It's my understanding that thickeners such as this are used primarily for infants who cannot safely swallow thin liquids but who can handle thickened consistencies.  I've not seen it prescribed for purposes of treating GERD (in which thickening feeds has not equivocally been shown to be effective), and the feeding therapists I've spoken with about it very rarely use it for infants or even young children.

We used Simply Thick for nearly a year with my preschooler to help his dysphagia related to a laryngeal cleft and it was definitely considered the easiest thickener for us to use.  However, his feeding therapists all mentioned that it can cause "GI problems" (significant constipation for him) and only reluctantly advised us to use it when it was clear there was no good alternative for his specific type of issue.  It worked pretty well although only attenuated and did not truly treat the underlying cause.  

In infants and children who cannot handle thin liquids for whatever reason, thickening like this is a valuable way to preserve oral feeding.  I don't know though that any of the other commercially available thickeners will prove to be a good substitute for this young vulnerable population.

-Sarah Reece-Stremtan M.D. (pediatric anesthesiology fellow in Washington DC)

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