Help! I Need a Safe Anti-biotic While Breast Feeding

I was told that amoxicillin was the safest to take while breatfeeding. They all cause the little ones to get diarrhea, but it is not that bad!!
Good luck!!

Your best bet (even if the doctor prescribes something) is ALWAYS to consult a pharmacist. Some people think they just count and distribute, but they are far more knowledgeable in medicine than anyone else. I have the benefit of my sister being a Dr. of pharmacy, so I ask her advice for everything medicinal. Furthermore, she is a nursing mother herself and feels very strongly about researching drug interaction. Any pharmacist should be able to answer you, but you could always call or go to CVS in Norwich ###-###-####) on Monday or Thursday, and every third weekend. She's even there TODAY! Give her a call. Best of luck to you!

I am allergic to the same meds you are. I took Zpac (azithromax) several times while breastfeeding this past year (once for an upper respiratory infection, another for strep). My OBGYN put me on another low-dose script for when I had mastitis. Cannot remember the name-- call your OBGYN and ask for alternatives. They should have a list that you can suggest to your dentist.

Are you taking any other prescription drugs? For anything?? Some presc. drugs can cause this to happen. My husband was on Dilantin for seizures yrs ago & this was 1 of the side effects. He also had his gums cut. Sorry i dont know what you could take, maybe call the phamacy & talk to a pharmacist. I'm sure they could help you. What about your OBG? Did you consult with them? Good luck - i hope you find relief!!

Call the lactation consultant at your pediatrician or ob/gyn, or midwife. You can also call La Leche League and they can probably be a good resource for that information. You can also ask your ob/gyn if they think it could be hormonal from pregnancy and bfing.

Good Luck!
R.

G.,
I found this name after looking it up on google, I have never heard of it but maybe your doctor/dentist has: Vancomycin (Generic name) Vancocin, Vancoled (brand name)
I wish you the best of luck and hope you recover soon.

Have you tried simply swishing and gargling with a mixture of sea salt and water? There may not be a need for a broad spectrum antibiotic if there is a local infection that can be treated differently.

Is there an herbalist in your area? You may benefit from using echinacea tincture locally, or a myrrh powder along the gum lines. Good luck, hope you're feeling better soon!

Would you consider a completely safe (as a pre-natal, even!) nutritional supplement to boost your immune system and help your body fight these problems? You might still need an antibiotic but something else major is going on with you. Let me know - the products are endorsed by major scientists and health professionals - my doctor is thrilled with my results. I'd love to talk to you.

I think many Drs. don't really understand what's safe & what's not during BF so they just err on the side of caution and tell you to stop BF when taking anything. There is a great place to look up antibiotics and medications (Dr. Hale) while BF and you will find that many are actually safe while BF.

That said, have you tried eating raw garlic? Raw garlic acts as a broad spectrum antibiotic and can really work. I've used it 2 or 3 times and avoided antibiotics for mastitis. Just peel a clove and slice it into pieces and swallow whole - don't chew or mash. Try to eat a 1-2 cloves/day and see if it helps. Orange juice after will help with the aftertaste.

I do hope you feel better soon!

PLEASE Get to a GOOD library or bookstore and look up a copy of Dr. Thomas Hale's "Medications and Mother's Milk" - it's the breastfeeding/medication BIBLE, and far too many health professionals haven't even heard of it. Ask a Lactation consultant tho, and she'll probably know a bunch of it by heart. :) Here's the link to it at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Medications-Mothers-Milk-MEDICATION...

IN the meantime, call around to your local libraries, or check online, to see if any of them have it on the shelves. Congratulations on Breastfeeding your daughter!! Good Luck!!

Hi G.,

The advice below about having your PCP team up with your dentist is gold, I'd stick with that. Just make sure to finish any antibiotics you are prescribed or you'll end up with super-resistant bacteria in the long run. I picked up a nasty case of MRSA from surgery years ago, and not only did I have outbreaks all over my body (in the form of painful abscesses) but I spread it to my husband who had one very serious outbreak under his chin. These kind of superbugs come from resistant bacteria, and when you don't finish taking all the doses of antibiotics you help culture them.

Oil of oregano does wonders for the health of your mouth because it kills anaerobic bacteria living there. Just put a couple drops under your tongue in the morning after you brush your teeth and you will see the difference almost immediately (plaque reduction, fresher breath, etc.). You can get oil of oregano at GNC at a highly inflated price ($30/bottle) or you can usually get it at a local health food store for a lot cheaper. Either way, I'd say it would be a wise investment for you oral health.

Good luck,

M.

Hello,
I'm surprised no one mentioned to go to your primary care physician (if you have one-) you cannot just take any antibiotic to get rid of your infection. As someone mentioned, something needs to be sent to microbiology to figure out what will work, and a PCP will know what to use that you are not allergic to- (you can have your dentist work with your doctor which is even better)- if you take the wrong antibiotic it can do nothing and then you've gone through this for nothing, not to mention thats how resistance to antibiotics occur. It can cause all sorts of problems in the future. Its important for your child to get breastmilk, but its even more important for her to have a happy, healthy mother who is not in pain. Get yourself better for the sake of your child, and do it in the right way so it doesn't drag on longer than it has to.

