What drugs can be passed through breast milk?

Understanding Drug Transfer Through Breast Milk
Breastfeeding is a natural and beneficial practice for both mothers and infants, but it raises important questions about the safety of medications taken by nursing mothers. The transfer of drugs into breast milk is a complex process influenced by various factors, including the drug’s chemical properties and the mother’s physiology.
How Drugs Enter Breast Milk
Most drugs can pass into breast milk to some extent, but the amount that reaches the infant is typically very small. In general, less than 1% of a drug will pass through breast milk to the baby. The transfer is influenced by several factors:
– Molecular Size: Larger molecules, such as insulin and heparin, generally do not cross into breast milk effectively due to their size.
– Lipid Solubility: Drugs that are more lipid-soluble tend to concentrate in breast milk. This is particularly true for weakly basic drugs, such as barbiturates.
– Protein Binding: Drugs that are highly bound to plasma proteins are less likely to enter breast milk.
Commonly Used Medications
Many commonly used medications are considered safe for breastfeeding mothers. For instance, nicotine replacement therapy is deemed compatible with breastfeeding, provided that the dosage is managed carefully. This is crucial because nicotine can pass freely into breast milk and be absorbed by the infant.
Other medications, such as antibiotics, analgesics, and antihistamines, are generally safe, but mothers should always consult healthcare providers to ensure that the specific medication is appropriate for their situation.
Risks and Considerations
While many medications are safe, some can pose risks to infants. Drugs contraindicated during breastfeeding include certain chemotherapy agents and drugs that can cause sedation or respiratory depression in infants. Additionally, substances like alcohol and illicit drugs can have harmful effects and should be avoided.
Moreover, infectious diseases can also be transmitted through breast milk, such as HIV, which poses a significant risk to infants. Therefore, mothers who are HIV-positive are generally advised against breastfeeding.
Conclusion
In summary, while many medications can pass through breast milk, the amounts are usually minimal and often considered safe for breastfeeding infants. However, it is essential for nursing mothers to consult healthcare professionals regarding any medications they are taking to ensure the safety of their child. Understanding the dynamics of drug transfer into breast milk can help mothers make informed decisions about their health and their baby’s well-being.

What drugs cross into breast milk?

Most drug molecules, including alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, are small enough to enter milk. Exceptions are drugs with high molecular weights such as heparins and insulin.

How long do drugs stay in breastmilk?

A breastfeeding plan
If you do use drugs such as amphetamines or heroin as a one-off, you will need to express your breast milk in the 24 hours afterwards and throw it away before you breastfeed again. After using drugs, it is not safe for you to care for or breastfeed your baby.

What can be transferred through breast milk?

Serious Illnesses and Breastfeeding

• COVID-19. A parent who tests positive for COVID-19 can breastfeed their infant.
• HIV.
• Hepatitis B.
• Hepatitis C.
• Tuberculosis.
• Other infections.
• Cancer.
• More information.

Which drugs are affected by milk?

Common dairy product interactions include certain antibiotics, such as tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones, osteoporosis medications, and iron supplements. Levothyroxine (Synthroid, Unithroid), lithium (Lithobid), and HIV medications also interact with dairy products.

What happens if you breastfeed with drugs in your system?

There is still a lot we don’t know about the effects of drugs on your baby when you are breastfeeding but it’s thought that, even at low levels, taking drugs is likely to: make your baby drowsy, feed poorly and have disturbed sleep patterns and poor weight gain. cause behavioural problems.

Which drugs are excreted through breast milk?

• analgesics and antipyretics: short courses of paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen;
• antibiotics: ampicillin, amoxicillin, cloxacillin and other penicillins, erythromycin.
• bronchodilators (e.g. salbutamol), corticosteroids, antihistamines, antacids.

What drugs can pass through a mother’s breast milk and harm a nursing baby?

Drugs that may have an adverse effect when ingested by a breastfed infant include cyclophosphamide, chloramphenicol, metronidazole, nitrofurantoin, antithyroid drugs, psychotropic drugs, and radiopharmaceuticals.

What substances can pass through breast milk?

A woman’s lifestyle may affect her breast milk, and have an impact on the baby. During breastfeeding, it is important for a woman not to consume alcohol, smoke, or take drugs. These substances are known to pass through the breast milk.

Can anything be passed through breast milk?

Three viruses (CMV, HIV, and HTLV-I) frequently cause infection or disease as a result of breast-milk transmission.

Which drugs cannot be taken when breastfeeding?

ANSWER: Only a few drugs pose a clinically significant risk to breastfed babies. In general, antineoplastics, drugs of abuse, some anticonvulsants, ergot alkaloids, and radiopharmaceuticals should not be taken, and levels of amiodarone, cyclosporine, and lithium should be monitored.