What Allergy Medicine Is Safe While Breastfeeding

How To Treat An Allergic Reaction

Treatment for allergies depends on how severe the reaction was. Some people experience mild symptoms like itching and wheezing, while others have more fatal cases.

Minor allergic reactions are remediable antihistamines, corticosteroids, or decongestants. Treatment can be administered through oral pills, eye drops, nasal rinses, and ointment.

For severe reactions like anaphylaxis, immediate medical attention is necessary. If you or someone you see is having an anaphylactic reaction, call 911 right away.

Home And Natural Cold Remedies

Theres no cure for the common cold, but medications can be effective and help you feel better. Drugs arent the only option for improving your symptoms. If youre not comfortable taking cold medicine while breast-feeding, some home and natural remedies might do the trick.

To relieve congestion naturally, make sure you drink plenty of liquids, such as:

• water with lemon or honey

You can eat chicken soup to reduce congestion and mucus buildup. The warmth from the soup can ease a sore, scratchy throat. Mixing 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons of salt in 8 ounces of warm water and gargling also soothes a sore throat, as does sucking on ice chips or sugar-free candy.

Its also important that you get plenty of rest while fighting a cold. This can be hard, and understandably, you might not be able to stop completely. But you should slow down and limit your level of activity. If youre well enough to exercise, reduce the intensity of your workouts. Rest can strengthen your immune system and help you recover faster.

Taking herbs and supplements such as vitamin C, echinacea, and zinc may shorten the duration of your cold, though the evidence for this is inconclusive at best. Speak with your doctor before treating a cold with alternative remedies.

My Allergies And Asthma Really Get Me Down What Medicines Can I Safely Take While Im Breastfeeding

When illnesses get you down, youll have a hard time maintaining a good milk supply and taking care of your baby. Its good to do something about your symptoms, rather than thinking you must suffer through them because you are breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is important when, as in your case, there are allergies in the family. The longer you breastfeed the less likely your child is to inherit your allergies, and breastfeeding may also decrease your own allergy symptoms for a while. Stress can trigger or aggravate asthma and allergies. Breastfeeding stimulates your natural tranquilizing hormones, which may, in turn, reduce the severity of your allergies.

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What Herbal & Nutritional Supplements Can I Take For A Cold While Breastfeeding

Zincnutritional supplement . Zinc can be used topically or ingested, and is usually not harmful when breastfeeding an older infant. However, doses of zinc in cold remedies can be in excess of what is safe. There is no accepted standard for what is too much, but the recommended daily allowance of zinc from all sources is 12 mg per day in a lactating woman. Doses of commonly marketed zinc supplements frequently range from 8-25 mg taken every 3-4 hours. Total daily zinc consumption can become easily excessive with these products. Zinc salts for cold treatment can have possible negative effects on breastfeeding infants during the first weeks of life. Thus, excessive zinc supplementation in breastfeeding mothers should be avoided for the first month postpartum. Topical application of zinc oxide is not absorbed, and is safe when breastfeeding. Common trade names: Galzin, Airborne, Orazinc, Zicam

Vitamin Cnutritional supplement . Vitamin C is often advertised for cold-fighting. Although its efficacy in treating colds has not been supported, it likely is not harmful to supplement while breastfeeding. Even high levels of maternal consumption resulted in only slightly increased levels in breastmilk.5 Common trade names: Airborne, Emergen-C, Cenolate, Celin, Cemill

Effects In Breastfed Infants

A survey of 51 mothers who took loratadine during breastfeeding between 1999 and 2001 was conducted by a teratogen information service. Most of the infants were over 2 months old and loratadine was generally taken for one week or less. Two mothers reported minor sedation in their infants, one at 3 days of age and one at 3 months of age. Both mothers were taking a dose of 10 mg daily. Weight gain and psychomotor development were similar to infants in a control group of breastfed infants unexposed to medications. An extension of the study that compared the results of this study to that of a control group of 88 mothers who took a drug known to be safe while breastfeeding. No differences in sedation or any other side effects in the infant were found between mothers who took loratadine during breastfeeding and those of the control group.

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What Can I Take To Help With Sleep While Breastfeeding

Diphenhydramine : Antihistamine. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine that is often used in cough, cold, sinus, and allergy formulations. It is used to dry up secretions. Sedation is an unwanted side effect when using it as an allergy medication, but can be an advantage to help with sleep. If you are taking a sedating medication, be sure to have support in caring for your infant. There is some anecdotal evidence that diphenhydramine can suppress milk production, but this pattern is not supported by the medical literature. Common trade names: Benadryl, Tylenol PM.

Doxylamine : This is another sedating antihistamine, similar to diphenhydramine, which is more commonly used for its sedative properties. There are no good studies about how much of this drug gets into breast milk. In infants exposed to doxylamine, there are reports of sedation, apnea, and paradoxical CNS stimulation. If you are taking a sedating medication like diphenhydramine, be sure to have support in caring for your infant. Use caution with this medication. Common trade name: Unisom

Cold And Allergy Meds: What To Consider

When deciding which cold and allergy meds to take while breastfeeding consider:

• The risk the medication might have on your baby
• The benefits of the medication for your health
• The overall benefits of breastfeeding your baby

If you get sick and need to take medication that could affect your breastmilk, your doctor might recommend that you stop breastfeeding temporarily, depending on how long you need to take the medication. If this happens, you can pump in addition to breastfeeding to create an extra supply of breastmilk you can store in your fridge or freezer.