G., Gum surgery IS very painful and maybe you need to see another Periodontist. There's a way to treat gum infection by inserting tiny pellets of the antibiotic between the gums and teeth. Sorry, I don't know what it's called but any dentist should know about it, if he/she has kept current on new treatments. Try googling antibiotic-inserted into gum.

i'm not sure what youcan take but talk to a lactation consultant and they'll know what's safe. good luck

I'm wondering where you got the information that Penicillin and Erythromycin are the only safe antibiotics to take while breastfeeding? While your pregnant you share a blood connection with your baby, but it's different when you are breastfeeding. Whatever you ingest has to be broken down and absorbed in your digestive tract before it gets picked up by the bloodstream. A very small amount of the med is actually incorporated into the breastmilk, which then taken into the baby's digestive system, not directly to the bloodstream, so the baby's exposure is minimal. If you truly need antibiotics for an infection (not just for the sniffles) then you should take the antibiotics. Oral infections can cause serious problems if not treated! I'm talking about heart problems, endocarditis, clotting problems etc. You really don't want to fool around with a "severe infection" in your gums!!!

I had to take Keflex while BF'ing. My midwife informed me that the worst thing that would happen to the baby was that she would get diarrhea (she didn't, but I did!)Think about all the meds that some people take while pregnant, when they actually share a blood connection with the baby. Your breastmilk is too important to withhold just because of trace amounts of abx (IMHO!) Good luck, this sounds like a very painful ordeal.

I am a dental hygienist. Have you had scaling and root planing? That would be the first step a deep cleaning with some topical anesthetic, and placing some powdered antibiotic in any deep pockets. It costs about $1,200, I do it every day. You can look up South Shore Dentistry.com. The bacteria and toxins are physically removed, you may not need systemic antibiotics. After scaling and root planing you need to be on a 3 month periodontal cleaning schedual to keep you healthy. Has you mom had this problem, periodontal disease runs on the maternal side of the family.
Is you immune system compromised? Did you have these issues prior to pregnancy? Talk to you PCP. Only certain antibiotics are effective with periodontal infections, and they are only a short term fix. Deb

Hi G., this is a side note- but is there any chance there is something in your environment that you are sensitive to- that could be exacerbating the infection? -hydrogen peroxide or essential oils in the toothpaste or gargle, mouthwash, or acidic foods you are consuming? Is your doctor giving you some guidance on how to upkeep your own nutrition- it must be so painful finding eating anything. I wish you a speedy recovery-

Hi G.,
Firstly, and sorry if this sounds crazy, but are you sure you are 'still' allergic to the penicillins? I was alleric as a child and never used them my whole life, but then while breastfeeding at age 31, I had what appeared to be a lyme disease bullseye and needed to be treated. My choices were either amox, or doxycycline. If I chose the latter, I had to stop nursing. I took a chance on the amox, watched myself very carefully for any reactions and there weren't any- none, and I was on it for a month. Maybe I wasn't 'really' allergic in the first place, or maybe I grew out of it- I will never know. It was a releif to say the least because my baby was only 4 mo. at the time and I didn't want to stop nursing unless that was my only resort.

Anyway, it might be something to consider. Many of the 'newer' drugs, in my opinion, have not been tested enough and the docs give them anyway because the drug companies say they are safe. In your case, you absolutely need something, so you will need to decide what is worth the risk, and what isn't.

Whatever you do decide, do consider taking a probiotic and also giving it to your baby (FloraBaby or similar). It will boost your immune system and help any GI distress while on the antibiotics.

Also, have you tried peelu, and/or colloidal silver? These may help your infection as well. Good luck- hope you get relief soon.
L.

Check with both your OB and your pediatrician. I was on meds last summer that my OB thought would be okay to bf with (even if not exclusively, but something was better than nothing), but recommended that I also check with the pedi. When I did, the pedi said to completely stop bf until 2 weeks after I stopped the meds (to make sure they were completely out of my bloodstream). He didn't want to compromise the milk in any way. So, I needed to use stored milk and supplement with formula for about 6 weeks while I pumped and dumped until I was permitted to bf again.

Unfortunately, I can't offer any specific suggestions for meds, but checking with the drs in your lives should get you your answer.

I am not sure if Keflex is safe while breast feeding but it is during pregnancy! I had to take it for a skin infection while about 4 months pregnant & it is perfectly safe and my now 18 month old is fine. I would think while breast feeding it would be okay. Not sure if it is in the penicillin family or not but it is not in the erthromycin family because I am allergic to that! But call & ask your OB they would know what you could take, dentist are clueless when it comes to meds and pregancy/breastfeeding.
Or you may have to formula/bottle feed until the course of medicine is done, your health is more important. You don't want a worse infection that can lead to death.

I would call your OB. they will have a list of safe medications.

Are you sure you have an infection? Overgrowth of gums can be caused by things other than infection. Have they sent the gum tissue they removed to pathology to see if there is really a sign of infection? you might want to look into that if they haven't.

Ask your baby's pediatrician to be sure whatever is chosen is safe for her. Your pediatrician could be a good resource in this case. If you had a midwife, you may also ask them for ideas. As your daughter is older than 6 months, some antibiotic options may open up for you. WHat is safe for her to take, is safe for you to take (exception, your allergies).

If you don't have a life threatening (as of yet) allergy to penicillin, you could consider Keflex (cephalexin) or antibiotics from the cephalosporin family. There is a mild chance you could have a cross reaction to the cephalosporins (they are somewhat related to penicillins). However, if you get anaphylaxis (throat swelling and respiratory distress) with penicillins, you can't use this option.
Erythromycins (macrolide family)...many people feel they have an allergy, when they actually have the normal, maybe strong side of normal side effect of significant stomach upset. If you don't have a true allergy (rash, anaphylaxis, or someother bizarre thing) you may actually be able to use this family of antibiotics...eating with it and using acidophilus (friendly bacteria, like what is in yogurt) 2-3 times daily for the entire time your on it could help you and your daughter manage it.
I would turn to your pediatrician and primary care doc or midwife for help here.

Good luck. Sorry you're having this difficult time.