Can you take alka seltzer while breastfeeding

However, it can potentially decrease your milk supply or cause baby to become irritable. Often found in Sudafed, Theraflu, Claritin-D and more. Often found in Robitussin, Mucinex and more. Dextromethorphan has been studied in breastfeeding women and is considered safe. Chlorpheniramine has been approved, but large doses could also lower milk supply. Often found in Coricidin and more. And whatever you do, keep breastfeeding. Never stop nursing because of a cold—your breastmilk passes antibodies to baby, serving as his or her best defense against catching your illness.

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Graseck says that medicines containing the decongestants pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine can impact your milk supply. Graseck says. For that reason, you'll want to avoid medicines like Nyquil and Sudafed. Graseck says that moms who are toward the end of their breastfeeding time those who have babies older than nine months or babies who are breastfeeding only once in a while are especially susceptible to having their milk dry up.

If you take some, there's no need to pump and dump. If your PCP tells you that you should pump and dump when you have a cold, Dr.

Graseck suggests getting a second opinion from your ob-gyn. In the end, it's your decision whether the pros of cold medicine outweigh the potential cons of messing with your milk supply. Either way, your milk won't be contaminated by the drugs, so there's no need to stress about anything impacting your baby. It is not known whether enough aspirin passes to your baby through breast milk for Reye's syndrome to be a risk, but it's best to avoid it. Because aspirin is often found in other medications, check the label of any over-the counter medicine you take.

Surprisingly, aspirin is an ingredient in such innocuous products as Alka-Seltzer. Aspirin can also be listed as salicylate, salicylic acid, acetylsalicylic acid, or acetylsalicylate. If you do get a prescription painkiller, talk with your doctor about any that contain codeine -- in very rare cases, it can cause life-threatening and even fatal reactions in nursing infants. You might think that pain relievers in cream or ointment form would be safe to use, but some can prove toxic to your baby.

Ointments that contain capsaicin, menthol, benzocaine, or camphor like Tiger Balm can be harmful if enough transfers to your baby's skin or is inhaled. Check with your doctor to find out if there is a prescription or OTC ointment that would be effective for you and safe for your baby. Most antihistamines have a sedating quality that even affects adults, so it's best to avoid them while nursing. Antihistamines are easily expressed in breast milk, and can cause sedation, fussiness, excessive crying, and sleep disturbances in your baby.

Antihistamines may also reduce your milk production. Loratadine Claritin isn't as sedating as other antihistamines, so if you must take one, it is considered the preferred antihistamine for nursing mothers, according to the journal U. The two most common OTC decongestants are pseudoephedrine found in Sudafed , and phenylephrine ingredient in Sudafed PE and other brands.

Both of these ingredients work by narrowing the blood vessels in the nasal passages. Pseudoephedrine can decrease milk production and may cause irritability in nursing babies, and the effect of phenylephrine on breast milk is unknown. A decongestant spray may be a better bet for your stuffy nose. The medicine in a spray is less likely to be absorbed into your system than something you swallow, though it's still unclear how much of the ingredients in a spray will make it into your breast milk.

Don't use Vicks Vaporub, either, because it contains camphor. As mentioned earlier, there have been reports of camphor causing serious effects in babies, and the skin-to-skin contact while nursing may expose your baby to the cream or fumes. To help clear up stuffiness without medicine, take a long, steamy shower, a saline nose spray, use a humidifier, or make your own steam tent by putting a bowl of hot water on a table and leaning over it with a towel held over your head and around the bowl.

You can also discuss possible allergy triggers with your doctor. Cough medicines work to suppress coughs or to loosen chest congestion so you can get rid of mucus more easily when you cough. Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant and guaifenesin is the ingredient in cough medicine that loosens mucus in the chest. Some cough medicines have both of these ingredients and others just have one.

It's not clear how much of these ingredients makes it into breast milk, so ask your doctor if you're considering using cough medicine. Some cough medicines also contain alcohol, which you may want to avoid while breastfeeding. Keep in mind that coughing is your body's way of getting rid of mucus, and sometimes suppressing it is not the way to go.

Check with your doctor if your cough is bothersome. If you want to ease a cough and scratchy throat without medicine, try sipping hot tea with honey or sucking on throat lozenges or hard candies.

Be sure to drink plenty of water to help keep chest and nasal secretions thin, too. Most lozenges with menthol are safe for nursing moms because very little makes it into the milk supply. However, menthol is derived from peppermint oil, which may reduce milk supply in some women. It's probably best to avoid consuming large amounts of peppermint or menthol cough drops.

When diarrhea has you running for the bathroom every time you turn around, you want fast relief. Doing your research now and putting medicines in your cabinet that you know are safe for your baby means you'll be able to grab the right remedy when you need it. The U. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends kaolin-pectin products such as Kaopectate or loperamide products such as Imodium for nursing mothers with diarrhea.

Bismuth subsalicylate compounds such as Pepto Bismol contain enough aspirin ingredients that they may not be safe for your baby.