• HOME
• Maternal Child
  • Maternal Child Home
  • Breastfeeding
  • Family Planning
  • Child Health Notes
  • OB/GYN CCC Corner
  • Perinatologist Corner
  • Pregnancy
• Female Health Systems
  • FHS Home Page
  • Access to Care
  • ACOG/IHS Course
  • Advanced Practice Nurses & PA(s)
  • APN/PA(s) Links
  • Conferences
  • Cultural Appropriateness
  • Discussion Groups
  • Evidence Based Practice
  • Forms
  • Helpful Links
  • Job Opportunities
  • Meeting Lecture Notes
  • Newsletters and Journals
  • Patient Education
  • Primary Care Discussion Forum
  • Programs, Databases and Resources
  • Training
• Women's Health
  • Women's Health Home Page
  • Cancer
  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • Diabetes
  • Mature Women
  • Mental Health
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections
  • Substance Abuse
• Violence Against Native Women
  • VANW Home Page
  • Clinical Tools
  • Community Action
  • Current Events
  • Legislative Action
  • Other Links
  • Patient Education
  • Policies and Procedures
  • Provider Education
  • Public Health
  • Resources
  • Sexual Assault

Maternal Child

Medications: Prescribed and Over the Counter

• Breastfeeding Home
• Benefits for Babies, Moms, Families & Communities
• Going Back to School & Work
• Medications & Recreational Drugs
• Diabetes & Obesity Relationship to
  Breastfeeding
• Family Support
• Frequently Asked Questions
• IHS Best Practice Breastfeeding Site Contacts: Suzan Murphy
  1-877-868-9473
  (1-877-TOTWISE)
  Jenny Chee, Chinle, Arizona
  Brenda Cook, Anchorage, Alaska
• Breastfeeding Listserv
• Breastfeeding Links
• Staff Resources

I.H.S. Pharmacists are compiling an information format for prescribed medications that are commonly used and recreational drugs.

Until this page is completed, please refer to:

• American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org)
• Full text article, American Academy of Pediatrics The Transfer of Drugs and Other Chemicals Into Human Milk

• http://www.breastfeedingbasics.org This site has a tutorial for clinicians.

• Breastfeeding your infant while taking medication (WORD 57k)
• Is it a cold or the flu? (PDF 92k)

• Massachusetts General Hospital site featuring general info on breastfeeding while taking psychiatric meds.

• National Library of Medicine’s “ToxNet.” Choose “LactMed” for excellent drug information in lactation for health professionals.  This site also has citations.  For LactMed specifically, click on http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT

• A pharmacist’s website in New Zealand.  Good clinical information.
• http://www.safefetus.com includes FDA pregnancy risk category, fetal risk info as well as safety in lactation (basic, one-page information.)
• Thomas Hale’s Medication and Mother’s Milk (2006 version is now available) and other clinical texts (Briggs, et al)

• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Thomas Hale, Lactation Pharmacologist. Good explanation for pharmacists on how to predict drug concentration in mothers’ milk.

• http://www.ibreastfeeding.com/ to buy Hale’s books. There are free downloadable pamphlets on different breastfeeding issues on this site.

• University of Toronto Hospital for Sick Children. Has both public and professional information sites.
• Uptodate at www.ihs.gov
• Your local pharmacy
• Your local poison control center

Regarding tobacco, American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy is that the benefit of breastfeeding out weighs the risk tobacco contaminants in breast milk. Check with www.aap.org for more information.

For over the counter drugs, please consider the following:
(Printable Version - Word 30k)

What drugs can a breastfeeding mom take for a cold or the flu?

Some non-prescription medication suggestions: 

• Take the lowest doses of these drugs (don’t buy “extra strength”,”maximum strength”, or “long acting” – do buy “regular strength.”)
• Take the medicine right after nursing or before baby’s longest sleep time.
• Don’t choose medicines that have a variety of ingredients.
• Watch baby for effects from the medicines that you take.
• Follow the directions on the label. Don’t take more than that.

I have a fever … headache … or feel achy all over

Acetaminophen (Tylenol and many other brands)
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.)
Naproxen (Aleve, etc.)
(avoid aspirin)

I have a stuffy nose

Best: sodium chloride nasal spray
Phenylephrine nasal spray (Neo-Synephrine, etc.)
Oxymetazoline nasal spray (Afrin and others)
Pseudoephedrine oral tablets (Sudafed and many other brands)
(Mothers may experience a decrease in breast milk production when they take Sudafed, so they should be sure to drink more water!)

I keep sneezing … my allergies are acting up

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl and many other brands)
Brompheniramine + pseudoephedrine (Bromfed, Rondec syrup, etc.)
Triprolidine + pseudoephedrine (Actifed and other brands)
Chlorpheniramine (Coricidin and many other brands)
Dexbrompheniramine + pseudoephedrine (Drixoral and others)
Loratadine (Claritin, Alavert, others)
Cromolyn sodium nasal spray (Nasalcrom)

I have a sore throat … even after a cup of hot tea

Warm to hot salt water gargles (don’t swallow it!)
Throat sprays (Cepacol Maximum Strength Sore Throat Spray, others)
Throat lozenges (Sucrets Regular Strength, Halls Mentho-Lyptus Drops)
(avoid phenol and hexylresorcinol)

I have a cough

Guaifenesin with or without Dextromethorphan (Robitussin, Robitussin DMR and many other brands)

8/30/2006 (I.H.S. Pharmacists)                     BF-L   BF-M   CHN-L

Site Coordinator: BrestfeedingWebAdmin@ihs.gov

Return to top of page