Breastfeeding & Common Medications
Most medications are safe to take while breastfeeding as usually only a very low level of the medication is found in breast milk. If you have any questions about the safety of a medication that you are taking while breastfeeding your child, please reach out to a health care provider.
Pain Management
If you are in pain, over-the-counter pain medications can be helpful and safe:
- Acetaminophen (i.e., Tylenol) can be taken while breastfeeding.
- Ibuprofen (i.e., Advil or Motrin) can be taken while breastfeeding. Naproxen medications (i.e., Aleve) are also safe.
Allergies
If you have allergies, there are medications that can manage your symptoms and are safe to take while breastfeeding:
- Loratadine (i.e., Claritin) can be taken to manage allergies.
- Fexofenadine (i.e., Allegra Allergy) is an over-the-counter option for allergy symptom relief.
Important Note:
Do not stop taking any medications without speaking to your physician. Remind physicians that you are breastfeeding if they are prescribing.
To minimize breast milk drug levels, you can take the medication right after a feed. This is only effective for some medications.
Some medications (such as Sudafed) can decrease your milk supply. Talk to your provider if you are concerned about the impact of a certain medication on your supply as there may be alternatives.
There are many medications people may wish/need to take during their postpartum period.
Click the following link to find out breastfeeding safety information for your specific medications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501922/
