magnesium alginate + sodium alginate: clinical use

Prescribing considerations

• Confirm symptoms are compatible with reflux and reassess promptly if they worsen.
• Use in infants under one year requires medical supervision; avoid use in premature infants.
• Account for sodium content, especially where sodium restriction is required.
• Do not combine with other feed-thickening strategies.

Contraindications and cautions

• Hypersensitivity to an active ingredient or excipient
• Known intestinal obstruction
• Established diarrhoea or gastroenteritis requiring fluid replacement
• Fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or another situation associated with excessive water loss
• Known or suspected renal impairment

Monitoring

• Review persistent or worsening reflux symptoms.
• Investigate sustained constipation, diarrhoea or altered stool consistency.
• Assess hydration and electrolytes if excessive exposure or hypernatraemia is suspected.
• Monitor for abdominal distension, impaired feeding or features of obstruction.

Clinical pharmacology

A locally acting alginate combination that forms a viscous gel in acidic gastric contents. Its clinical action is physical and does not require systemic absorption.

Formulation and product differences

• The selected product is an infant-specific powder in unit-dose sachets.
• It must be mixed with milk or water immediately before administration.
• It contains mannitol and colloidal silica and is not interchangeable with adult Gaviscon formulations containing other active ingredients.