If youâre not sure if the medication you need to take is safe while breastfeeding, store your expressed breast milk in a separate area until you have a chance to talk with your doctor.

In rare cases, a doctor may ask you to stop breastfeeding permanently. Your doctor can help guide you through the process of weaning your baby off breast milk and transitioning them to baby formula.

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What Medicines Are Dangerous To Take During Breastfeeding

Sometimes mothers are advised to stop breastfeeding while they are taking some medicines in case they harm the baby. Examples of medicines that are not suitable while you are breastfeeding include:

• some chemotherapy drugs for cancer
• some drugs for heart conditions such as an irregular heart rhythm
• lithium for some mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder
• injectable medicines used during MRI scans
• some medicines used to treat skin conditions such as acne or psoriasis

Do not assume that herbal medicines and teas are safe while you are breastfeeding. You should always talk to your doctor or midwife before you take a herbal medicine or tea.

Check With A Healthcare Provider

Always check with a healthcare provider to be sure if Claritin or any medication is OK for you and your babys specific health situation. Deciding whether Claritin is safe while breastfeeding depends on a person’s past medical history, notes Silverman. Before starting any medication while breastfeeding, please discuss with your doctor.

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Alternatives To Taking Benadryl While Breastfeeding

Luckily, for breastfeeding mothers, there are plenty of safe alternatives to taking Benadryl while breastfeeding. The best options are antihistamines that arent sedatives since they are less likely to have a sedative effect on the baby. Claritin is one allergy medicine that has been studied during breastfeeding, and its shown to pass only marginally into breastmilk. Do note, however, that Claritin-D contains pseudoephedrine and can reduce milk supply.

If your doctor does advise you to take Benadryl for some reason, you can take it before bedtime after youve just breastfed your baby, or you might take it while youre breastfeeding so it can start clearing your system before the next feeding. Other medicines you might take can include antihistamine nasal sprays and eyedrops. There are also decongestants that can be used during breastfeeding as well. However, many decongestant allergy medicines do have pseudoephedrine, so be sure to check the labels. Nasal decongestant sprays that can be used while breastfeeding include Afrin and Tyzine. For some women, a doctor may prescribe corticosteroids, which suppress inflammation related to allergies. Allergy immunotherapy is an option during breastfeeding as well. Immunotherapy is a series of shots given several times a week for anywhere from three to six months, which helps train the bodys immune system to stop attacking allergens.

For Itchy Eyes And Nasal Drainage

Eye irritation and nasal drainage are two of the most common allergy symptoms.

Both conditions result from an allergic reaction, specifically through the release of histamines.

When you experience these symptoms, you should consider taking antihistamines, which are deemed safe for your baby and your breast milk supply.

Zyrtec

The preferred antihistamine to take while breastfeeding is Zyrtec.

Additionally, other second-generation antihistamines are also considered safe, but there is less research supporting their use.

These include Xyzal , Claritin , and Allegra .

Loratadine

The fact that this medication does not cross the blood-brain barrier makes it THE over-the-counter antihistamine of choice, even though it is a long-acting antihistamine.

Based on Hales Medication & Mothers Milk, an infant weighing 8.8 lbs would receive less than 0.46 percent of the maternal dose according to Hales Medication & Mothers Milk.

Fexofenadine

The nonsedating nature of this medication makes it a preferred antihistamine for breastfeeding mothers. Fexofenadine does not appear to have any adverse effects on nursing babies.

Levocabastine oral and Levocabastine eyedrops

Although most commonly prescribed as eye drops, the amount of medication that transfers into human milk is so tiny that its not clinically significant. Plus, there have been no reports of adverse effects in breastfed babies.

However, information regarding Levocabastine oral preparations is not available.

Zatador

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Effect On Breast Milk Production

There is conflicting data on the effect of antihistamines and breast milk production, and the evidence is very limited.

Antihistamines, used at normal therapeutic doses are unlikely to affect breast milk production, especially where lactation is established, i.e. after 6-8 weeks postpartum.

One small study, reported a possible increase in the time until milk secretion postpartum when promethazine was given during labour. In another study, high doses of dexchlorphenamine or promethazine were reported to significantly reduce serum prolactin levels but did not influence suckling-induced prolactin release. One mother reported a reduction in milk production after taking 10mg of loratadine.

There have been no studies looking at other antihistamines, lower doses, or what effect any changes in prolactin might have on milk production.

Most Common Method Of Ingestion

Most discussions of allergy medication focus on antihistamines and decongestants.

I wanted to include ALL allergy medication types/options because there’s a large population of lactating parents who need more intense allergy medications to get through their seasonal allergies. However, due to time and space, I’ve decided to break this into two parts Part one that focuses on common allergy meds, and Part two, less common medications for allergies.

