When considering the risks of taking a particular medication while breastfeeding, it`s important to understand the nature of these risks, along with the risks of weaning.
A physician will recommend weaning when uncertain about the effects of a drug in human milk. The doctor who is not sure of the ill effects of the drug while breast feeding, may leave it out altogether. It is practically impossible to keep up with all the research on the safety of drugs while breast feeding. This approach considers that there are no risks involved in weaning to formula. While many physicians, like the general public, make this assumption, it is not true. The risks of exposing a baby to a drug in breast milk should be weighed against the known risks of exposing a baby to infant formula while depriving him of breast milk. Remember that all the advantages of breastfeeding can be turned around and understood as risks of formula feeding.
Drug manufacturing companies stress on legal considerations rather than scientific knowledge, when advising mothers to discontinue breastfeeding when taking in a particular drug. The information available from pharmaceutical companies about a drug, either in package inserts or in The Physician`s Desk Reference (the PDR), often advises mothers not to breastfeed while taking a drug, but this advice reflects the company`s desire to protect itself from lawsuits and to avoid having to do expensive research that would allow it to say a certain drug is safe.
Taking medication safely
Once you and your doctor have weighed the alternatives and together made the decision that it is in the best interests of you and your baby to take the medicine, be sure you understand the dosage, the timing, the possible adverse effects on you (e.g., stomach ache, headache, diarrhea), and if there are any possible adverse effects to watch for in your baby.
When you pick up the medicine at the pharmacy, check the label and be sure it agrees with what your doctor told you. Remember that doctors oftentimes do not discuss possible adverse drug reactions with patients for two reasons: they occur in a small minority of patients, and if you expect certain reactions, you are more likely to experience them, or imagine you do.
Timing the dosage
Find out from your doctor or pharmacist for any information about the medicine that would help you time the dosage and the baby`s feedings to get the most medicine into you, but the least into your milk.
If the medication is one that should be used with caution, you may take the medication right after feeding your baby. Most milk is freshly made during the feeding and the breast stores only a small quantity. While baby is feeding, the blood flow to the breasts and, therefore, the potential delivery of the drug to your milk is highest. It decreases after the feed.
Most drugs reach their maximum concentration in the breast milk 1-2 hours after being taken. So, taking medication right after you feed allows much of the medicine to be cleared from your milk before the next feeding.
Once-a-day medications should be taken just before your baby`s longest feeding interval (usually right after putting your baby to sleep at night), unless the side effects of the medication could keep you and/or your baby awake.
While timing your dosage may help to minimize your baby`s exposure to the drug in your milk, don`t deny your baby, thinking of the ill effects to wane away. If you have a baby who nurses frequently throughout the day and night, you will probably both be calmer and better off if you take the medicine as directed and nurse your baby on cue.
Pump and dump
Some drugs (e.g., radioactive substances used in x-ray diagnostic procedures) require temporary weaning. If your doctor advises that you wait to nurse your baby until a potentially harmful drug is out of your system, pump your milk every 3-4 hours during the time you are not nursing and discard the milk. Meanwhile, use the "safe" milk you previously stored in the "milk bank" in your freezer.
Information on Specific Drugs
medications divided into three categories:
Common medications that are safe to use while breastfeeding
Drugs that require careful monitoring by a physician when taken while breastfeeding .
Drugs that should not be used while breastfeeding.
Talking with your health professional about any medication you take is very important, and a nursing mother should always remind her physician that she is breastfeeding when decisions are being made about medications.
Common medications that are safe to use while breastfeeding
The safety of the following medications is established for short-term use only. If you are required to take one of these for more than one or two weeks, consult a physician.
|
