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Benefits
of Breastfeeding
Getting
Started
Fathers
and Breast Feeding
Adequate
Milk Supply
Challenges
and Concerns Engorgement
Plugged Duct
Mastitis
Drugs
and Breastfeeding
Storage
of Breast Milk
Nutrition
During Lactation
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Drugs
and Breastfeeding
While it is preferable
to avoid taking medication during breastfeeding, it is rare that breastfeeding
has to be stopped if a mother requires medication. Most drugs do appear
in the milk, but only in very tiny amounts. A very few drugs may cause
problems for infants even in small doses, but this is not the case for
the vast majority of drugs, and safe alternatives are often available.
Breastfeeding brings such significant health benefits to both mother
and baby that every effort should be made to support breastfeeding during
treatment.
Most drugs can be considered safe for the mother to take while breastfeeding
if: they are commonly prescribed for infants (e.g., amoxycillin, other
antibiotics); they are considered safe during pregnancy, although there
may be exceptions; and they are not absorbed from the stomach or intestines,
such as drugs given by injection.
The following frequently used medications are also generally safe to
use during lactation:
acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol, Tempra)
aspirin (usual doses, short term)
most blood pressure medications
codeine
most non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (e.g. ibuprofen)
thyroxine
warfarin, coumadin
sertraline (Zoloft)
other antidepressants (use caution, monitor infant with Prozac)
metronidazole (Flagyl), Macrobid |
alcohol (in small amounts)
most anti-epileptic medications
tetracycline, short-term
prednisone
propylthiouracil (PTU)
trycyclic antidepressants
paroxetine (Paxil)
Nix, Kwellada (avoid lindane) |
Medications applied to the skin, inhaled, or applied
to the eyes or nose are almost always safe during breastfeeding. Breastfeeding
is safe after general, regional or local anesthesia, and medications
taken for pain following childbirth are almost always permitted. Immunizations
given to the mother are also OK, including those with live viruses such
as German measles and hepatitis A and B.
Breastfeeding mothers and physicians who have questions about medication
safety can consult with a pharmacist or lactation consultant. An excellent
website for up-to-date information on the topic of medication use during
lactation is http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/lact hosted by Thomas Hale,
Ph.D. Try to get reliable information before stopping breastfeeding.
Once you have stopped it may be difficult to restart, especially if
the baby is very young.
  
  
 
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