|
|
The answers to the following questions can help you determine the effect
on the infant of a drug that does reach the infant via the breast milk.
- Is the medicine routinely given to infants of this age?
If so, then it is probably safe to give it to the mother.
- Is the medication absorbed when given orally?
If the medication is not absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract
(eg: Heparin), it is safe to prescribe it for the breastfeeding mother.
- Can the infant excrete the medication?
A few medications like sulfa drugs in the newborn
(which displace bilirubin binding) or chloramphenicol (not
metabolized by the newborn's liver) can have decreased excretion.
As the infant gets older this becomes less of a problem.
|
