Blood Pressure Medications and Breastfeeding?

I take Labetalol. I took it the whole pregnancy and for the year that I have been breastfeeding and it is completely safe and works great for me. I hope this helps.

my doctor had me on Aldomet and I think the generic is called Methyldopa - I was taking 2 pills three times a day - but it was safe for the baby - so you may ask about that drug.

I had to take Labetalol @200mg/3 x daily throughout pregnancy and it worked to keep my pressure down. However, upon taking it, my CONSTANT question was how will it affect my baby during /after pregnancy...I now know. Recently-last week, in addition to the recommendation on his pediatritian, my baby had to go to ER and he was @ the hospital for 1 week for severe weight loss and dehydration-I was totally breastfeeding. Although his birth weight was good, HE WAS SMALL & THIN!!!So now, he have to use Similac-special care for premature babies in order to "bulk up" and was told for the 1st time...I can't breastfeed my child (because of the Beta blockers in the meds & my milk)!!! So now, I'm working with my doctor to find meds that is safe for breastfeeding.

If it helps, I can only tell you what NOT to take. I had very high blood pressure for the first two weeks after giving birth. I was given Lopresser, and because it was in the breast milk, my baby developed tachicardia (irregular heartbeat) and had to take heart medicine (Lanoxin/Digoxin) for six months because the pediatric cardiologist couldn't be sure that it was from the Lopresser I was taking. My baby's heart would beat very rapidly, and then pause for a few seconds, and repeat. Encourage your doctor to really take the time to investigate which medicine he/she chooses to put you on.
Leanne

You should probably listen to your doctor and he/she would know what medication would be best for you to take.

I had high blood pressure before ever getting pregnant. I had 2 pregnancies (one with twins) and everything went fine. I was on Lotrel before the pregnancies and on Aldomet (aka generic name of Methyldopa) during the pregnancies. I used it while breast feeding as well, once for 12 months and once for 9 months. Your doc will give you the right dosage to keep you in good health. Mine told me it was an older medication that still works just fine. It worked well for me until I stopped breastfeeding. Then it began to creep up so back to Lotrel I went.

Don't panic. It will be fine.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010701/119.html

Nature's Sunshine HS II is an herbal supplement that I took during pregnancy for my blood pressure and it worked GREAT! I am assuming it is safe to take while breastfeeding since I was able to take it while pregnant. I got it from my midwife, but I know you can order it online at www.naturessunshine.com. Good luck!

when I developed pre-eclampsia during my pregnancy my bp continued to stay up after delivering my daughter 8 weeks early. At the time every doctor I talked to I told I was pumping, etc. The medication I ended up on was lopressor which they seemed to think was safe. Your OB and/or a cardiologist will know which ones would be best for you. There are "safe" medications, though. So do not fret!

Eat a lot of celery (raw or lightly stir fried and add soy sauce) - it lowers blood pressure naturally - eat it everyday... & if you can swallow a clove of raw garlic a day without upsetting your baby that would be GREAT.

C. - I took Labetalol for my pregnancy induced high blood pressure for a week before I delivered my son at 31 weeks. I continued to take it for about 2 months after the pregnancy and I was pumping. I had no problems and neither did my son. It is very mild. Ask your doctor about it. My doctor also told me that it was normal for my blood pressure to stay elevated for a while after delivery. It takes a while to get you body back to normal. Good Luck! Jen

Hey,

I am a pharmacist with the Baylor Health Care System. Give me a call at x65734 and I have the Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation Book if you want me to fax you any info on any one particular medication. The diet and exercise routine is your best bet. Have you added fish oils (one teaspoon of Carlson's lemon flavored oil for evey 50 lbs body weight is a good bet), and a good whole food multivitamin to your regimen? (Garden of Life makes a good one but there are plenty of other brands, too). See the Weston A Price foundation for good nutrition advice. www.westonaprice.org.
Good Luck and Congrats,
J.

No medication is "safe." There are tons of things you can do with diet and exercise to help with blood pressure. And that's much much safer for you and baby!

Hi C., I had high blood pressure during all of 3 of my pregnancies, and I breastfed also. My doctor had me on Altomed. It is a very "old" medicication, it has been around for a long time. Within weeks of having my second child I almost had to be put on a beta blocker also, because of tachycardia(sp?). Thankfully I did not have to.
I had to take the Altomed from my 3rd month of pregnancy until about 6 months after giving birth. Me and my children have suffered no ill effects from the medication. Your doctor will help you decide what medication is best for you and your baby, just make sure he knows that you are breastfeeding, as this will affect his decision as to the medication to give you. Don't worry, everything will be okay, once your body adjusts to the hormonal changes you are going thru your blood pressure will probably return to normal. Your probably a little more stressed than normal, too. Waking up every two hours to nurse is stressful all in itself LOL! Hang in there, and keep us posted! I wish you the best!

Ask your doctor about diovan hct 160/25mg, i tried a few before this med worked perfectly for me. Hope this bp med
will work for you.

Hi C.

Yes, you may certainly continue to breastfeed while on hypertensive medications. You might want to research each medication and find out which ones are most compatible with nursing. Dr. Thomas Hale is a world reknowed expert, author of Medications and Mothers Milk. Here is the link to his page on hypertensive medications and breastfeeding:

http://66.230.33.248/discus/messages/45/45.html?###-###-####

Hope this helps. Good luck.
-M.

M. Blois, MD and La Leche League volunteer

C., there is a safe supplements you can take to help you control the blood pressure. I know of moms who are taking it and breast feeding the baby. Let me know if you would like more information.

A.
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Hi, C.! Many women experience HBP following pregnancy and unless your doctor feels you might be in imminent danger he might be willing to give your body some time to heal. Many things go haywire after having a baby so I'm sure that he is monitoring the situation closely.

Having said that if you end up going the medication route your doctor should prescribe a Class B drug for your HBP while you are nursing. There are no studies done on pregnant women for ethical reasons but Class B drugs are widely to be thought of as some of the safest around. I would be careful with any herbal supplements to lower your blood pressure unless you know what you are doing as some have contraindications that you may be unaware of. I'm not agains holistic health, mind you, just cautious when I do not know enough.

Good luck and try to enjoy that new litte girl!

Hey C.! I have gentically high BP and have been on Methyldopa (a generic form of Aldamet) for three years, during my pregnancy and breastfeeding. My GP put me on it when we discovered the blood pressure issue before I got preg and said it was one of the safest for preg and nursing. I have not had any problems on it at all for the whole time I have been on it. The best thing is, it is also one of the $4.00 generics at most pharmacies! Hope this helps :)

I had high bp after both my pregnancies, one with toxemia and one without. I took Procardia both times. I was on it for 2 months and was fine! I have a happy, healthy, super smart little pumpkin!

C.,
Doublecheck with your OB but I take Labetalol and I am pregnant and have been on it the entire time. I unfortunately cannot breast feed due to surgery but I believe my cardiologist said it was safe even then. A big benefit to it is that it's an old drug so it is very cheap! I get it at Walgreen's and I get a 6 month supply for 12.99 on their savings plan. You have to pay 20.00 to join but in the end it will still save you a lot of money. HTH!
M.

I took BP meds during and after both pregnancies and I BF both children. I took Procardia and then after the second one my BP was still high even on the Procardia, so I took Hydochlorothiazide along with it. Both were safe according to my 2 doctors and I did not have any problems and neither did my children. Good Luck!