Allergy Medicine While BF

I nursed my first child 1 year and my second 3 years all while taking allergy meds. I was orig. on zyrtec and advair and for the second child singulair, nasonex and advair. I have asthma too. No problems whatsoever. More important that you are healthy to provide for your child. My second child has a rare chronic illness which is why I've nursed him so long. Good luck!

Hi J.!
I know how you feel! I have terrible allergies as do my whole family, I have 4 children. My oldest also has multiple food allergies in addition to the environmental ones. A couple of friends of mine recommended a doctor who performs the NAET treatment for allergies. And while very skeptical at first I have seen a huge difference in my son who is going to Dr. Kang. His allergies are so much better and his eczema is just about gone, no more steroid creams! She is doing wonders for him. We have only seen her 4 times and now he can eat egg and she is treating him for his milk allergy now. I tried it because it did work for 2 of my friends with their food and environmental allergies and it is non invasive and I would like to get my son off of the zyrtec and inhalers! Here is the website for NAET www.naet.com Dr. Kang is across from Paoli hospital and has been practicing for 22 years and is incredible! This is the first time we have tried anything like this but what she has done is nothing short of a miracle!
Good Luck!
M.

Hi, J.!
First, please let me reassure you that you CAN, VERY SAFELY take certain meds while nursing. There has been a LOT of research showing what drugs transfer into milk, in what amounts & if it's safe or not.

Dr. Thomas Hale is the expert on this & his book "Medications & Mother's Milk" is a list of all the drugs on the market today & if they're safe or not. (I have this book, and your local LLL Leader should as well).

The ratings go from L1-L5 (1=safest, 5=not at all safe). Zyrtec is only an L2, so that's perfectly safe. There have been no adverse effects in infants reported but they should be watched for excessive drousiness.

Claritin is an L1 so that's as safe as it gets! It's as safe as a multivitamin would be. There also, have been no adverse pediatric effects reported, but they should be watched (again) for excessive drousiness & for tachycardia/palpitations.

If you're interested in an all-natural CURE, I have heard amazing things about using LOCAL bee pollen. You can often find it at local health food stores and/or farmers markets. (Local honey can work well too, but bee pollen is far more potent & effective).

If you start taking the bee pollen now, in small doses, your body will start to build up an immunity to the exact things in your area that bother you. Gradually increase the dosage and by the time that summer hits, chances are that your body will have been sensatized to it & not be effected by it.

Hope that helps some!
Keep up the good work nursing your child & remember that there are many, many safe, effective ways for both of you to stay healthy & happy & enjoy your breastfeeding relationship!
A.

I think if you ask your Ob/Gyn they should be able to guide you. Have you tried any natural remedies? Try local honey for your area if you have the seasonal allergies. A tablespoon- straight, not mixed with anything really worked for me.

I know when I was BF right after my son was born I had a terrible rash. The doc told me to take Benadryl for the itching, but when I called my OB first, they told me if I took it too often it could dry up my milk. So I had to only take it infrequently. I don't know about the ones you're talking about, but I would assume any anti-histamine would have the same affect. Check with your ped or OB/GYN. Good luck!

I would ask your OB/GYN if it is safe to take allergy medication while breastfeeding before taking anything.

hi J.,
pick 1. nurse baby or allergy meds .
EVERYTHING effects a baby ... think about it .
freeze lots of milk before MAY 2009 .
you seem to have made up your mind .
you may be able to continue nursing with a p-l-a-n-
a=dispose of contaiminated med. milk
hence, continue to pump .
b= feed baby froozen milk from pre May
c= end of june ... your milk should be still producing and ready for baby !!!!
simple
I nursed my 2 babies and loved every minute of it.
[ a women thing]
good luck
*think of baby in long term issues .
t

Hi J.! I'm a pharmacist, so I did some checking in our references. Both Claritin and Zyrtec show minimal risk to the infant when used at their standard dose of 10mg a day. Studies are often done at much higher than normal doses, and even those showed very little drug in the milk. Hope this helps you.