Omeprazole for babies?

[Baggy8]

Can I pick the brains of the more informed here? If a child has been on omeprazole from birth (she is now 12 months) can her system regenerate once the drug is stopped? She has a very anxious mother whose main reference is Dr Google and social media. Both of the grandmothers suffer from B12 deficiency....

[Sleepybunny]

Hi Baggy8,

I hope the little one gets the help she needs.

Do you mind me asking why she is on omeprazole?

I am not medically trained.

Has the little one been checked for B12 deficiency?

Long term use of omeprazole has been associated with B12 deficiency in some studies.

Causes of B12 deficiency

b12info.com/causes/

Link about Children and B12 deficiency

b12info.com/children/

"Both of the grandmothers suffer from B12 deficiency...."

PA (Pernicious Anaemia) can run in families and so can Coeliac disease.

Both conditions can lead to B12 deficiency and both can affect children.

PAS website has a leaflet about juvenile PA.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

Coeliac UK has info on coeliac disease in children

coeliac.org.uk/is-it-coelia...

[Baggy8 in reply to Sleepybunny]

You're a gem Sleepybunny, thankyou. It's my grand daughter, and I need to put her health before my anxiety of being 'sidelined'.

[Sleepybunny in reply to Baggy8]

It might be worth a family member joining PAS if B12 deficiency is suspected.

Parents can join on behalf of children.

Sometimes parents aren't listened to when they try to tell doctors they think their children might have PA or B12 deficiency from other causes.

Consider seeking support from PAS.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

The person who runs B12info.com has supported some people on this forum.

b12info.com/

She has written blog posts about children with B12 deficiency.

b12info.com/blog/

This link about B12 deficiency in children is from a Dutch B12 website.

stichtingb12tekort.nl/engli...

As far as I know there are no national guidelines for the treatment of B12 deficiency in under 16s in the UK.

[Baggy8]

Lots of really interesting information there I'll try to find the right bit to share with mum. Remember I'm the paranoid mother who is fearful all her children could have inherited what she inherited from her mother 🙄 To answer the question I forgot to answer in your first reply. As a newborn, the new mum thought the baby was in pain following feeds, so mum asked the GP to put her on the milk free formula. However any crying was then put down to reflux, so now she is automatically given the omeprazole. The GP wanted to discontinued its use months ago, which mum refused. On the plus side she is showing none of the B12 deficiency signs and is thriving.