Medications and Breastfeeding: A Guide for Nursing Mothers

Since all medications come with different risks, it is important for mothers and doctors to carefully examine what drugs are both safe and harmful for a nursing mother and her child. Drugs that may have been safe for a fetus may not be safe for an infant while he is breast-feeding.

Pain Medication

• Pain medicines--such as Ibuprofen (Motrin), Morphine and Acetaminophen (Tylenol)--are recommended for nursing mothers. Nursing mothers should use Naproxen or Meperidine (Demerol) with caution.

Depression Medicine

• Common anti-depression medications--such as Zoloft and Paxil--are less harmful than Prozac.

Allergy Medications

• Doctors recommend that nursing mothers with allergies take Beconase, Flonase or Nasalcrom.

Diabetes

• For nursing mothers with diabetes, Insulin, Micronase, Glucotrol and Orinase are the recommended types of medication. Mothers should avoid Glucophage or Thiazolinediones while nursing.

Birth Control

• For mothers interested in taking birth control, barrier methods are recommended over contraceptives containing estrogen.

Warning

• The effect a drug has on a nursing baby is determined by how much of the drug is transferred into the breast milk. The transfer occurs when the drug has a high concentration of serum. Some mothers prefer to avoid any medications while nursing. However, if that is impossible, know that there are many options.