Has anyone’s newborn taken Reglan for acid reflux?
Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at
7:39 pm
We took our 5 week old son to the E.R. today because he kept making these choking and gagging noises (scared me to death) They said it is acid reflux and prescribed him Reglan. Now I am a worry wart when it comes to medicine anyway, but the info sheet that came with it says it has a whole bunch of possible side effects. I have been reading about it on the internet too. I was just wondering if anyone else’s newborn has taken this medication for acid reflux. And if they had any side effects. Thanks in advance 
Filed under: Acid Reflux
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the most common side effect in infants taking reglan per my ped is drowsiness; i gave it frequently in the hospital and never had a patient have a prob with it, i hope this helps put you at ease…it increases the movement of the bowels, and it helps some babies with reflux…..
my daughter has the same thing shes 5 months now, she takes zantac, no side effects so far, but dont worry the baby will out grow it soon.
When my son was 6 weeks old I took him to the doctor every time I would lay him down he would cry in pain the doctor told me he was just a spoiled baby didn’t do anything for him. So I drove him all the way to Childeren’s Hospital which is about 2 hours away they said he has acid reflux, that when he was sitting up he was fine but then when he layed down the acid would come up and burn his throat. They put him on zantac and he did fine. I have heard though that reglan is just as good.
acid reflux in a baby is no fun, poor thing hope the medicine helps good luck though
im 16 and still have acid reflux. i don’t no what i took when i was little. ive taken so many different medications for it. i never really had any side affects for it though. good luck with him. i hope he grows out of it.
My daughter took Reglan for a while and she did fine . I would actually recommend trying GRIPE water. It smells like black licorice and is safe for babies as young as a day old. It soothes their bellies and allows them to release gas easier. It was a life saver for my daughter and it is all natural. Some websites talk about it containing alcohol but it doesn’t any longer. Try Longs drugs or any babiesrus. Really it is worth a try. it kind of can make the "gag" it you give it too fast so i would just mix it in the bottle with formula or breast milk and She would fall asleep from final relief. it also helps with colic.
My son did the gagging noises in the hospital (you’ve never seen me move so fast even though I was told to stay in bed…screw that. I’d like to see them try to keep me away from my child if they need me). He told me that he had acid reflux but he didn’t give him anything at that time. About 2 weeks before he was 3 months old, he got to the point that about an hour after he would eat, he would start screaming and crying and you could tell him stomach was hurting him. I took him to his pediatrician and they gave him Tagament or something of the sort. It did nothing so I took him back and they gave him hyosyne drops for upset tummy and Zantac. He’s recently been spitting up a little more than usual since he’s been on the Zantac but I’d rather have to change my shirt a time or two more a day than have him in pain. Some side effects are worth taking the medicine. As for you worries (which I totally understand), just keep an eye o n her. Every child is going to react differently regardless. If she reacts badly, take her back to the doctor (or if it’s bad enough, to the E.R. but I’m sure that won’t be necessary). Just give it a chance. It may take care of the problem and make her feel better which will in turn make you feel better…
Medication should only be tried AFTER "lifestyle" changes haven’t been sufficient.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/118/2/746
METHODS. We performed a systematic search of PubMed and bibliographies of relevant review articles. We included cohort, case-control, and intervention studies of the efficacy, effectiveness, or toxicity of metoclopramide therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease in infants. We excluded case reports, case series, review articles, and abstracts.
RESULTS. Twelve articles met our inclusion criteria. Of these, 11 were prospective trials, and 5 were randomized, blinded clinical trials. Study size ranged from 6 to 77 patients. Eight studies showed patient improvement with metoclopramide in at least 1 measured outcome; 1 study showed worsening symptoms with metoclopramide. Of the 5 randomized, blinded trials, 2 showed no effect of metoclopramide on any outcome, and 2 showed a significant placebo effect. Four studies commented on adverse effects of therapy, with irritability being the most frequently reported potential adverse effect of therapy. Other reported adverse effects included dystonic reactions, drowsiness, oculogyric crisis, emesis, and apnea. Among studies, there was marked heterogeneity in the patient populations, dosing, and outcomes studied. Therefore, a meta-analysis was not performed. We both agreed on a US Preventive Service Task Force rating of "poor" for the level of evidence, leading to an "inconclusive" recommendation for the safety and efficacy of metoclopramide in infants.
CONCLUSIONS. The current literature is insufficient to either support or oppose the use of metoclopramide for gastroesophageal reflux disease in infants. In the future, large blinded randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the efficacy and toxicity of metoclopramide in this population.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/T106004.asp
17 WAYS TO TREAT REFLUX
[...]
15. Medications for GER:
* Antacids. These neutralize stomach acids (e.g. Mylanta and Maalox). Given three or four times a day with each feeding (dosage to be determined by child’s doctor). They start working rapidly but the neutralizing effect lasts only a couple of hours or less. For older children, chewables work better because they stimulate and mix with the saliva to help antacids stick to the lining of the esophagus where it can better neutralize stomach acids. Used to excess can contribute to constipation or diarrhea.
* Acid blockers. These medicines block stomach acid production: Zantac, Pepcid, Tagamet, Prilosec. They can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours to take effect, yet may last for 8 hours. They are usually given twice a day. If GER awakens your child give a dose one hour before bedtime.
* Motility medicines. Work by increasing muscle tone and therefore tightening the lower esophageal sphincter muscle, or increase the movement of the muscle tone of the stomach and upper intestines, and thereby increase gastric emptying. They are sometimes referred to as prokinetics. The most common ones currently used in order of frequency are:
o Urecholine (bethanechol). Side effects include cramping and diarrhea. This is the medication we most commonly use in our practice.
o Reglan (metclopramide). Side effects include restlessness, twitching, and fainting. Because of the frequency of unpleasant side effects, we seldom use this medication in our pediatric practice.
o Propulsid (cisapride) is a very effective prokinetic agent for increasing gastric emptying. Yet, because of the recently discovered side effects of cardiac arrhythmias, it is not used for reflux management without first performing an electrocardiogram.
Dr. Sears suggests:
Remember, while medications can certainly help ease the discomfort of GER and minimize esophageal damage, they should always be used in addition to, but not instead of most of the above parenting, positioning, and feeding suggestions. Be sure to work closely with your infant’s doctor and/or a pediatric gastroenterologist toward working out a GER management regimen that works best and safest for your child.
http://www.jpgn.org/pt/re/jpgn/abstract.00005176-198607000-00008.htm;jsessionid=JzPXJDPGv50DFw1BGspvdGDjxyqGwg1P45GlF41BKTm5c6wXvxMT!-1862535748!181195628!8091!-1
Abstract:
Summary: Oral metoclopramide (0.5 mg/kg/24 h) and a liquid alginic acid-antacid compound were administered to infants and children with gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in a double-blind randomized controlled trial. The effect of medication was measured with 24-h intraesophageal pH monitoring. Neither metoclopramide nor the alginic acid-antacid compound decreased the frequency or duration of gastroesophageal reflux.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3346792
In the controlled trial, the three patients receiving metoclopramide, but none of those receiving placebo, were withdrawn by their p