Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Mondays are never good days!

Monday was a rough day.  Not sure if it was because it was so cold outside, stress or both.  I have been going back and forth in my head about what to do about medicine and breastfeeding.  I wanted to breastfeed my son as long as possible without taking medicine, but I am to the point now where I know I need to try and stop the progression of this disease. I am having more frequent flares and feeling tired again.  I research every chance I get about the safety of the medicine options I have been given. Funny I  never seem to find anything concrete.  


My rheum doctor has given me the 2 options if I want to continue breastfeeding.  Both drugs pass to the breastmilk and then to the baby.

  • L1 (safest)
  • L2 (safer)
  • L3 (moderately safe)
  • L4 (possibly hazardous)
  • L5 (contraindicated)
  • A (controlled studies show no risk)
  • B (no evidence of risk in humans)
  • C (risk cannot be ruled out)
  • D (positive evidence of risk)
  • X (contraindicated in pregnancy)
1. prednisone (L2, C drug)
Which she says is safe to take while breastfeeding. This is what screams out to me in my head "its a steroid!" 
2. Plaquenil/Hydroxychloroquine (L2, C drug)
My rheum doctor says I can take this while breastfeeding but she wouldn't recommend it.  Hmmmmm...well is it safe or not?  In my opinion NO! It is used for treating Malaria and is an immune suppressant.  


A couple of months ago Advil and Tylenol weren't helping to manage my pain so I researched Naproxen.  I found a couple of different sites that all told me different things. "safe", "absolutely not safe".  So I called my pediatrician who told me that the American Association of  Pediatrics said it was safe to take while breastfeeding. My pediatrician told me to air on the side of caution though and if he acted lethargic or started to vomit to stop. So I debated a few days and then decided since they say its safe I will give it a try.  My poor little man slept the whole day away and when he was up continuously spit up.  So needless to say I stopped.  This is why I am so apprehensive to take medicines.

What I have realized is this is really a decision I have to make myself.  I can ask 10 doctors what they think and they can all tell me something different.  I can read 10 articles and have the same outcome.  In the end I will take what I want from it and hear what I want to hear.


Here are some informative links I found...
http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/breastfeeding.cfm
http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/aap-approved-meds.html
http://www.safefetus.com/
http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Profs/PUarticles/lactation.htm
http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/meds.shtml

If anyone else has gone through this and taken the medicine while breastfeeding or made the decision not to breastfeed I would love to hear from you.  Looking for support.
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2 comments:

  1. KateJanuary 28, 2011 at 3:02 AM

    Hi RA,

    Some of my previous comments haven't posted - boo! It isn't just you, it is everywhere :)

    I hope that today is going better. I'm actually surprised that the baby reacted to the Naproxyn, but I should know by now not to be surprised by anything. That is a bummer.

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  2. AnonymousMay 8, 2011 at 6:53 PM

    Hi! Happy Mother's Day! I was blog hopping tonight and came to yours. I went through the decision to stop breast feeding last year. It was really difficult. I wrote about it on my blog if you ever want to read about the approach I took with med.s. I breast fed as long as I possibly could. I know my rheum. thought I was crazy. But I haven't regretted my decision one bit.
    http://rheumforgod.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/the-call-that-said-it-all/

    I realize you wrote this back in January. Would love to know how you are doing. :) Happy Mother's Day!

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