When can I start Breast Feeding again?

[memorylapse]

Im breastfeeding my 7 week old baby and due to having a horrible attack of vertigo (have a long history of balance problems) had to take 15mg cinnarizine tablets for 24 hours, hospital, gp and pharmacist said under no circumstances can I breast feed until its left my system..but..none of them have a clue when this will be!...I havent taken anything for 36 hours and in the meantime ive expressed and dumped the milk and DD has hadexpressed milk and formula..she is getting so upset now though trying to latch on and Im getting upset too as all I want to do is feed her...looked on Kellymom but cinnarizine isnt available in the states so no literature available..did try the la leche league helpline but was unable to speak to anyone..I feel so misrable but Hospital said I could make her seriously ill if the drug hasnt left my system

oh thank God for that!

I desperately wanted to tell you just to breastfed last night, but I didn't want to go against your doctor's advice without having the evidence that it would be safe.

Glad you finally got the help you needed!

i was reading this last night - had a look online for info but only found what other kind souls had already found. also desperatly wanted to tell you to breastfeed but couldn't really . just checked in. that is fab news - i am so pleased for you and your baby . what a drama for you both to have gone through. and what a dsgrace that HPs can't give you detailed and accurate info regarding your baby's FOOD! .

just put her on your breast sweetheart, she will come to no harm, the BNF tells you all!

Memorylapse I had the same thing (vertigo) when I was pg and again after I gave birth to DC3. I am on a vertigo med starting with a PH (can't find the box) and no one could tell me if it was ok to take whilst BF (yet it was safe during pg) I saw an ENT specialist and my GP and they just looked at me blankly when I asked and recommended that maybe I shouldn't feed. I called the BFN Drug helpline and they okay'd it. I am not expecting very professional to know what is safe to take for lactating women (as it must change and vary) but they should at least point us to the right direction to find out for sure (e.g. call this lactation pharmacist). Glad it is all ok.

ticktok - i was told 4 times by a HCP that i had to stop bf - each time i checked it out and they were wrong

• when i had to have a medical procedure under sedation. its rubbish, the drug has a very short half life and by teh time i was awake enough to feed baby it was ok

• by a gp when i needed a extra strong anti biotic for a chest infection ( i have asthma). there was a perfectly good alternative available that was ok for bf

• by a consultant who said it woudl help stabilise my thyroid condition and help me lose weight. the stuff about stabilising is RUBBISH, there is no evidence of this at all. she was right about me losing weight but i was still within a normal BMI so losing weight was not important to my health but bf was to baby's.

she also told me there was no evidence of health benefit to the baby aftre 6 months - i wish i had asked her for teh details of that paper!

• by a Gp who said i couldnt get a drug i needed during bf. when i checked it was actually licensed for babies, although in half the dose. so even if there was 50% transmission rate it would be ok

i am SO glad you and baby are well, memorylapse

thanks all..

just out of curiosity..can anyone who has had more sleep than me work this out for me!

if I took 30 mg of cinnarizine starting at 3 am on tuesday morning and ending 2 am thursday morning with doses every 4 hours..how much would be in my system now..assuming the lonfest half life of 24 hours...i need to know as I need to actually get it out of my system before I start my balance exercises

That's a long half life, memorylapse...are you sure that 24 hours is correct?

Half life means half the strength of the drug has disappeared in X hours. After another X hours, strength will have halved again, and after another X hours it will have halved yet again. If your last dose was at 2am the day before yesterday, it would have to be one helluva sticky drug to have any detectable presence in your body, or your milk, now.....maybe call the person you spoke to again and ask?

hmm..well the drug manafacturer claims the half life is anything from 4-24 hours..I agree that 24 hours is a long time..I dont even think diazepam has such a long half life!..I was just advised that its best to assume the longest half life

oh and the lady who gave me the adbice was giving it based on me actually still taking the drug..she said you can in fact take it in the short term..but baby may be sleepy

which is slightly anoying considering that I was told I couldnt take it and BF at all by the medical professionals..my typing is terrible today...overtired

You know how everyone is always saying "Mumsnet at its worst"?

This has got to be Mumsnet at its best!

So glad it worked out.

Just take it from the last dose and halve for every 24 hours so if last dose 2am Thurs then by 2am Fri 15mg max in plasma, 2am Sat 7.5mg, 2am Sun 3.75, 1.875 2am Mon, 0.9375 2am Tues, 0.46875 2am Weds, 0.23mg 2am Thurs, 0.115 2am Fri, just halve every 24 hours assuming worst case of half life being 24 hours and all 30mg dose transfering to blood plasma should be out of your system or at such negligible levels by middle to end of next week that you should be fine to start exercises.

I am so glad that you were able to start to bf again and yes a complaint would be a good idea otherwise this could happen to some other poor mum.

How is your baby doing now? Happy? And your boobs comfortable again?

she is very happy now..boobs were ok because I was expressing, was just upsetting that when she was crying to be fed I could feel my milk coming in..she hasnt appeared sleepy at all..so hoping that the half life was the shorter end of the scale and the majority has left my system...

Memorylapse

Glad you got the help needed! What a nightmare!

I usually take stugeron as I really suffer from motion sickness quite badly. I am due to go on a ferry on Wednesday so would normally take it. But I'm breastfeeding at the moment and don't want to stop
for the journey.

So did they actually say that you can take stugeron while breastfeeding??