Question

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Furosemide? Is Furosemide safe for nursing mother and child? Does Furosemide extracts into breast milk? Does Furosemide has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Furosemide influence milk supply or can Furosemide decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

Furosemide lactation summary

Furosemide usage has low risk in breastfeeding
  • DrLact safety Score for Furosemide is 3 out of 8 which is considered Low Risk as per our analyses.
  • A safety Score of 3 indicates that usage of Furosemide may cause some minor side effects in breastfed baby.
  • Our study of different scientific research indicates that Furosemide may cause moderate to no side effects in lactating mother.
  • Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Furosemide low risk in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
  • While using Furosemide We suggest monitoring child for possible reactions. It is also important to understand that side effects vary largely based on age of breastfed child and time of medication in addition to dosage.
  • Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.

Answer by Dr. Ru: About Furosemide usage in lactation

Diuretic drug with action on the Henle's loop of the nephron. At latest update, relevant published data on excretion into breast milk were not found. Its high protein-binding capacity makes excretion into breast milk in significant amount unlikely. Because of a low oral bioavailability, mostly in the neonatal period, absorption from the ingested milk is thought to be minimal. Long-term treatment with diuretic drugs, particularly Thiazides with long-lasting effect and action on the Henle's loop, may inhibit lactation. Furosemide has been used along with water restriction for inhibition of lactation. Because of this, diuretic drugs well established as safe should be preferred while breastfeeding, especially during the first post-natal months. Whenever used, close attention should be paid to milk production.

Answer by DrLact: About Furosemide usage in lactation

Because little information is available on the use of furosemide during breastfeeding and because intense diuresis might decrease lactation, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.

Furosemide Side Effects in Breastfeeding

Anecdotal, short-term observations at one medical center found no adverse infant effects from maternal use of furosemide in the immediate postpartum period.[1]

Furosemide Possible Effects in Breastfeeding

Furosemide 20 mg intramuscularly on the first postpartum day followed by 40 mg orally for 4 days has been used in conjunction with fluid restriction and breast binding to suppress lactation within 3 days postpartum.[2] The added contribution of furosemide to fluid restriction and breast binding, which are effective in suppressing lactation, is not known. No data exist on the effects of loop diuretics on established lactation.

Synonyms of Furosemide

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