Could infant gaviscon be causing colic like symptoms??

[michelle82]

Hi Ladies,

looking for some advice, my lo is 5 weeks old and has been on infant gaviscon for his reflux, since he was 3 weeks.

The past week he has become very grumpy and unsettled for most of the day and night. Hes displaying all the usual colic symptoms, arching his back, pulling his knees up to his chest and gets really worked up when I try and wind him etc.

Hes still sick a lot aswell, so not sure the gaviscon is even helping? I changed his formula on sunday to see if that would help, he was on aptimil and have changed him to cow and gate comfort, but still to soon to see if its helping.

I'm just in 2 minds wether or not just to take him off the gaviscon to see if thats what is causing his tummy ache? Has anyone else had similar problems with the gaviscon?

Also my HV said yest that all the gaviscon does is thicken the feeds, which I knew, but thought it did a bit more than that?

Any advice would be great thanks in advance

 

[blahblahblah]

Gaviscon can cause constipation, which goes hand in hand with trapped bottom wind, and the symptoms of those can be similar to colic. Is he pooing regularly, and does he sometimes do forceful farts that seem to ease the pain a bit? Out of interest, was/is the sickiness upsetting him, or affecting his weight gain? If it's not doing either, then it wouldn't be so much of a cause for concern.

I don't think you are meant to mix gaviscon and comfort formula, so I'd say that one or other needs to go, at least in the short term. Comfort formula is already thick. Bear in mind too that any changes to LO's feeds can take up to 2 weeks or so to show how they will be long term.

If it were me, I'd probably try the comfort formula without the gaviscon, and if there are any signs of trapped wind/constipation then I'd offer a little cool boiled water each day too, at least in the short term until his tummy settles down.

It's probably a good idea to have a chat with HV about it before you do anything though

 

[Pink-Mummy]

my GP told me not to mix gaviscon and cow n gate comfort milk...... maybe swapping formulas to a non-comfort kind might help? x

 

[michelle82]

Thanks for replying,

I decided to stop giving gaviscon yest, suppose it will take a while to leave his system, wasn't really helping with his sickness anyway, just seemed to be bunging him up! He hasn't pooed in 2 days, poor liitle man.

Don't think he has colic think hes just grumpy and unsettled because of the gaviscon. The sickness doesn't seem to bother him that much, even although there is a lot of it and hes still putting on weight.

My HV said it was fine to give comfort and gaviscon, just that I would need to change teats?

I've been giving him water before every feed for a week now, he doesn't like it much tho!

 

[fluffyblue]

Hiya

Im having all the symptoms with Ollie, he was prescribed Gaviscon and I started it with comfort but it didnt seem to make a difference.

I have now switched to SMA Lactose Free which has radically reduced his colicky symptoms and also use Enfamil AR when the reflux is totally kicking off. He does have the odd mad moment but overall is alot happier.

The gaviscon has constipated him so im helping him out in that department by taking his nappy off, bending his legs up and applying a little vaseline to his bottom twice a day and its helping at the moment.

Also, I am not giving up on the gaviscon but because he is bottle fed I am going to try it the breastfed way ie, make into a paste and apply via a bottle with water - can only try cant we xx

 

[sapphire1]

My LO hated gaviscon, it made her reflux symptoms worse. I went back to the docs and she's on ranitidine now, which reduces the acid in the stomach. I don't think it stops the sick though (my LOs reflux is mostly silent). She is on aptamil pepti, which is lactose free. SMA do a stay-down milk which I presume does what it says on the tin lol!