My son was diagnosed with acid reflux at 2-months-old. He is now 16-months-old and we want to take him off his medicine and use an alternative. Since he was 6-months-old, he has had one to two ear infections a month and had tubes put in during August 2004. His ears, nose, and throat doctor feels he is still having these recurrent ear infections due to being on Prevcid, his acid reflux medicine. He is on 10 milligrams, twice a day. Any ideas on how to get him off the medicine? What other alternatives are out there for us? We have tried two times over the last year to take him off the Prevcid, and each time he was throwing up for a week straight at night and in pain. Since he was born he has had pneumonia at 4-months, RSV at 6-months, sinus infection at 15-months, and bacterial upper respiratory infection at 16-months. Anytime he gets a cold he gets very sick. His doctor did mention it could be due to his medicine for reflux but she does not know for sure. The specialist who diagnosed him with acid reflux said he had acid reflux do to severe food allergies (there is a strong family history of food allergies). He was tested at a year old and everything they tested for was negative -- but they said the test results may not be accurate. He could not breast feed as an infant and could not take regular formula or soy. He had to have hypoallergenic formula. He is now on whole milk. We are really trying to improve his situation and really do not want him on medicine -- and with all the infections, the antibotics. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. We don't know where else to turn. Thank you.

I have a couple of thoughts. First, he might be able to get by on slightly less strong medications, such as ranitidine (zantac). Second, he should stay upright (not lie down) for at least an hour after eating. Third, my personal feeling is that food allergies is not a good explanation for the symptoms your son is experiencing. Fourth, with severe reflux, surgery is sometimes the best cure.

But probably the most important thing is to get another consultation from a pediatric gastroenterologist (perhaps including a second opinion from a different doctor than the one you've been seeing if you cannot get the answers you are looking for). It is really not normal for a child this age to continue to have such severe symptoms. Has he had any tests that actually look inside his stomach to see if his esophagus and stomach are working properly? If it really is absolutely normal, then one has to reconsider whether you have the right diagnosis altogether. The pediatric gastroenterologist may be able to refer you to a behavioral specialist who might be able to suggest some additional maneuvers that could reduce the symptoms.

I am glad that you continue to pursue solutions to your son's health problems.

Please let us know if you have any more information to share or if you need more advice.

Dr. Mike Potter

-- Michael Potter, MD, is an associate professor at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center.

First published March 29, 2005
Last updated May 8, 2007
Copyright © 2005 Consumer Health Interactive