Question

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

Glucosamine lactation summary

Glucosamine is safe in breastfeeding
  • DrLact safety Score for Glucosamine is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
  • A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Glucosamine is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
  • Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Glucosamine does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
  • Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Glucosamine 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 Glucosamine usage in lactation

Amino-monosaccharide that is a component of chitin, mucopolysaccharides and mucoproteins which is synthesized naturally in the body, found in cartilage, tendons and ligaments.Very abundant in seafood.It is used, without clearly scientific evidence of its efficacy, as an adjuvant treatment of osteoarthritis.N-acetylglucosamine is a derivative of glucosamine which is found naturally in breast milk. At latest update published were not found data on excretion in breast milk. Its low bioavailability and rapid disappearance of the plasma stream makes it unlikely the pass into milk in significant amounts. It is a natural product with a very low toxic potential.

Answer by DrLact: About Glucosamine usage in lactation

Glucosamine is an amino-monosaccharide that is either derived from shellfish or synthetically produced. Glucosamine sulfate has no specific lactation-related uses. It is most commonly used to treat osteoarthritis. A glucosamine derivative, N-acetylglucosamine, is a normal component of human breastmilk. Glucosamine sulfate is well tolerated with occasional gastrointestinal discomfort (e.g., diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, vomiting) reported. Although no studies exist on the use of glucosamine sulfate during breastfeeding, its use by a nursing mother is unlikely to adversely affect the breastfed infant. Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products. More detailed information #about dietary supplements# is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.
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