I am so afraid that this one is going to cause more long term problems than what you are currently experiencing. You just happen to be the lucky one posing the newborn/prevacid issue since I've resolved to say something. I say this in love and I would be most happy to discuss the issue with you and get you more resources in order to make an informed decision. In fact, you might want to go to www.AskDrSears.com and ask them about the issue. I know they have an option for questions on their site.

Doctors are very important and very knowledgeable, but they don't know everything and they certainly don't know what they don't know. I'd also recommend finding a doctor who practices integrative medicine. They use prescriptions as last resort. I am confident there are options out there that don't require such drastic measures.

Good luck and I hope you get the answers you seek. In health, D.