Treatment of headache medications with breastfeeding

1 Causes of a malaise during lactation

Headache during breastfeeding is a frequent occurrence, to which there are many reasons and explanations. It can be provoked by various factors that are associated with fatigue, lack of sleep and rest. When the headache of a nursing woman hurts, most write off it for overwork, caused by the care of the child around the clock. However, the reasons may be more serious and dangerous:

• consequences of the injuries suffered;
• is the consequence of ancestral anesthesia;
• postpartum pathology;
• hormonal disorders;
• pathology of the heart and blood vessels;
• increased blood pressure;
• problems with the cervical spine;
• respiratory viral infections;
• kidney disease;
• chronic and acute pathology of the respiratory tract and ENT organs;
• migraine;
• stress.

The list of causes of headache in a nursing mother can be continued, as this is a fairly common symptom of many diseases. This sign can be the main, and in some cases the only, symptom of more than 40 different pathologies, from infection to reaction to drugs and food.

The problem of treating this ailment in nursing mothers is that the drug from the headache penetrates into the breast milk, and with it into the baby's body. Many women who do not want to harm their child prefer to endure pain, but this approach is fundamentally wrong. Firstly, it is difficult to endure the headache: it reduces concentration, attention and efficiency. Secondly, it becomes extremely difficult for a nursing mother to take care of a child and to withstand physical and mental stress. Periodic and regular headache with lactation is a serious reason to consult a specialist, undergo a test and diagnose the causes of the ailment.

Kinds of headaches in a nursing woman can have a different nature and intensity. Owing to chronic mental and physical overstrain, there is often a constant "background" pain, which persists, then grows, then retreats throughout the day. Acute paroxysmal pain can literally deprive the strength, so it is important to take a medicine in time to facilitate and eliminate them.

2 Prohibited medications for mothers

Treatment of headaches in mothers during feeding depends on the intensity, nature and periodicity. Rare occasional seizures can be treated with an approved medication, but systematic headaches require diagnosis, investigation and identification of the underlying cause.

Among modern drugs for headache, there are several groups of drugs that are available in the form of tablets or capsules. The most common of these is a group of analgesics, which include Analgin, Sedalgin, Tempalgin, Pentalgin, etc. However, for a lactating woman, these preparations are categorically contraindicated.

In some countries, these drugs are generally prohibited, since their one-time administration can cause dangerous consequences for the body - oppression of hematopoiesis, disruption of the kidneys, allergic reactions up to anaphylactic shock. In addition to the possible severe consequences that analgesics themselves can cause, these drugs contain other substances that on one hand enhance the effect of anesthesia, and on the other hand have a number of negative side effects.

These components include caffeine, codeine, phenobarbital, etc. Each of them, getting into the body of a child with mother's milk, can cause serious consequences and affect the internal organs and functional systems of the baby. Tablets of analgesics can interfere with the very process of lactation, as they make it difficult for milk to pass from the breast to the ducts. This is another reason why the treatment of headache during breastfeeding should be done by other means.

The common Citramon drug that many people use to relieve headaches is also not suitable for the treatment of a nursing mother. In its composition, there is caffeine, stimulatingly affecting the nervous system, and acetylsalicylic acid, which can disrupt the functioning of the infant's liver.

3 Permissible drugs

Authorized medications for headache for nursing mothers:

1. Paracetamol in breastfeeding is considered the most acceptable form of medication. Preparations based on paracetamol belong to the group of antipyretic and analgesics. They are recommended for the treatment of headaches caused by acute respiratory infections and colds. The highest concentration of the drug in the blood is noted in half an hour after taking the pill, after 4 hours half of the dose is already excreted from the body. That is, after 4 hours after taking the pill you can already feed the baby. The group of drugs based on paracetamol include Efferalgan, Panadol, Kalpol, etc.
2. Ibuprofen, in addition to its analgesic effect, has pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. The maximum concentration of the drug in the blood is reached on average 40 minutes after admission. After 2-2.5 hours half of the medication taken is withdrawn and you can safely start to feed. Based on ibuprofen, many drugs are produced - Nurofen, Ibuprom, Advil, MIG, etc. A unique feature of ibuprofen is that it has virtually no side effects. A safe dose for a nursing mother is 400 mg at a time, you can drink 4 tablets a day.
3. Naproxen belongs to the group of non-steroidal agents, it has a pronounced analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. The drug is not suitable for long-term use, it is recommended by specialists as a preparation for single use in cases of severe headache. Has no serious side effects, for the entire practice of breast-feeding mothers, one case of negative impact on the baby has been officially recorded. To reduce the risk of taking this remedy better immediately after feeding.
4. Ketoprofen is a non-steroid drug approved for headache during breastfeeding and has anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic effects. The half-life of the drug from the body is about 1.5-2 hours, after this time after taking the drug, you can breastfeed your baby.
5. Ergotamine is one of the preparations based on ergot alkaloids, which, in one-off cases, is allowed to relieve the acute symptoms of migraine in a nursing mother. The same group includes such drugs as Zomig, Rizatripan, etc. Migraine is not similar to the usual headache in that it is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, heightened sensitivity to light and smells. Its cause is the expansion of the cerebral vessels, so the usual painkillers are ineffective. The use of vasoconstrictive drugs can have side effects in the form of nausea and seizures in children. Their use in a nursing mother should be done only after consulting a specialist, to eliminate the risk of negative effects on the child, it is better to take it immediately after feeding. The half-life of plasma is 2-3.5 hours.
6. Enalapril or Enap are drugs of the same group that help relieve the headache caused by high blood pressure. The attack of hypertension is characterized by a pressing throbbing pain in the temples and occiput. Unlike Atenol and Nebivalol, which are permitted during pregnancy, but are not compatible with lactation, Enalapril and its analogs in single cases are permissible to relieve a violent attack.

When using any medicines, you must carefully read the instructions and formulation of the drug. If it contains substances that are incompatible with breastfeeding, it is best not to use them to avoid danger and risk to the health of the child.

If you suffer a headache or find another more sparing drug is not possible, then after taking the medication you need to skip one feeding and drain the milk.

4 General recommendations for the removal of symptoms

All modern medical specialists urge mothers to refuse to take any chemical medications during lactation. For women in this period it is important to organize your day properly so that you can have a rest, regularly take walks in the fresh air and eat healthy food with enough vitamins and minerals. Headache can be triggered by inadequate excretion of toxins from the body, which is often the case with a water deficit. A lactating mother needs to drink about 2 liters of clean water.

It is advisable to replace the medication with alternative therapies, such as:

• massage of the head, neck and spine;
• short-term ice pack on the occiput;
• relaxing bath;
• deep breathing;
• aromatherapy;
• acupuncture;
• homeopathic preparations.

Popular folk remedies in the form of herbal infusions and teas when breastfeeding should be used with the same caution as pharmaceutical products. Some medicinal herbs, like medicinal preparations, are incompatible with lactation. So, doctors do not recommend sedative herbal collections based on lemon balm, hawthorn and valerian root, since they can negatively affect a child's health.