Healthspan Blog

Anybody familiar with Baby Zantac? My 2 month old baby has had problems going bathroom she seems to hold it in or have problems pushing it out. Usually once a day she will let it all out at once. We told the doctor and he put her on baby zantac.

She was pooping fine for about a month in a half and then started haveing these blow outs after not pooping all day. Like I said I have no idea what gave them the idea she has acid reflux because my wife called them and they prescribed this stuff over the phone without seeing her. My wife told them what was going on and that what they gave her. I am little confused because I don’t think she has acid reflux because after she eats she only spits up a tiny bit and sleeps good. I figure if she had acid reflux then right after she eats would be the worst time.

I didn’t think it was a huge problem - it made her scream a little when she was constipated but never to the point where it was really bad. I always thought zantac was for heartburn? Any doctors or pharmacists have any opinions on this stuff or has anybody used it in the past for their children?

Answer #1: Constipation is a symptom of GERD (which is Acid Reflux) especially in infants. Seems like a stab in the dark, though, especially considering that one of the listed side effects of Zantac is constipation. My daughter was the same way. They’ll say to avoid giving too many enemas, etc., due to the damage they can do over time. Have you investigated suppositories?

Answer #2: My two and a half year old was given Zantac twice a day for GERD. He has no constipation.. he isn’t using it to treat constipation though. We were giving him miralax for constipation after a virus left him constipated. It worked and its not being used anymore.

Answer #3: My oldest daughter had some trouble as a baby. I would massage her stomach, pushing gently south. I also would let her spend a little more time in the bath to help relax her. Good luck.

Answer #4: Zantac is normally used for reflux/gerd. Never heard of it used for constipation. I actually have heard that it causes constipation. I would try to find some other routes to try. I hate hearing about such small children on any kind of meds. My son had severe reflux when he was little. They wanted to give him meds but I tried new bottles, new formula and a different routine that worked for him. Luckily, I never had to go the medicinal route. Good luck.

Answer #5: Doesn’t sound like reflux but then, I’m really not one for trusting doctors, either, especially when they prescribe reflux medicine over the phone when the symptoms clearly don’t match. There’s nothing wrong with trying a suppository to see if it will “get her over the hump,” so to say. We modified my daughter’s diet and actually introduced olive oil. She went back-and-forth with problems for quite a few months, but finally stopped having constipation altogether.

Answer #6: My second one had acid refulx, if your little one has it - you would know. They are in pian.
Re: the constipation, There was some thick syrup we used to put in the bottle every now and then that helped them, forgot what it was called. Maybe Karo (sp??) syrup?? Also, as nasty as this sounds, it was always our last resort when they were constipated, worked a lot. I was scared/disgusted, so the Mrs. always did it - take the tip of a baby anal thermometer and play around down there - it usually erupted like a volcano… Good luck, it’s a helpless feeling right now - but those kids are amazing!

Answer #7: We used Zantac for my younger son, who threw up just about everything, including breastmilk. It helped some, but not as much as finding the right cereal mixture with formula. As for the constipation, my elder son had this problem pretty severely. Our doctor recommended a teaspoon of Karo syrup in his bottles (as the constipation started around 6 months when he was weaned onto formula). He also recommended switching him to low iron formula. We ended up alternating between regular Iron with DHA/ARA formula and Low-Iron formula, and that kept him very regular.

I’d also find a new pediatrician, but that’s just me. And I wouldn’t give my kid the Zantac if I were you. I’ve also used the Q-tip and the vaseline to stimulate a poop. It’s incredibly nasty, but it’s something the doctor showed us how to do, and it relieves a nasty belly-ache for your baby, as well as lubricates and painful task.

Answer #8: My son had problems like this. Essentially, it was explained to me this way. Some babies have lesser control over the sphincter that controls the reflux. There’s little you can do about that. So, the Zantac is to keep the acid levels lower since they are gonna basically gonna have this problem until they grow out of it.

In our case, the things we had to learn to do was be very careful not to over feed him, and when it was really bad, we’d sometimes let him sleep in his car-seat on the floor next to our bed. Sitting upright seemed to help. I think they also have wedges you can buy and put under the crib mattress for this kind of thing. Hang in there. Around 4-5 months, he grew out of it. It was rough until then.