Introduction
There is no general agreement on what medicines are safe for mother and child during the breastfeeding period. Similar to pregnancy, most medications are not explicitly approved for use during breastfeeding. The reason for this is that it would be unethical to conduct studies on breastfeeding women and thus endanger the well-being and health of their children for the purpose of scientific knowledge.
Animal studies cannot be transferred to humans without reservation. The taking of most medicines during the lactation period will thus be carried out as “off-label use”, i.e. without approval of the medicines for lactating women by the manufacturer, who thus protects himself. However, this does not automatically mean that all unapproved drugs will cause harm.
On the contrary, many diseases during the breastfeeding period can be dangerous for both mother and child and should definitely be treated with medication. One prefers to use old, well known medications during the breastfeeding period. It is assumed that because there have not yet been any cases of damage to the child, the medication is considered safe during the breastfeeding period.
In the vast majority of cases, such a drug is available as an option and can be prescribed by a doctor. There is often a great deal of uncertainty due to the reference on package inserts to the fact that there is no information about the safety of the drug in pregnant and breastfeeding women. The physician can access databases on the Internet where safe medicines can be found during pregnancy and lactation.
Patients can also inform themselves here, but should in any case consult the doctor they trust. This can be the family doctor, or the pediatrician or gynecologist. In the case of serious illnesses of the mother, for which there are no harmless alternatives to medication, it may be necessary to interrupt breastfeeding for several days, depending on how long the medication can be taken. This can be the case, for example, in the context of a serious infection, when the germ is only sensitive to certain antibiotics, which in turn can be harmful to the infant through breast milk.
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