cough medicine and breastfeeding (urgent advice needed)

[cheezelkat]

I've got bronchitis and have spent every night this past week coughing until I'm sick. The doctor told me I could only take cough syrups (he prescribed one, as well as antibiotics) if I quit breastfeeding until I'm better. :crying:

Is there any cough syrups without codeine? I can't handle this cough but really, really don't want to formula feed for days / weeks (plus I would have to wean Liam which would not be easy).

Please, any advice is needed. Millie is only 6 weeks old, far too young for this! (and needs the immunities so she doesn't get sick). Doctor and pharmacist said it could cause excessive drowsiness and stop breathing in bubs.

[neuralblokk]

maybe try to express as much milk as possible to feed to bub while you are taking meds to get better. if that doesn't work, continue feeding and drink lots of hot water, lemon, and honey!

hope you feel better soon!:hugs:

[punkbaby]

Go to your chemist and ask them otherwise try making a lemon honey warm drink just to ease the coughing side of things.

There is one that you can take i cant think of the name of it though :( maybe ring a late night chemist to ask? There are a few out there thats all, otherwise i was told to take it after feeding bubs so it was out of my system with the next feed.

Hope you feel better


PS Duro Tuss is the name of it the one i was told was ok to take, its orange and taste like cr@p but it helped, otherwise maybe some lozenges might help?

[justmum]

Everything goes through and cough mixture is particularly bad for young bubs as your doc has rightly said.

The only thing I ever used when BF (on recommendation from my pharmacist) was Senega and Ammonia. Disgusting but got the muck up. Didn't act as much of a cough suppressant though.

[mummysangels]

I'm suprised that your doctor would have even recommended a cough mixture as they only supress the cough not fix it.

Go to the supermarket and get some Vick Blue throat lozenges, I had a bad cough during pregnancy and was told NOT to use cough mixture but to rely on cough lollies and I got the vicks blue.

They were really good they soothed my throat and my cough was gone in under 2 days :yes:.

[Queen]

Codiene is a cough suppresant, thats why he has given it.
I would call the chemist, and ask them:thumbsup:

:hugs:Hope you feel better soon:hugs:

[Tam-I-Am]

Call the ABA....I was under the firm belief that codeine is actually quite safe to take when breastfeeding - that's why women are given panadeine forte after a c-section. I don't want you to take my advice on it though, please call the ABA or your local pharmacy, or if your local public hospital has a lactation consultant attached - talk to them.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

[Bron]

Durotuss is meant to be OK, in fact, my pharmacist suggested it to me when I hacked up half a lung over his counter (sorry, bit graphic there:p). He knew I was breastfeeding. Ask your pharmacist.

[cheezelkat]

Thanks girls - I'll try a different chemist tomorrow. My regular pharmacist will not sell me anything with codeine or ibuprofen in it whilst pregnant or breastfeeding, only panadol and jelly beans.

I will be calling the ABA tomorrow for sure.

Hopefully I feel better tomorrow anyway and this won't even be a problem.

Do vicks blue taste OK? I can't stomach eucalyptus or honey lozenges so that leaves a very limited amount of things I can take :laughing:

[JJJ&D'sMum]

I just checked my medicine box as I had the same problem when I was pg with DD. Senagar is the only cough syrup proven to be totally safe during pregnancy so as long as you check with a pharmacist, I'm sure you'll find that it's just as safe to use while BF. It tastes gross but it does work!

Honey and lemon drinks do the trick as well and it's perfectly safe.

Good luck,

CC

[~Emmylou~]

Call the ABA....I was under the firm belief that codeine is actually quite safe to take when breastfeeding - that's why women are given panadeine forte after a c-section. I don't want you to take my advice on it though, please call the ABA or your local pharmacy, or if your local public hospital has a lactation consultant attached - talk to them.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Yep me too? Codeine based pain relief is usually given post birth and codeine only passes through breastmilk in very minute quantities.

Have a look here: Safe Fetus (http://www.safefetus.com)

You'll generally find that pharmacists err very much on the side of caution when it comes to anything. I am on a medication for reflux and I always get the third degree from pharmacists about it even though it is category B for breastfeeding. They have to be careful to cover their butts when you're buying things over the counter.

Hope you feel better :hugs:

[Milliner]

Oh CK :hugs: I hope you feel better soon hun.

Tam is right, I have taken panadine forte while BF - it was given to me in hospital when I had Bails.

I believe honey lemon drinks work just as well as any over the counter cough syrup.

Take care and call the ABA.

[elissas]

I've always avoided those meds during breastfeeding, on drs and pharmacists' advice.

I have a bug at the moment, and when I go to bed I keep a jar of manuka honey and a spoon on my sidetable. I have a big spoonful before I go to sleep, let it linger around my mouth and throat. If I wake coughing I have another half spoonful. It works a treat! Manuka honey is medicinal grade too, has antibacterial properties.

The other thing I did a couple of times when I was breastfeeding DS a couple of years ago... I took some baby Dimetapp. Not ideal, but it's a lot gentler, as it's designed for babies, so if a little gets through your milk it's not so bad. Watch out though, it made me really drowsy, even just a little bit. It amazed me how much, it really would knock kids out.

[mummysangels]

Do vicks blue taste OK? I can't stomach eucalyptus or honey lozenges so that leaves a very limited amount of things I can take :laughing:


They have a strong peppermint taste, but are quite nice.

Hope your feeling better soon :hugs:.

[julietv8]

I'm a chronic bronchitis sufferer and I find that cough mixtures don't really do anything for me, I usually have a few puffs of ventolin to open everything up (its safe for BFing) and stick my face over a bowl of steaming water. Another good trick is to angle your body downhill (propped on a few pillows, or just get up on your knees with your face in the bed) and get a volunteer (husband, friend, kid) to hit you with cupped hands through a towel quite firmly on the back and sides for 5-10 mins, it helps get everything moving.