Suggest treatment for constipation in a child
Patient: My daughter is 19months old and extremely constipated. Currently we are giving her 225ml Pediasure in the morings and 225ml Novalac 3 in the evenings. She is not eating bread and gets a fruit every day. She is a very picky eater. She currently weighs 10kg and is very active. We stopped giving her Creche Guard and Viral Guard, it seems as if the iron is making her more constipated. We are giving her Dupholac to help her with the constipation (5ml once a day). Will it help if we change her formula to Lactogen 3? Doctor: Hello, Laxative syrups can be tried empirically. Most importantly conditions like hypothyroidism must be ruled out as it is a major cause for constipation in children. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.  Regards, Dr. Shinas Hussain, General & Family Physician