Mylicon or Gripe Water?

Question

My 3 week old son has "gas". Which is gentler and better recommended? Mylicon uses simethicone and Gripe water uses sodium bicarbonate, ginger root, fennel and chamomille. Can any of these ingredients harm my child?

Answer 1

Probably Colic. Both my sons went through it (a horrible experience!!). We just let it run its course.

I would personally choose gripe water as it is more a herbal remedy and would limit any adverse effects on a small child.

Mind you, I an speaking as a parent of a 20mth old and a 3 mth old. Talk to your doctor!!

Below are some info on Mylicon and Gripe water:

Gripe water is a herbal home remedy for babies with colic, gas, or other stomach ailments. Its chief active ingredients are ginger, dill and fennel and sometimes chamomile. It is typically dispensed directly to the infant with a dropper in liquid form. Adults have also been known to take gripe water for soothing intestinal pains, gas, or other stomach ailments, but in larger doses.

where as

Simethicone, is an oral antifoaming agent used to reduce bloating, discomfort and pain caused by excess gas in the stomach or intestinal tract. Chemically, simethicone is a mixture of polydimethylsiloxanes that works by reducing the surface tension of gas bubbles, causing them to coalesce into larger bubbles that can be passed more easily by belching or flatulence. Simethicone is not absorbed by the body into the bloodstream, and is therefore considered relatively safe with sources reporting the worst side effects as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas and heartburn. It is sometimes mistaken that Simethicone reduces belching or flatulence, but rather it can increase the rate at which gas leaves the digestive tract which could cause an increase in belching and flatulence.

Simethicone solutions of differing concentration have industrial applications for reducing foaming in certain chemical process steps.

Dosage
Simethicone comes in many different oral forms, which have differing usual dosages.

Capsules or tablets:
Adults and teenagers: 60 to 125 milligrams (mg) four times a day, after meals and at bedtime. No more than 500 mg should be taken in twenty-four hours.
Chewable tablets:
Adults and teenagers: 40 to 125 mg four times a day, after meals and at bedtime or the dose may be 150 mg three times a day, after meals. No more than 500 mg should be taken in twenty-four hours.
Suspension:
Adults and teenagers: 40 to 95 mg four times a day, after meals and at bedtime. No more than 500 mg should be taken in twenty-four hours.
Dosages for children should be determined by a doctor.



Infant colic (also known as baby colic and three month colic) is a condition in which an otherwise healthy baby cries or screams frequently and for extended periods, without any discernible reason.

Treatment
There is currently no generally-accepted medical treatment for colic, and the approach taken by medical professionals varies substantially from country to country and indeed from doctor to doctor. Many believe that the condition is currently untreatable, and is best left to run its course. Other doctors prescribe simethicone, which treats trapped gas; some parents report that this is effective, but for many others it is not.

One study showed a moderate success when infants with colic were treated with dicyclomine, an anti-spasmotic drug commonly found in some anti-diarrhœal medications.[5] However, further studies are warranted before its use can be approved.

Colic can be caused by allergies in the mother and/or baby. If feeding the baby from the breast, the mother's diet can be restricted: some mothers omit dairy, egg, soya and processed food (including spices and caffeine) from their diet, drink only water and increase their intake of other foods and supplements during the time they are breastfeeding for missing nutrients such as calcium. This will not necessarily “cure” colic, which seems to cure itself after a period of time, but it can certainly make the symptoms lessen: it can reduce the number of hours of crying and discomfort.

There is general agreement that soothing measures, such as pacifiers and rocking, are often effective in calming the baby during crying periods. Some parents resort to a timetable of taking turns to hold the baby upright (which seems to lessen the pain and crying) in shifts to enable the other parent to catch up on sleep. Babies with lactose intolerance or reflux cry more and longer when left to lie on their backs but parents are not suggested to put the baby to sleep on their front as it increases the likelihood of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Various tactics, such as changes in diet or routine, an increase in fresh air or certain herbal teas, are popularly believed to cure colic. While some of these may help in certain cases, none of them is known to be universally effective. The widespread belief in them is thought to result at least partly from the suddenness with which colic naturally resolves itself: many parents keep trying different approaches until the colic suddenly stops, at which point they presume the last thing they tried to be the cure.

Answer 2

I used both and neither worked.. If he's crying a lot, maybe talk to your pediatrician about a more gentle formula. I use similac sensitive for my little guy.. He had colic and gas something fierce, He's about 10 months now and still gets gas.. but not as bad. The gripe water and mylicon are expensive and although some people say it works.. it never did for me, or my friends. You could give it a try though, it wouldn't hurt.

Answer 3

Go with the simethicone, (it is inert, it doesn't absorb into the system, and it works very well in my experience) the sodium bicarbonate could cause problems. (They even recommend that people not take it for heartburn if they stand a chance of having heart or blood pressure problems, because it can make things worse and deaths have resulted because a person took it thinking it was just indigestion when it was a heart attack.) Do consult your pediatrician to be sure it is ok, and for the proper dosage. If the problem is that the baby cannot burp up all the gas, then the simethicone will help. Good luck, I hope the baby is feeling better soon. Being gassy is not fun.

Answer 4

My friend's baby, now 5 months old, has had terrible gas since birth. She/we give him the Mylicon. He seems to take it well. As for the other stuff, I cannot answer that question. You can call your local pharmacy and ask them or consult your nurse/doctor.

Answer 5

I would call the Dr and ask. Your baby is still very young.

Answer 6

better consult with his peds doc... dont ask on Yahoo... he is only 3weeks old.
Mike RN