Re: Medications/Lori

[Guest guest]

Hi Lori:

Thank you for your reply. You are correct, it is Protonix. What is a Proton

Pump Inhibitor? Does it help with constipation or only stomach pain? How

often does your daughter take it? Can she swallow pills? It says you can't cut

or crush it and Caitlin can't swallow pills yet.

Take care.

Patty

[Guest guest]

Patty,

A proton pump inhibitor turns the acid pumps off in the stomach. Less acid means less pain. My daughter takes it once in the morning but my son(also has reflux and takes a different proton pump inhibitor) takes it twice a day.

Protonix helps with stomach pain and isn't likely to help with the constipation.

My daughter is able to swallow pills but when she was younger, she was on a different proton pump inhibitor that was compounded into a liquid. A compounding pharmacy would be able to make the liquid for you.

Given that Caitlin can't swallow pills, you may want to talk to the doctor about switching her to a proton pump inhibitor that comes is a capsule form(Prilosec and Prevacid come in this form). The capsule can be opened and the granules sprinkled on food and given that way.

HTH

Lori

[Guest guest]

Hi Lori:

Thanks so much for the information on what a proton pump inhibitor is. Right

now I think the stomach pain is actually from the lack of bowel movement.

She seems a bit more comfortable for the time being (having, finally, had a bm)

so she hasn't attempted to swallow the Protonix. She goes to the rheumy

tomorrow (eager to hear the lab results) so I will talk to him about Prilosec or

Prevacid. Caitlin vomited up a nasty tasting liquid Naproxen , which is why it

was then changed to pill form, but I think the capsule/sprinkling would work

much better.

Take care.

Patty