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If you're breast-feeding, you may wonder, like
many women, if the medications you take affect
your baby. Medication, including both prescription
medications and natural health products (also
called herbal medications), can be ingested by
developing infants through the breast milk. Sometimes,
the medication a breast-feeding mother takes has
little or no effect on the infant. In other cases,
powerful or toxic medications (e.g., cancer therapies)
taken by the mother require her to stop breast-feeding.
A mother and her doctor must decide whether or
not she should take a medication while breast-feeding.
Considerations
before taking a natural health product
Here are some things to consider if you're thinking
of taking a natural health product while breast-feeding:
- Small amounts of natural health products may
enter the breast milk. Certain natural health
products may affect your infant's growth and
development if they pass into your breast milk.
Determining whether the amount is harmful to
the infant, even in small quantities, is essential.
Talk to your doctor or Shoppers Drug Mart Pharmacist
for further information.
- Natural health products, while made from natural
ingredients, are chemicals. They contain active
ingredients that interact with a person's body
chemistry and have the potential to cause serious
side effects. While they may work to provide
relief or restore health in one person, another
person may have an allergic reaction to the
same product. Just as they can affect the mother,
these medications may also affect the infant
if they pass into breast milk. The effects of
natural health products on individual infants
may vary between products and between infants.
- Natural health products may interact with
other prescription medications or other natural
health products. Mothers who take a prescription
medication on the advice of their doctor or
healthcare professional are likely told of the
potential risks (including drug interactions)
and benefits to the mother and baby. Mothers
who take a natural health product should also
seek advice from their health professional about
safety and drug interactions during breast-feeding.
- The long-term effects of medications ingested
through breast milk are unknown in many cases.
- Taking a natural health product for a suspected
health condition without proper diagnosis is
a serious health risk. Breast-feeding mothers
should be especially careful to consult their
doctor or Shoppers Drug Mart Pharmacist before trying
any natural health products.
More and more people are using natural health
products as a part of their overall health. However,
the word "natural" in "natural
health products" does not necessarily mean
the product is safe for you and your baby. Before
taking any medication, whether it is a prescription
medication or a natural health product, talk to
your doctor or health care professional. They
will consider:
- the type of natural health product you wish
to take
- other medications you use (prescription, non-prescription)
- how the natural health product may affect
your baby
- how the natural health product may interact
with other medications
- the results of studies examining whether the
natural health product is safe to use during
breast-feeding
Because of the enormous benefits of breast-feeding,
you and your healthcare provider may be able to
work out a way for you to be able to treat your
condition safely and effectively while continuing
to breast-feed.
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