....to take this whilst breastfeeding?

[Ifyourawizardwhydouwearglasses]

I've got a really really bad cold, it's not getting any better and I feel shit :(

I need medicine! But all the cold and flu stuff says not to take it whilst breastfeeding. Is it serious or is it over-cautious advice? Like not eating Parmesan whilst pregnant?

Does anyone know about this? Has anyone done it?

Ebf a 4 month old.

Cheers!

[Screenclean]

It hasn't been tested and verified as safe.

You can eat Parmesan whilst pregnant!

[Icedfinger]

Have a look here:

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/detailed-information/drugs-in-breastmilk/

[Weareboatsremember]

I think the decongestant type medicines like lemsip can dry your milk supply up, but I had 1 when I was bfing when dd was tiny and it didn't hurt. If you'd be devastated if you couldn't bf anymore, don't risk it.

[MoonAndBackAgain]

I wouldn't myself.

Paracetamol and hot water with honey and lemon got me through Breastfeeding.

[DoJo]

I really wouldn't take advice on this from strangers on the internet, however this site has lots of advice, and I believe it's well researched:
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/detailed-information/drugs-in-breastmilk/drugs-factsheets/

If you can't take anything, have you tried nasal irrigation? It's not exactly glamorous, but it might help clear your passages and breathe a bit more easily.

[Bert2e]

You can take paracetamol which will make you feel better and then see of the rest with a hot toddy with whiskey, ginger, honey and lemon ;-)

[Haggisfish]

It's the decongestant that's a problem-it can dry up supply but it is also a stimulant, so not great for babies.

[fatterface]

Decongestants might possibly reduce milk supply so use sparingly, but your supply will be well established by 4 months. Nasal sprays are less of an issue than ones you swallow.

You can take paracetamol and ibuprofen though.

[BertieBotts]

YY decongestant not great. I wouldn't if he's exclusively on breastmilk TBH. But yes you can take paracetamol, which is the main ingredient in Lemsip anyway.

Try Echineacea - you can get it from health food shops, that speeds up a cold for me. Just make sure it's not echinacea + goldenseal. Echinecia is ok on its own but goldenseal isn't.

[BertieBotts]

And I can't spell it

[callamia]

Take paracetamol/ibuprofen with a coffee, or something else with caffeine in. The caffeine makes the paracetamol work a bit more efficiently. Is also recommend a good shot of something lovely with some hot honey and lemon - you'll sleep nicely after that.

[FreeWee]

I asked a pharmacist who said you could take it but then read up using the links above and stopped using it. Definitely noticed a fluctuation in milk as DD was more restless and feeding more. Wouldn't do it again (if you are indeed listening to the advice of strangers off the Internet!)

[Ifyourawizardwhydouwearglasses]

Just steamed my face in olbas oil for a bit - amazing!

Re taking advice from strangers on the internet - my problem is that every medical professional I have asked has given me a different answer. From 'absolute no-no!' to 'yes I'd have thought that would be ok' to 'yes it's safe' and back to 'no you shouldn't.' so just wanted a bit of anecdotal advice/opinions.

Keep them coming! Thank you very much to everyone who has taken the time to reply :)

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Something that helped me when I had an awful cold and was 39wks pregnant was to shut myself in the bathroom, plug into an empry bath and open a couple of olbas oil capsules, then run the taps on super fast and hot - the bathroom steamed up with olbasy air. I sat on a chair and jjst took loads of deep breaths in and out. Really cleared my nose and head and the warmth was soothing too.

[DoJo]

Fair enough - from your OP, you sounded so tired and fed up that I was worried you were just waiting for one person to say 'You'll be fine' and you were going to start mainlining Lemsips and luxuriating in that sweet, sweet de-congested breathing!

Hopefully there will be enough non-drug related ideas that you will find something that works for you so you won't need to worry about it - I hope you feel better soon.

[tobysmum77]

whether bfing or not lemsip is crap so yabu.

[Redtartanshoes]

I did this (unknowingly) when ds was just under a year. I think it dried up my supply as he stopped feeding at the same time

[fatterface]

I took lemsip and nasal decongestants several times throughout winter with all three of mine and didn't notice any changes in milk supply or baby behaviour tbh.

[OpenSandwich]

I had never used sinex type nasal sprays before (oxymetazoline) until I took some in desperation when bf as lemsips etc not allowed.

It is actually really good for unbunging your nose, which makes you feel immediately better. Especially if you take paracetomol too. I wouldn't take the oral decongestants due to them being systemic and the milk drying up issue.

[Mandatorymongoose]

I took some actifed while breastfeeding (maybe 1 a day for 2/3 days) it didn't have any noticeable effect on DS or on my supply. It did make me feel a hell of a lot better though.

[CoolCat2014]

Lockets, got steamy showers, paracetamol, and hot lemon & ginger got me through!

[Discopanda]

I had a couple of colds whilst bf and I was told that because they can't test medications on pregnant and bf women, you can't presume they're safe. Lots of vitamins, lots of rest, lots of vitamins and berocca is a godsend

[MrsMarcJacobs]

The pharmacy wouldn't sell me any cold medication after they confirmed with me that I was breast feeding.

[BertieBotts]

Just for future reference, if you ever need to know for certain, there is a drugs in breastmilk helpline which has all of the drugs on the market listed, says whether it's tested safe, tested unsafe, untested but thought safe, untested but suspected unsafe, what the side effects are likely to be and what the half-life of the drug is. They are absolutely brilliant. The problem is that HCPs would also have to look this information up, which takes time they don't always have. The pharmacists running this line are experts and really know their stuff. It's a definitive source of information, the absolute best information we have. Better than anecdotes or misinformation.

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/detailed-information/drugs-in-breastmilk/