Question

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

Iodine (Mineral Supplements, micrograms) lactation summary

Iodine (Mineral Supplements, micrograms) is safe in breastfeeding
  • DrLact safety Score for Iodine (Mineral Supplements, micrograms) is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
  • A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Iodine (Mineral Supplements, micrograms) is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
  • Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Iodine (Mineral Supplements, micrograms) does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
  • Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Iodine (Mineral Supplements, micrograms) safe in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher 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 Iodine (Mineral Supplements, micrograms) usage in lactation

Nutritional trace element which is essential for many vital functions, including the synthesis of thyroid hormones and infant neurodevelopment (Leung 2011). A deficiency affects thyroid function and cognitive performance. Iodine is a normal component of breastmilk (Leung 2011). Iodine supplementation increases iodine concentration in the nursing mother and breastmilk (Seibold-Weiger 1999, Mulrine 2010, Sukkhojaiwaratkul 2014, Huynh 2016). In many regions of the world, including areas with high level of development, there is an iodine deficiency in humans, especially, among pregnant and nursing mothers. The addition of iodine to culinary salt is the most efficient way to prevent iodine deficiency in large populations, but according to countries and areas, it may be necessary to administer iodine supplements to pregnant and lactating mothers (Caron 2006, Donnay 2014, Nazeri 2015). Recommended daily allowance from 100 to 150 micrograms for normal population that may be increased up to 250-300 micrograms during pregnancy and lactation, so most experts and health organizations recommend supplementation between 100 and 200 micrograms per day, depending on regions (Caron 2006, Mulrine 2010, Stagnaro-Green 2011, Leung 2011, Mackerras 2012, Donnay 2014).

Alternate Drugs for Mineral supplements. ATC A12

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