Drug Avoidance for Nursing Mothers

QUESTION: I'm a nursing mother. What drugs should I avoid?
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ANSWER: Fortunately, most drugs taken by a woman who is breast feeding are
not hazardous to the newborn, but there are some drugs that should be avoided
completely.
Lithium, which is used in the treatment of depression, should not be used
while breast feeding as it can cause hypotonia--abnormal muscle tone and
decreased strength.
Antimetabolites (usually used to treat cancer), taken by the mother, may
cause long term anti-DNA activity in the baby.
Radioactive medications will contaminate breast milk with radioactive
substances. Preparations containing iodine can cause goiter and
hypothyroidism.
The anticoagulant Phenindione (hedulin) passes quickly into breast milk
and may slow down the baby's blood coagulation. The antibiotic
Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin) is very potent, and high concentrations pass
into the breast milk, which may in turn cause bone marrow depression.
These drugs should be avoided completely, but while many medications pass
into breast milk, the excretion of a drug into breast milk does not
necessarily pose a hazard, because usually only 1 to 2% of the dosage will
pass through to the milk. It is wise, however, for nursing moms to use as few
drugs as possible. You would be wise to keep both your physician and your
baby's doctor informed of all that's going on, so that the risks to the baby
can be measured against the benefits the medications provide for the mother.
Nursing moms can also minimize the effects of their medications in their
infants by taking the drugs after breast feeding.