Breastfeeding and Medications

Breastfeeding and Medications

There is so much conjecture on the issue of breastfeeding and medications, but the truth is, there are ways to judge whether a medication is safe for a breastfeeding mother.

However, if you pick up most medicine bottles, you’ll see on the warnings label, “Do not take if pregnant or breastfeeding”. Sometimes, that’s alternated with “Ask doctor before use if pregnant or breastfeeding”. The reason for the warnings? Mostly legal. Companies don’t want to be sued so they put the warning on their products. Sometimes the same medications that are prescribed to premature infants are deemed unsafe for the nursing mother – when her baby would only get a tiny portion of the medicine via her milk! Obviously, that makes no sense.

Drug companies don’t want to test their products on live nursing moms and babies for obvious reasons. No company is willing to risk the life or health of a baby to test the safety of their drug.

Because of this reason, we have to rely on what we know about how a medication acts in the bloodstream. This is so because breastmilk (often called “white blood” by breastfeeding experts) is made from the nutrients in a mother’s blood.

Another factor is, is the medication safey used on infants? Then it would likely be safe for a nursing mom – since again, the baby would only be exposed to a small amount of the drug, if any at all (depending on when she takes the drug, how long it stays in her bloodstream, and how and when she nurses baby).

Another issue is the baby’s age. Some medications that may be ill-advised for a newborn would be just fine for an older baby who weighs more, and is eating some solid foods.

Generally speaking, drugs that were safe to take when you were pregnant as safe to take while breastfeeding. Drugs like Tylenol are widely known for being “safe”, although you would be smart to use it in moderation, and only after clearing it with your OB/GYN. The medication can and does make it’s way into your baby via milk, so it’s discouraged to take medications that would directly affect your baby, like Aspirin.

If you want to know if a specific medication is okay to take, you can look it up on LactMed. LactMed is a drugs and lactation database that has information on most drugs currently on the market, and their compatibility with breastfeeding. Check it out before taking a drug, for your peace of mind, but definitely also follow your common sense and take no more than the recommended dose, and less, if possible.

Another good source of information on breastfeeding and medications are your baby’s Pediatrician, the local Poison Control hotline, and a La Leche League leader.

If you need a medication, don’t assume you must wean. Most medications are quite safe for the nursing couple, or can be managed with dosages and timing to be compatible with breastfeeding.

See also:

Breastfeeding and cold medicine

Tags: breastfeeding and drugs