Is Acetaminophen Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Acetaminophen? Is Acetaminophen safe for nursing mother and child? Does Acetaminophen extracts into breast milk? Does Acetaminophen has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Acetaminophen influence milk supply or can Acetaminophen decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Acetaminophen lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Acetaminophen is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Acetaminophen is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Acetaminophen does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Acetaminophen 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 Acetaminophen usage in lactation
Excreted in very low amount into breast milk. Infant intake may be lower than 4% of usual pediatric dose. The American Academy of Pediatrics rates it as compatible with Breastfeeding.
Answer by DrLact: About Acetaminophen usage in lactation
Acetaminophen is a good choice for analgesia, and fever reduction in nursing mothers. Amounts in milk are much less than doses usually given to infants. Adverse effects in breastfed infants appear to be rare.
Acetaminophen Side Effects in Breastfeeding
A maculopapular rash on the upper trunk and face of a 2-month-old infant was probably caused by acetaminophen in breastmilk. The rash occurred after 2 days of therapy in the mother at a dose of 1 gram at bedtime. It subsided when the drug was discontinued and recurred 2 weeks later after another acetaminophen dose of 1 gram was taken by the mother.[4] Two papers report 14 women who breastfed after taking acetaminophen or its prodrug phenacetin with no adverse effects to their infants.[1][5] In a telephone follow-up study, mothers reported no side effects among 43 infants exposed to acetaminophen in breastmilk.[6] Two clinicians speculated that breastmilk exposure to acetaminophen during breastfeeding might be a risk factor for asthma and wheezing in the breastfed infants based on their personal observations.[7] However, these observations were uncontrolled and cannot be considered to be valid proof of an association.[8]