Many children and adults face heartburn after eating a spicy and big meal. Heartburn makes children feel uncomfortable. The symptoms often appear due to “Acid Reflux” or “Reflux.” Reflux is also called gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GER isn’t just common in adults; many babies and infants can become a victim of it. In this article, we will discuss how to treat acid reflux in children, how to help child heartburn, acid reflux in teenagers, and medication for acid reflux.
What is GER?
When children swallow, a muscle between the stomach and esophagus allows the meal to pass from the esophagus to the child’s stomach. In fact, this muscle acts as a valve between the stomach and the esophagus. Children suffering from acid reflux get their food content back to the esophagus from the stomach. In normal conditions and for a healthy person, this muscle remains closed so that the food content from the stomach can’t get back to the esophagus. GERD is more dangerous than GER because GER can overgrow with time, but GERD can be treated only with medicines.
What Are the Symptoms of Acid Reflux and GERD?
Symptoms of reflux can be serious in some children, and some might not even notice it. Some children might feel stomach acid. The symptoms of GERD can be:
- Bad breath
- Breathing problems
- Vomiting and nausea
- Heartburn (It is a chest and stomach discomfort)
- Painful swallowing
- Excessive belching
What Are the Causes of Reflux in Children?
Children or infants suffering from GERD have weak stomachs. When the stomach is weak, it results in the flow back of food from the stomach to the esophagus. Some common causes of reflux are:
- Smoking
- The use of medicines for asthma, allergies, and pain relievers.
- When pressure on the abdomen is increased due to obesity or overweight.
- Hiatal hernia
- When surgery is performed on the upper abdomen or esophagus in the past.
- Developmental delay
These are some common causes that result in reflux or GERD in children.
What Can A Child With Acid Reflux Eat?
A child with reflux must eat a balanced and healthy diet. He or she must eat a nutritious diet. If you feel your child is getting overweight, consult your doctor and ask for a diet plan. Moreover, chocolate, peppermint, spicy foods, and coffee can make GERD worse. So, never allow your children to eat or drink such foods.
How Can Acid Reflux Be Treated?
Some children overgrow reflux over time, but some failed to do so. Moreover, the treatment depends on the severity of the disease. Most doctors advise parents to make lifestyle changes first. If that doesn’t work, then go for the medication. Some examples of lifestyle changes are:
- Don’t eat large meals; instead, take smaller meals more frequently.
- Don’t eat two to three hours before sleeping.
- If suggested by doctors, try to lose some weight.
- Avoid eating high fat and spicy foods.
- Avoid carbonated drinks and smoking.
- Don’t eat large meals before sports games, and when you are stressed.
- Keep your head high during sleep.
- Don’t wear tight clothes.
I hope all these lifestyle changes will work and can help recover from reflux. If it’s not happening, then the doctor will prescribe some medicines.
How to Help Child Heartburn?
You can help your child with heartburn, but the treatment depends on the age and the causes or reasons for heartburn. Heartburn in children can be improved when they reach their first birthday, but it isn’t easy to treat in infants. Some lifestyle changes work well for children and for infants, sometimes these changes don’t work well. Still, you can follow all the lifestyle changes mentioned above and get it treated naturally. If it doesn’t work for your child, then go for medications.
Acid Reflux in Teenager
There is no specific age limit for acid reflux because a child can become a victim of it even after birth and before reaching his or her first birthday. Similarly, a teenager can also become a victim of it. For children above 12 years, GER’s symptoms can be discomfort or pain in the chest, regular heartburn, and pain behind the breastbone.
When Do You Need Doctor’s Help?
Take your children or teenagers to the doctor, if they:
- Have forceful vomiting
- Vomiting in large amounts
- Breathing issue after vomiting
- Pain while swallowing
- Weight loss
- Signs of dehydration
If you are witnessing all or any of these signs, you need to seek the doctor’s help.
Medication for Acid Reflux
If you have tried all lifestyle changes and still get no benefits, then the doctor would suggest H2 blockers. These blockers are proton pump inhibitors and block the acid production in the stomach. Sometimes, doctors recommend surgical treatments to avoid further complications. However, the best medicine for acid reflux treatment is BETHANECHOL 1mg/ml by the Qsymia brand. It has been proven to be the most effective medicine for acid reflux patients.
You can take this medicine 3 to 4 times daily, but make sure that you are taking it before a meal, and you have an empty stomach. It would be great to take medicine as prescribed by the doctor. You can get BETHANECHOL 1mg/ml by the Qsymia brand from “GATEWAY PHARMACY.” For more details you can visit this below-given link:
The address of this Pharmacy is “921 E FM 1187 Suite A, Crowley, TX 76036”. Check the below-given link, and it will provide you the exact location of the Pharmacy.
“Your Fort Worth, Burleson, and Crowley Compounding Experts.” For more details visit this link: https://mygatewaypharmacy.com/compounding/
Conclusion
Reflux or GERD is a common disease in children and teenagers. There can be various symptoms and causes of this disease. It can be treated by making changes in lifestyles. If lifestyle modifications don’t work and things get worse, immediately take an appointment with the doctor. The doctor will suggest some medications to block acid production in the stomach. If still the problem is not resolved, then the final solution is surgery. You can take the medicine mentioned above three to four times per day or as prescribed by the doctor.