Can women use suppositories for colds during breastfeeding? What should we pay attention to?

Women must adopt completely different treatment methods when they develop illnesses during breastfeeding and at other times. For example, women before giving birth can choose appropriate medications according to the situation, but after giving birth and during breastfeeding, they must pay attention to the impact of medication on the baby's breast milk. For example, can women use suppositories for colds during breastfeeding? What should we pay attention to? Let’s take a look at the explanation below.

Suppositories, like other medicines, are made up of many chemical drugs, so you must understand whether they will have any effect on the baby before using them. Consider the following factors:

1. If you use unsafe drugs during breastfeeding, you need to stop breastfeeding.

If a breastfeeding mother is forced to use unsafe drugs that are prohibited during breastfeeding, she needs to stop breastfeeding. Even after the medication is finished, there are still some considerations when resuming breastfeeding.

According to the theory of drug clearance from the body, each drug has a half-life, which is usually stated in the drug instructions. It is generally believed that after about five half-lives, the drug can be completely cleared from the body and breastfeeding can be resumed.

2. Try to choose rapid-release dosage forms when taking medication during lactation

Drug dosage forms are usually divided into immediate-release dosage forms and sustained/controlled-release dosage forms. Taking tablets as an example, ordinary tablets are usually immediate-release dosage forms and need to be taken multiple times a day. Sustained/controlled-release tablets are usually long-acting dosage forms and can be taken once a day. Therefore, when breastfeeding mothers take medication, they should choose immediate-release dosage forms and try to avoid sustained/controlled-release dosage forms to prevent the drug from staying in the mother's body for too long.

3. Try to choose single-ingredient medicines for colds during breastfeeding

It is recommended that mothers who catch colds during breastfeeding should receive symptomatic treatment and try to choose single-ingredient medicines.

4. Do not let your baby come into contact with topical medications during breastfeeding

If skin problems occur during breastfeeding, topical medications will be necessary. When using topical medications, you must pay attention to the ingredients of the medication. It is best to consult a doctor and do not purchase medications privately. If a breastfeeding mother develops breast eczema, she can choose to use hormones with slightly weaker strength such as hydrocortisone butyrate or mometasone, but be careful to use them in a short period of time and on a small area; if the mother's breast is bitten by the baby, she can use lanolin ointment or apply a small amount of chloramphenicol ointment. It should be noted that if topical medications are applied to the breasts, especially hormonal topical medications, you should avoid letting the baby's skin come into contact with them, especially don't let the baby eat them. Be sure to clean the breasts before feeding the baby again.