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Drugs For Preventing Pregnancy

• Breastfeeding mothers planning to take the contraceptive pill should only be prescribed the mini-pill. Common brand names include Microlut, Noriday, and Micronor.
• Combined oral contraceptive pills should not be taken. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist for more information about this.
• The morning-after pill is quite safe for emergency contraception.
• Depo-Provera and Depo-Ralovera are also safe for use. They should be given to you about 6 weeks after the birth.
• Talk to your doctor if you are planning to use implanted contraceptive devices. Small amounts will pass into your breastmilk.

Sore Itchy Throat And/or Cough

• Drink strong black tea .
• Drink hot lemonade with honey. Or make a mixture of one part lemon juice and two parts honey. Sip throughout the day.
• Drink fenugreek tea to relieve head and chest congestion and cough.
• Use Zinc gluconate lozenges, but avoid taking large amounts of zinc for more than seven days, because it can interfere with other minerals in the body.
• Salt water gargle:Mix a 1 tablespoon of salt in eight ounces of warm water. Gargle the whole mixture several times a day.
• Apple-cider vinegar and water gargle.Mix 1-6 teaspoons vinegar in a glass of water you can mix it as strong as you can stand it. Gargle one mouthful . Repeat twice. Do this every hour, or as needed.
• Slippery elm bark can help with sore throat and cough. It comes in herbal cough drops and throat lozenges , or you can make a tea. For tea, use 1 to 3 teaspoons of powdered bark per cup, boil and simmer 15 minutes. Up to 3 cups per day.
• Chamomile tea gargle

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Side Effects Of Loratadine While Breastfeeding

Loratadine usually produces no harmful side effects. But contact your doctor if you notice any unusual reactions in your body. Also, consult your doctor about any possible side effects of loratadine before you consume it. Prior information helps you prepare for any adverse reactions such as:

Seek medical advice if you experience any severe allergic reactions after using loratadine, such as:

• Severe dizziness
• Swelling of lips, face, throat, eyes or tongue
• Difficulty in breathing

On the bottom line, loratadine is safe to use while breastfeeding. But, try harmless remedies such as steam inhalation or anti-inflammatory herbs.

If your doctor prescribes loratadine while breastfeeding, keep a watch on the side effects. Ask your doctor about the best time to take loratadine. For instance, you can take it just after nursing your baby to minimize her exposure to the drug.

Did you suffer from any allergies when you were breastfeeding? How did you overcome them? Share your experiences in the comment section.

References:

Can Medicines Affect The Baby

Some medicines can give the baby diarrhoea or vomiting, or make them unusually sleepy or irritable. Other medicines can also cause you to have more or less milk production than normal.

The amount of medicine that enters the breast milk and the effect on the baby depend on the age and health of the baby, the type of medicine, how much you take, and when you take it.

You should take special care if your baby was premature, is sick, or is taking medicines themselves.

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Tips For Dealing With Allergies While Breastfeeding:

The best way to avoid allergic responses is to know what kind of allergy you have. Here are a set of tips and precautions to deal with allergies while breastfeeding:

Identifying irritants: Take better care of yourself much as you can to figure out what causes your allergies. Pay close attention to what you do or consume to detect when you start to get allergy symptoms. This will help you and your doctor figure out which irritants are the source of your allergy.

Avoid allergens you suffer from: For example, if you have a pollen allergy, stay indoors when pollen volatilizes a lot.And if you have a dust allergy, dust sheets and carpets, and clean your home with a vacuum cleaner. If the sensitivity of the chest is due to smoke and so on, care must be taken as much as possible not to be in the midst of smokers, and car windows must be closed tightly to reduce inhalation of car exhaust and so on.

In general, it is advised to stay away from anything that may cause a food allergy. If you suffer from skin allergies to foods such as bananas, strawberries and chocolate, you should avoid them completely.

Then, after birth, complete the follow-up also with the pediatrician who would monitor your baby to make sure that the allergy treatment you are taking is compatible with breastfeeding.

Which Medications Are Safe For Breastfeeding

Nobody outside of your doctor can tell you which medications are safe for you to take. With that said, generally, most drugs are considered compatible with breastfeeding, meaning they should pose little to no risk of adverse side effects for lactation or your baby.

Overview of compatibility of allergy medication based ingestion method

• Pill/capsules: Medication gets released in the stomach and travels through the bloodstream to have a response. Has the most potential for entering breast milk.

• Nasal sprays: Usually only has local absorption and poses little risk to breastfeeding babies.

• Inhalers: Rarely cause issues with breastfeeding due to the small amount of medication absorbed into the bloodstream.

• Eye drops: Absorption of eye drops is minimal, and not enough medication would enter the bloodstream to then transfer into human milk.

In other words, there’s little concern when using nasal sprays, inhalers, or eye drops. Should you have symptom relief through those methods alone, there’s no need to take oral allergy medication. However, I will cover all of these over the counter options if you’d like more information.

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