So im really wondering where my ob got the info on the topamax and not breast feeding, Bc looking at the websites y'all provided in the medications and bfing link it seems to have a short life in the milk and pumping and dumping after taking the med in the morning should be fine. Yesterday I didn't bf at all and the twins kept rooting at my breasts when I was holding them, it broke my heart. We have thw twins 1 month check up with the pedi next week think im going to keep pumping and dumping until then and I can ask the pedi
Have you asked your pharmacist for their opinion? Or the hospital pharmacist? As much as I believe in medicine and the doctors' knowledge, for a specific drug question, I would ask a pharmacist.
Most doctors will tell you that most meds aren't compatible with breast feeding. It's the safe answer. I think Bex's idea to chat with a pharmacist is a good one. Also, see if there are any IBCLCs in your area who are also MDs. You could also email Dr. Jack Newman (google him & you can get his contact through his website). He's a well known breast feeding expert & replies to emails. Also - don't dump what you're pumping! Freeze it for now in case you do decide to keep breast feeding. Then you'll have an awesome freezer stash!
Alex, earlier when you first posted, I had a quick look at some topamax links with breastfeeding, the information I garnered was that, yes it can get through the blood stream and yes could breastfeed if your medical practitioner supported you through it however you would have to keep a very close eye on the side effects coming up on the babies, the side effects were dizziness, weight loss and several others. I'm sorry I didn't post the links before, I will look later and see if I can find them again.
I totally appreciate it and I read all of that but thought my well my doc knew best, lol. But today I started reading all the research and realized that maybe he doesn't know best. Odd thing was he talked about putting me on celexa for thw pains (which makes me wonder if he thinks im suffering from Ppd and thats whats bringing on the pains) however from what I read the celexa is about the same if not worse than the topamax with the breast feeding.
Okay here are some of the links I mentioned - I think the forum links are extremely helpful because there are a lot of epileptic sites and a lot of women there asking the same question as yourself. The Australian guidelines are very strict regarding medications and they do not recommend breastfeeding on Topamax. I concur with your doctor on this one so don't shoot him yet http://www.topamaxbi...e-breastfeeding http://womenshealthn...-breastfeeding/ http://forums.webmd....ange/forum/1883 http://www.betterhea...le/jcctopam.pdf http://www.migrainep...sion/22408.html http://epilepsy.emed...astfeeding.html http://www.healthboa...astfeeding.html http://answers.yahoo...23113358AAO89CE http://womenshealthn...-breastfeeding/ I am also including this link which is the product information leaflet by Janssen (the pharmaceutical in Australia) - http://www.janssen.c.../Topamax_PI.pdf Personally I believe that any medication which can cause birth defects (when taking while pregnant) is not safe to take while breastfeeding. I came across several legal sites which specialised in lawsuits against the manufacturers of Topamax because of birth defects. From another personal point of view, I purposely came off my very strong antidepressants prior to attempting falling pregnant, it took me months of gradual reduction on a medication which I had been on for over 4 years. I was told that it was quite safe to take but I personally did not want my babies to be exposed to it because of all the side effects I experienced on it. You could ask yourself "what side effects do I get from these meds?" "Is it possible that my babies will experience some of these side effects, even in a lesser degree?" At the end of the day, it's your personal choice. However I do believe it prudent that you have the support of your medical practitioner if you do choose to breastfeed while taking Topamax because you need to have that back up.
Check out this article from Kellymom on meds: http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/meds/med-risks/ I think it will help to explain why your doc made the recommendation he did and also why the package insert recommends against it as well and why that may not be the best thing to base your decision on. I think it's also important to remember that evaluating the risks of meds during pregnancy and meds while breast feeding is quite different as the way that meds transfer through the placenta & the way they end up in breast milk are quite different.
Fair comment Rachel. I think though that most of the resources which say it's safe to take Topamax while breastfeeding have tested on patients taking less than 200mg per day. If I remember correctly Alex, you were taking 800mg - this may be why your doctor doesn't want you breastfeeding on such a high dose. You could try asking about a lesser dosage but then of course, it might not help with your pain. I think ultimately it will depend on the baby's reaction to the drug and your own comfortability in making the decision - do you give it a go and if there are side effects, you give it up or you just don't take the risk? And because there are always going to be people on both sides of the fence, I think the main thing is that you do not feel guilt in whichever decision you make - and yes I do read a lot about how formula is so bad for babies but I think that mothers who don't (can't) breastfeed have enough guilt thrust upon them without making them feel like pariahs because they are formula feeding.<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
Thankd for all the links, i'll look into all of them, i do appreciate it ... Im only im 100 mg ... It's a low dose mainly for pain management.
oops I confuses doses with your motrin.. anyway I hope the links will help you make a decision. And most of all, I hope that you will feel better about all of this soon.
