Took cough medicine while breastfeeding

[Notonthisplanet]

Hello

So having got a chesty cough I got really fed up and took a small swig of cough medicine. Only after did I think if I should be doing that when breastfeeding but really didn't think it would be a problem, until I just looked on the Internet to check. Apparently it should be very much avoided but I can't undo it now I had no idea it was such a problem, anyone know what the effects are now going to be on my dd? She's 6 months.

Can the one you took cause drowsiness? That would be something to look out for in baby.
Which one did you take and which websites have you looked on?
I know from personal googling that you can drive yourself mad with less than reputable sources.
Kellymom is probably worth a look in regards to medications for bf.

Hi, how long have you been breastfeeding for? A few weeks or a few months/years?
What exactly is the drug? If it is a decongesant (your post suggests it is) phenylephrine/psuedoephrine they work by "drying out" your glands, as your breasts are also glands, it can reduce your supply a little. Very little gets into breastmilk. I happily took it after 6months/a year especially as being run down and feeling rotten, was for me, on balance, more likely to reduce supply. Hope you feel better soon. Kellymom as MagpieMama says, is a great resource for this sort of thing.

Thankyou I have just looked on the website you suggested. What I took contained guaifenesin which according to kellymom is not the most horrendous thing to have had so feeling slightly better. I had looked before on the nhs and mumsnet information pages to name two and it just says that guaifenesin should be avoided and no one actually knows the effects are. Shall just have to keep an eye on dd.

The Breastfeeding Network have a drugs in breast milk helpline and also a section of the website devoted to this topic. According to them, the one you took is a cough expectorant and is safe in breastfeeding. See herewww.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/drugs-in-breastmilk-information-and-factsheets on the cold and cough remedies fact sheet :)

Thank you SweetTeaVodka feeling better from my little panic earlier . I now know which sites I'll use if I need to in future.

Yes, the BFN sheets are the ones to check, or Lactmed:
toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT

The BFN helpline will help you if you can't find a particular medicine or aren't sure.