The Breastfeeding Factor: Using Drugs While Breastfeeding

Be careful to read labels of any over-the-counter medicine you choose to take; there may be an antihistamine hidden away in there – even if the medication isn't labeled as an antihistamine. Fortunately, having to forgo antihistamines rarely involves anything more than some sneezy, itchy discomfort for mom, and these discomforts usually diminish or disappear with the right nutrient and diet prescription.

Other medications and types of medications that don't mix with nursing include the following:

• Amphetamines, stimulants that are prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, narcolepsy, and other conditions.

• Antithyroid drugs, used to control Graves' disease (hyperthyroidism).

• Aspirin and other salicylates. These may cause Reye's syndrome, a severe illness, if an infant with any kind of viral infection is exposed to it. Ask your pharmacist if you aren't sure whether any over-the-counter or prescription drug contains salicylates.

• Atropine, which is used to dilate the pupils during eye examinations, and to treat certain eye disorders. It is also an ingredient in a medication sometimes prescribed to relieve the discomfort of urinary tract infection.

• Bromides (for example, Bromo-Seltzer).

• Cancer chemotherapy drugs.

• Cathartic drugs, which are drugs that cause diarrhea, and are sometimes used to evacuate the colon for diagnostic testing.

• Diet drugs.

• Ergot and related compounds, which can be used to treat a variety of disorders, including migraine and cluster headaches and menopausal discomforts such as hot flashes and excessive sweating.

• Iodides.

• Mercury-based drugs.

• Metronidazole (Flagyl, Metric, Protostat), an antifungal.

• Oral anticoagulants (blood-thinners).

• Tetracycline, an antibiotic also sold under the brand name Achromycin.

Most topical medications (those applied to the skin) and inhaled medications pass into the milk in even smaller quantities than oral ones do. If you have problems with allergies, asthma, or eczema – the usual reasons for long-term use of inhaled or topical medications – we hope that you will be able to stop using these drugs once you are using our postpartum program. Eliminating food allergens and improving digestive health have cleared up these problems for many of our patients. While using the medications isn't the worst thing in the world, you are better off not needing them. Consider that inhaled steroids, used for years at a time, cause bones to thin and increase the risk of developing osteoporosis later in life and also increase the risk of developing glaucoma. Quick-acting bronchodilating asthma inhalers may relieve attacks in the short term, but, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if used too often, especially over long periods of time, can lead to worsening of the disease and even increase your risk of dying of asthma.