Breastfeeding women scared of meds

[Barb Glare]

Health News: Breastfeeding women scared of medicines?

Breastfeeding women scared of medicines?
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admin on 17/07/2010 03:06:00

In a recently published paper, Dr Amir says that the problem is with health
professionals. ‘Although some health professionals follow expert advice in
providing information about drug safety for breastfeeding women, many do not.
The situation is often confusing for patients who are the recipients of
contradictory information.’
Many mothers believe that medication they take can harm a baby if they
breastfeed, but studies have shown that serious adverse drug reactions in
infants are rare, particularly in infants over one month of age. If a mother
isn’t breastfeeding, the infant is missing out on an important part of their
development.
‘Many people are unaware of just how beneficial breast milk is to a baby,’
Dr Amir explains. ‘When considering the risk/benefit analysis of medicines
for breastfeeding women, the risks of not breastfeeding greatly outweigh the
risks of the vast majority of medications.’
The solution lies with providing the right resources for health professionals.
Health professionals need to look drugs up in a reliable source and to involve
the mother and her partner in developing a therapeutic plan,’ says Dr Amir.
The US Centers for Disease Control have called for public health action to
ensure that evidence-based information about safety of drugs during lactation
is easily accessible to women and health professionals. They suggest that a
panel of experts could set priorities and standards, interpret data, and make
recommendations. An internet-based central resource could enable clinicians and
consumers around the world to make the best decisions when considering
medicines for breastfeeding women.
In the meantime, Dr Amir says that it is better for a mother to breastfeed.
‘A mother’s milk has the right sort of proteins and sugars that a baby
needs. It also has living cells in it, so the baby gets white blood cells from
the mother.

[briggsy's girl]

i get the impression that any drug in which the active ingredient is found in BM during testing is labelled with a "not safe while breastfeeding" tag, even if it shows up in miniscule amounts - we live in such a litigious society that it covers their backsides.

My Ob said to me to take some anti-inflammatories post c/s (or if i developed mastitis) - but he warned me that it was best not to tell the pharmacist i was BF as they would refuse to sell them to me. it's sad when you have to stretch the truth like that. i wouldn't want to do anything to harm my DD, so i don't self medicate - but i don't go by the packaging - i research myself as to what the impacts will be if i take them. not everyone has access to the right research to do that though (i studied med science so have a bit of an idea where to look). i agree, a central resource that gives not only the manufacturers information, but properly outlined infomration about what the drugs will do, is not only a good idea, it's necessary