Question
Can very young babies have gripe water or colic drops?
27 October 2021. Related: All topics, Children.
My baby is 1 week and show signs of colic. Can I give her colic drops and gripe water? She’s exclusively breastfeeding and on nevirapine,
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
Colic is when a baby cries a lot and when there isn’t a clear reason for this.
In the UK this involves crying for more than 3 hours a day, for 3 days a week and for at least 1 week. This can be very difficult for a parent or carer.
Colic doesn’t usually start this young. It usually starts after a few weeks for up to six months. The information at this link includes things that can help:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/colic
Gripe water is not usually recommended for babies until they are at least one month. This should be included in the information that comes with the gripe water.
Colic drops are not thought to be harmful (unless the baby is also taking thyroid medicine). However, there isn’t any evidence that either gripe water of colic drops will help.
For older babies, there are no interactions that stop the HIV meds from working.
Please talk to your doctor or nurse though in case there are other things that can help.
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