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How Long Does it Take for Prevacid to Work in Infants?
By Faith O
eHow Contributing Writer
Prevacid: Drug Action and Interactions
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Prevacid is a PPI and, therefore, reduces the amount of acid produced in the stomach. It should start to act immediately, especially in infants. How soon the patient feels relief varies from person to person. Parents have reported seeing some relief in days, some in weeks. Others report no noticeable change, while some report an improvement, and eventually the children outgrow a need for the drug.
A 2009 study of kids 1 to 12 months old showed that Prevacid is not much better than placebo in preventing GERD. Also, the babies on Prevacid experienced a significantly greater incidence of serious side effects, including respiratory tract infections.
The concerns over drug interactions involving prevacid such as with ampicillin, digoxin, iron salts and ketoconazole, for example, may not apply to infants in most cases, because they are less likely to be on these drugs, but make sure to check with your health care provider.
Side Effects and Controversies
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The side effects of the drug include headaches, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness or headache and nausea. There have been cases of infants spitting up purple liquid with their food, which has been explained as parts of the drug coming up the throat with the food. Your pediatrician will make a determination how long to give the child Prevacid based on the progression of symptoms, as well as weighing the benefits derived from it, versus side effects. Not all PPIs should be prescribed for infants. Prevacid was approved by the FDA for use in children in 2002. While most kids have only mild forms of GERD, which they outgrow, Prevacid has proved helpful for some infants with extreme symptoms.
eHow Article: How Long Does it Take for Prevacid to Work in Infants?
