Can I Take Midol While Breastfeeding?
We breakdown the usage of Midol by breastfeeding mothers, and explain if it’s safe or not!
According to Dr. Sherry Ross, a women’s health expert ( From Saint John Health Center, Santa Monica), women can take Midol during breastfeeding to treat fatigue, cramps, bloating, and headaches.
Especially when you are pregnant and later breastfeeding, you become extra careful of everything you’re putting into your body.
From drinks and food to medicines, a lot of women become anxious or panic about what they are absorbing, whether safe for their baby or not.
Medications can be specifically concerning because in some ways they may give us a better and more comfortable feeling but they can also harm the little ones in other ways.
That’s why it is crucial to know what medicines are safe for your babies and what is not.
Dr. Ross recommends consulting with your healthcare provider before taking any kind of medication and the counter products so that you can take medicines without any worries both for the safety of your baby and yourself.
To treat the pain, some women often use Midol as a pain reliever. But the question is- Is it safe? Can I take it while breastfeeding? So, in this article, we are going to explain the use of Midol and how it helps you while breastfeeding and whether it is completely safe or not.
Midol is a without-the-prescription drug created to alleviate discomfort during your period times.
Women most commonly use it during the menstrual cycle to target bloating and cramps. But there exist different types of Midols to reduce different kinds of pain.
Midol contains 3 ingredients including:-
Caffeine: Works as a purgative or water pill to target the bloating problem.
Acetaminophen: Serves as a pain aid or comfort.
Pyrilamine Maleate: An antihistamine mainly used in cold medications to cause fatigue.
As we have mentioned before, women generally use it to get rid of cramps, bloating, headaches, fatigue, and backaches especially during the menstrual cycle or when they feel these symptoms are popping up.
It can give you nearly six hours of comfort or relief. The suggested dose of two capsules every six hours without surpassing six capsules daily.
As it’s the main concern, many moms become cautious about using Midol while breastfeeding whether it is safe or passes through to their little one’s milk.
When you take any kind of medicine, as soon as you consume it, it starts to break down and later mix into your bloodstream. So, there are possibilities for the drug to pass through to your toddler with breast milk.
However, research revealed that the quantity of the drug passed very low so as a result, many without-a-prescription medications cause very less risk to your babies.
Usually, pain relief medicines such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Flanax, Advil, and Midol), and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are safe to use.
However, for women belonging to the naproxen family, most healthcare experts often recommend using a very small amount of dose of Midol and other related medicines while breastfeeding.
But still, you should consult with your doctor about the amount of dose and the length of time to take it before using.
Furthermore, if a medicine is prescribed as safe to take while pregnant, then it’s safe to take while your baby’s nursing. The same way, when medications are prescribed for newborns, they are also safe to consume while the infant’s nursing.
If you are deciding to take Midol or other medications, you may face some side effects that a lot of women may also experience while consuming it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s during breastfeeding or not but consuming it may bring side effects. These side effects include-
Skin reactions
Allergic problems
Stomach Pain
Feeling Anxious and Nervous
Feeling Drowsy or Sleepy
For breastfeeding women, Midol in high doses can lead to wakefulness and hyperactivity in toddlers. Keep it in mind, if you are gonna use Midol while breastfeeding your baby.
Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are usually safe for breastfeeding women. But, healthcare specialists always recommend not consuming a maximum dose as it may affect your health as well as your baby’s.
Moreover, if you have issues with peptic ulcers, you should avoid the use of ibuprofen because it may lead to gastric bleeding. Also, if you have asthma-related health problems you should avoid taking ibuprofen as it may cause bronchospasm.
To restrict or limit the side effects, you should consume small doses and you can take herbs and other health supplements to lessen the side effects.
First of all, consulting with a healthcare specialist is the best decision before taking Midol or other over-the-counter medicines while breastfeeding.
Here are some tips you should keep in mind before taking it:
You should read the label carefully about how Midol or other over-the-counter medicines can cause harm while breastfeeding.
When you think the medication is required, only then you should take it.
You should take the smallest dose possible to avoid risks.
Don’t take long-acting or extra-strength formulas.
Take a single versus multi-ingredient formula.
When you choose to use Midol or other over-the-counter medication while breastfeeding, you should be aware of the side effects going to cause in your baby including diarrhea and change in eating habits, etc. So, make sure to take advice from a pediatrician.
Well, looks like you have reached the end of the article. As we mentioned above briefly about Midol, its use if you can take it while breastfeeding and the other medications as well, how it will affect both your and your little one’s health, and recommended some tips to follow for safe and better results- everything we pointed out above.
Well, if you feel uneasy or tensed about taking the medication, then taking Midol for a short amount of time while breastfeeding is usually safe and will not cause harm.
But, if you want to avoid Midol or these types of medications completely, then you can consider a heating pad as a therapy to reduce cramps, backaches, and bloating.
Hope this was helpful and made you learn new things about the use and caution of taking Midol while breastfeeding.
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