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Can Paracetamol for breastfeeding mom with fever and for pain?
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Paracetamol during breastfeeding may be one of the few drugs that young mothers use to treat headaches. But is this drug safe during lactation? What conditions of use should be observed so that the harm is minimal? Every mother who is forced to take this analgesic should know the answers to these questions.
Features of taking Paracetamol
Paracetamol is a non-opioid analgesic similar in effectiveness to aspirin but without the anti-inflammatory action. Paracetamol can be taken to relieve mild to moderate pain and fever.
Acetaminophen in all its forms is generally considered safe during pregnancy and while breastfeeding when used exactly as prescribed and for a very short duration. Pregnant or breastfeeding mothers who require long-term pain management should talk to their doctors to determine the safest course of action during pregnancy and lactation.
To minimise any risks to the baby, it is important to time the administration of Paracetamol correctly. Medicines taken by a breastfeeding mother can pass into the milk through her bloodstream, usually in very small amounts. The extent to which this occurs depends on a number of factors, including the nature of the drug in question, the fat content of the breast milk and the level of the drug in the mother’s body. Although Paracetamol is excreted into breast milk, the amount found in the mother’s milk is insignificant enough to cause any problems with lactation and the breastfed baby. However, when you need to take Paracetamol, feed your baby shortly before you take the medicine to reduce your baby’s exposure to the drug.
[ Pharmacological effects of Paracetamol
The indications for use of this drug are very wide, as the drug has many effects. Due to the central action, the drug is effective in eliminating pain of low and medium intensity. Therefore, the drug can be used for headaches and toothaches. The drug is also effective at fever, as it reduces the amount of inflammatory cytokines due to disruption of the synthesis and work of cyclooxygenase.
The drug comes in different forms, but for nursing mothers, it is best in tablet form. The drug can also be taken as a suspension or suppositories, but in this case, the dosage must be calculated correctly.
Pharmacodynamics consists of the predominant central action of the drug. The drug inactivates the formation of the cyclooxygenase enzyme in the brain, which is represented by two forms (1 and 2). This is how the central action of the drug occurs.
Pharmacokinetics is represented by rapid absorption of the drug in the intestine and reaching the maximum concentration after 2 hours. Paracetamol penetrates the blood-brain barrier. The drug also penetrates into breast milk, but its content is no more than one percent.
Contraindications for use during lactation are if your baby is extremely premature or has organic lesions of the central nervous system.
Side effects, as with any other medications in a more than recommended dose, may manifest themselves in such problems as liver damage, allergic reactions in the baby. More pronounced, there may be side effects if you do not use the pure drug, but as part of other drugs in combination forms.
The method of administration and doses during lactation should not exceed the daily dose - 500 milligrams per dose. How often can a nursing mother drink paracetamol - the less, the better, but the interval between taking a single dose should not be less than four hours.
How much Paracetamol per day can a nursing mother take? No more than four tablets per day, not exceeding a single dose. How many days can a nursing mother take paracetamol? Considering that the drug can accumulate, no more than two days with active breastfeeding.
Overdose occurs only when the daily dose of the drug is significantly exceeded. It can manifest itself as liver damage, which is expressed to varying degrees.
There is virtually no interaction with other drugs, but during lactation the combination of different drugs should be minimal.
There are no special instructions for the shelf life and storage conditions and they must be followed according to the instructions.
Paracetamol analogues in terms of effect, which can also be taken during lactation, are Ibuprofen.
Reviews on taking Paracetamol during lactation are positive in terms of effectiveness. No side effects were observed in children.
Paracetamol during breastfeeding can be an excellent drug of choice, given the limitations of drug therapy during this period. To minimize the risks of taking Paracetamol, it is important to simply adhere to the dosage and take the drug as far away from the expected feeding as possible.
Attention!
To simplify the perception of information, this instruction for use of the drug "Can Paracetamol for breastfeeding mom with fever and for pain?" translated and presented in a special form on the basis of the official instructions for medical use of the drug. Before use read the annotation that came directly to medicines.
Description provided for informational purposes and is not a guide to self-healing. The need for this drug, the purpose of the treatment regimen, methods and dose of the drug is determined solely by the attending physician. Self-medication is dangerous for your health.