Guide to safe medication during lactation

The breastfeeding period is a very special period. You must be cautious when using medications at this time. It does not mean that you cannot use medications, but some medications can be used and some medications cannot be used indiscriminately. Indiscriminately used medications may enter the baby's body and cause very serious consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to have a full understanding of the guidelines for safe medication use during lactation to avoid unnecessary trouble.

When taking medications during breastfeeding, many mothers tend to only focus on whether the medications affect milk secretion, and rarely consider the effects of the medications on the baby, or simply don't know which medications have effects on the baby. In fact, many drugs can enter the baby's body through the mother's breast milk and have effects on the infant. Although the concentration of some drugs entering breast milk is very low, they can still cause great harm to the tender body of the infant.

At the same time, most drugs taken by breastfeeding women will appear in breast milk to a greater or lesser extent, and the newborn's ability to metabolize and excrete drugs is not yet mature. Newborns eliminate drugs very slowly. For example, when adults take caffeine, half of the caffeine is eliminated in less than 4 hours, but it takes more than 80 hours for newborns to eliminate it.

Because neonates may have particularly poor excretion of certain drugs, such as caffeine, problems may be exacerbated if these drugs are repeatedly given through breast milk. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers should avoid drinking caffeinated beverages, otherwise it will make the baby excited.

Therefore, you must be cautious when taking medications during breastfeeding and pay attention to whether the drugs will be excreted through breast milk and whether they will cause harm to the baby after inhalation.

Principles of medication during lactation

During this special period of breastfeeding, when mothers suffer from minor illnesses such as colds, fevers, diarrhea, etc., which can be cured by taking the right medicine, things become difficult. Since most drugs still exist in trace amounts in breast milk after being metabolized in the mother's body, infants must rely on their own abilities to detoxify and excrete them, which is a big challenge for the little ones.

Therefore, when using medications during breastfeeding, you need to pay attention to the characteristics of the medications, otherwise the breast milk will become "medicine juice". Experts believe that breastfeeding mothers should follow the following five principles when taking medication:

1. Choose drugs with good efficacy and short half-life.

2. Use the smallest effective dose possible and do not increase the dose at will.

3. The medicine can be taken immediately after breastfeeding, and the next breastfeeding time can be delayed appropriately, which will help the baby avoid the peak period of blood drug concentration when sucking milk.

4. Avoid using banned drugs. If they must be used, breastfeeding should be stopped.

5. When taking medications that require caution, you should use them under the guidance of a clinical physician and closely observe the reaction of the infant. If the mother must take medication, but the safety of the drug for the baby has not been proven, breastfeeding should be suspended or artificial feeding should be used instead.