Pain
Avoid products with aspirin
Preferred medications are:
- Acetaminophen, no more than 3000mg/24 hours
- Ibuprofen, no more than 800mg every 6 hours
- Naproxen (Alleve) is less ideal than Ibuprofen because Naproxen has a longer 1/2-life
Cold Medications
Avoid all products with decongestants such as pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine, because these can cause a significant decrease in milk supply.
Preferred medications are:
- Cough medicines with guaifenesin (such as plain Robitussin)
- Cough medications with dextromethorphan (such as Robitussin DM)
- Nasal saline preparations
- Neti Pot
Allergy Medications
Preferred medications are:
- Antihistamines such as loratadine (Claritin), fenofexadine (Allegra), or cetirizine (Zyrtec) for sneezing and itchy eyes/nose, itching and hives.
- Stronger antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and chlorpheniramine (Chlortrimeton) occasionally can cause irritability in the baby and might reduce the milk supply in high doses.
- Nasal cromolyn sodium (Nasalcrom)
- Topical OTC creams/ointments such as hydrocortisone
Heartburn
Preferred medications are:
- Ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid)
- Omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid)
Constipation
Preferred medications are:
- Docusate Sodium, which are stool softeners.
- Milk of Magnesia
- Glycolax (Miralax), which is polyethylene glycol. This is not likely to enter the breastmilk
- Dulcolax (Bisacodyl)- none enters the breastmilk
- Psyllium- does not enter breastmilk
Diarrhea
Prescription lomotil (atropine/diphenoxylate) is not recommended during lactation.
Not much is known about anti-diarrheal medications during lactation, so it is best to use medications sparingly.
Preferred medication:
- Loperamide (Immodium), over-the-counter
Motion Sickness
Preferred medications:
- Meclizine (Bonine). Watch for infant sedation. In high doses, it could decrease maternal milk supply if used often.
- Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine). Watch for infant sedation. In high doses, it could decrease maternal milk supply if used often.
