"Paracetamol" for a nursing mother: instructions for use

When a woman is breastfeeding a baby, she has to avoid taking various medications that can penetrate the baby's body with breast milk. Therefore, if a nursing mother has a cold or has a headache, she often does not dare to help herself with medication. However, you do not need to endure pain or suffer from fever, because this can affect the amount of breast milk. You just need to choose a safe and effective remedy, which many doctors consider "Paracetamol".

What is this drug?

Paracetamol can be called one of the most popular medicines. It is widely available in pharmacies as it is produced by many pharmaceutical companies and sold without a prescription. Another plus is a large assortment of dosage forms, because "Paracetamol" comes in tablets, suspensions, solution for injections, suppositories and effervescent tablets.

The action of any form of the drug is provided by the substance of the same name, thanks to which "Paracetamol" can bring down high temperatures and reduce pain. Such therapeutic effects are associated with the influence of paracetamol on the production of prostaglandins - active substances that are synthesized during the inflammatory process. In particular, the drug blocks enzymes called "cyclooxygenases" that regulate prostaglandin synthesis.

Is it allowed during lactation?

In the instructions for "Paracetamol" it is noted that it is permissible to take such a medicine while breastfeeding, but subject to certain conditions, which will be described below.

Compared to analogs with analgesic and antipyretic effects, "Paracetamol" has many advantages.

The drug is rapidly absorbed, and its effect begins to appear 40-60 minutes after administration. In this case, the medication also leaves the female body with urine rather quickly. Literally after 3-4 hours, only traces of it remain in the blood.
The active substance of the drug enters breast milk in a small amount, amounting to only 0.04-0.23% of the accepted dosage. Therefore, the effect of "Paracetamol" on the baby's body will be minimal if you follow the dose prescribed by the doctor and do not breastfeed the baby immediately after taking it.
Although paracetamol has a very weak anti-inflammatory effect associated with the absence of the drug's effect on cyclooxygenase in peripheral tissues, this is precisely what causes the absence of some side reactions characteristic of many analogues. We are talking about a damaging effect on the digestive tract and disorders of water-salt metabolism, which lead to edema. Paracetamol has no such negative effect.

In any case, a nursing mother should remember her responsibility for the health of the baby, so self-medication should not be done. It is best to take "Paracetamol" if necessary, first consult with your doctor, who will take into account the presence of contraindications and select the appropriate dosage.

When is it used?

The most common reason for using Paracetamol when breastfeeding is fever. The drug is in demand for flu, colds, acute respiratory infections and other diseases in which a rise in body temperature is noted.

It is also taken for moderate pain, such as migraines, toothaches, injuries or muscle pains.

Can it hurt?

The harmful effects of "Paracetamol" can manifest itself in cases where such a drug is contraindicated, for example, if a nursing mother has hypersensitivity to the selected dosage form or there are ulcerative lesions in the woman's stomach. The likelihood of a negative effect of "Paracetamol" increases with various chronic pathologies, for example, if the patient has kidney problems, bronchial asthma or liver disease. In addition, the drug is contraindicated in newborns, therefore, its intake is undesirable in the first month after childbirth.

Among the possible side effects of "Paracetamol" in the instructions note an allergic reaction (rash, itching, cough, and so on) and symptoms from the digestive tract (bloating, heartburn, nausea, etc.). At the same time, it is important for a nursing mother to closely monitor the reaction not only of her body, but also of the child, since all side effects can occur in the baby.

If, after taking "Paracetamol", the mother or the baby has any side symptoms, this medicine must be abandoned and replaced in the future with analogues with a different composition.

It is equally important to consider whether the woman is still taking any medications, as some drugs can reduce the therapeutic effect of "Paracetamol" or increase the risk of its side effects. Too high a single dose of the medication, and too long taking it, also brings harm.

To avoid overdose, you need to carefully follow your doctor's instructions and not take the drug too often. If an overdose does occur, you must immediately inform the doctor about it.

Application features

In order for the drug to really alleviate the condition of a nursing mother, and its harmful effect on the baby to be minimal, such nuances must be taken into account.

Nursing mothers are usually prescribed "Paracetamol" in tablets, because it is convenient and simple to take such medicine. The dosage of the active substance in one tablet is 200 mg or 500 mg. At a high temperature, 500 mg is usually prescribed per reception, and in case of pain, a smaller dose (200 mg) can be taken, since it may be sufficient and eliminate pain. If such dosages do not help, they can be increased, but you cannot take more than 1000 mg immediately.

In addition to pills, breastfeeding women can use suppositories, which are also available in adult dosage. In such "Paracetamol" there are no chemical excipients, which will reduce the harm of the drug to the baby. In addition, it will help out if it is impossible to take it by mouth.
The most optimal time to use "Paracetamol" is the period immediately after feeding. After 40-60 minutes, the concentration of the active substance in the mother's blood will rise to a maximum, and then begin to fall. For this reason, it is recommended to wait at least 2 hours before the next feed. If a woman can not feed the baby within 3-4 hours after taking "Paracetamol", it is even better, since the medication will be completely removed and will not affect the baby in any way.
It is recommended to take medicine for fever only with an indicator of more than 38.5 degrees. If the temperature has not risen much, it is worth letting the body fight the cold itself or using folk remedies, for example, drinking tea with raspberries, doing rubdowns or cold compresses.

Drinking "Paracetamol" with a headache or other pain is also not always necessary. If the pain is weak and bearable, then there is no need for pills or suppositories. In such cases, a compress, chamomile tea or head massage will help a nursing mother. If the pain is quite strong and affects the general condition, then you cannot do without an anesthetic.
If a single dose of "Paracetamol" relieved the pain or returned the temperature to normal, then you do not need to use the remedy again. Prophylactic use of such a medication is contraindicated. Only in case of recurrence of symptoms can you take the medicine again, but not earlier than 4 hours after the previous dose. In total, it can be taken 3-4 times a day, and the duration of treatment with "Paracetamol" while breastfeeding should not exceed three days.

What can be replaced?

Among the analogues of "Paracetamol", which act due to the same active ingredient, one can name "Panadol", "Efferalgan" and other medicines. They are presented in the same dosage forms and help with the same indications. The possible side effects of these drugs are also the same. In the pharmacy you can also find multicomponent remedies for influenza and colds, which include paracetamol (Grippostad, Vicks Antigripp Complex, Coldrex, Rinikold, Fervex and others). However, they are not recommended for breastfeeding.

A substitute for "Paracetamol" can be "Nurofen" or another medicine containing ibuprofen... Such drugs have a fairly pronounced antipyretic and analgesic effect, and also have an anti-inflammatory effect. They can also be replaced with combination drugs that include both ibuprofen and paracetamol. Such drugs include "Brustan", "Nurofen Long", "Ibuklin", "Next" and other means.