Simethicone and Baby Gas

My baby cries like crazy after feeding. My doctor said he had gas and he prescribed Myilcon. Simethicone is one of the main ingredients. What is it, and does it have the potential to harm my baby?

Simethicone is a chemical that aims to relieve gas by reducing the strength of the gas bubble. It does this by allowing small bubbles to merge into larger bubbles. Simethicone by itself does not remove gas. The theory is that small gas bubbles are formed in the gut until they look like foam. This small gas bubble is very difficult for adults, especially for newborns. By getting small gas bubbles to blend into one big, easier way for the baby to pass through the gas, thus relieving any bloating, pain or colic. Often when doctors see a baby with a gas problem, they will prescribe some medication with Simethicone in it, hoping it will ease the pain of the gas.

Overall Simethicone has no side effects listed, but there are reports of nausea, stomach aches, dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, or constipation. Side effects have been reported in adults using this drug. Because babies can't tell us what's going on, there's no way to know if these side effects are the same for them. Contact your pediatric specialist if you have any rash, swelling, fever or infection after the medication has been given.

Does Simethicone help calm the colic? A study was completed by the University of Michigan and the National Institutes of Health where half of colicky babies were given simethicone and the other half were placebo. The conclusion of both studies is that Simethicone is ineffective. It did not produce better results than the group receiving the placebo. The baby's here. cried for two weeks, but both studies concluded that this was due to normal progress and was not affected by medication.

I will conclude from this that Simethicone doesn't do much except transfer money from your bank account to the pharmaceutical company. If you have determined that your baby's colic comes from excess gas, then the next step is to find out what food causes the gas. If you breastfeed your baby, gas can be caused by food in your diet or by your baby's feeding techniques.

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