Contents:
- Medical Video: Bystolic Drug for High Blood Pressure: Side Effects, Dosage & Uses
- What if you have to take hypertension medication while breastfeeding?
- What are the hypertension drugs that are safe to drink while breastfeeding?
- What if the baby has a reaction or a certain symptom?
Medical Video: Bystolic Drug for High Blood Pressure: Side Effects, Dosage & Uses
For those of you who have high blood pressure (hypertension), you may worry when you have to breastfeed your child. Yes, not a few mothers with hypertension are hesitant to give breast milk to their babies, for fear that hypertension drugs taken at that time also enter into breast milk and affect baby's health. However, is it right to stop taking hypertension medication if you are breastfeeding? Are these drugs harmful to baby's health? Here is the answer.
What if you have to take hypertension medication while breastfeeding?
Hypertension is a chronic health disorder that cannot be cured and can only be controlled. So, to keep your blood pressure normal, doctors recommend taking hypertension medication. Maybe before you have a baby, you have no problem if you have to take medication for high blood pressure every day. However, what if you have to take hypertension medication while breastfeeding? Will the drug enter breast milk too?
Many mothers think that way, so they are reluctant to breastfeed their babies or even stop taking medicine without the doctor's knowledge. In fact, there has been scientific evidence that giving exclusive breastfeeding can help reduce blood pressure in the mother. So, indeed you should still give your child exclusive breastfeeding even if you have high blood pressure.
Besides that, actually almost all hypertension drugs tend to be safe to be consumed when breastfeeding. Even though it is true, everything you consume, including medicine, will be able to enter breast milk. The level of hypertension drugs that enter the milk is certainly not much, so it does not cause any side effects on the little one.
However, be careful with babies who are premature. Giving breast milk which contains a certain drug, may affect his health because his bodily functions - especially kidneys - are not really perfect.
So you should always consult a doctor before using or stopping hypertension drugs. Stopping or consuming drugs that do not comply with recommendations can interfere with your health and the baby.
What are the hypertension drugs that are safe to drink while breastfeeding?
Yes, almost all hypertension drugs are safe for you to drink while breastfeeding. However, this actually depends on the physical condition and dosage of the medication you are taking. The more severe hypertension you have, the more effective the medicine given by the doctor.
If this happens, your doctor may advise you not to breastfeed first because it will affect the health of the baby. However, once again, you should consult with your doctor first.
Some types of hypertension drugs that are safe to drink while breastfeeding are:
- Methyldopa (Aldomet)
- Metoprolol (Lopressor)
- Nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia)
- Propranolol (Inderal)
- Verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan)
To find out if it's safe to take hypertension medication while breastfeeding, you should discuss this with your doctor. Ask also the right time to take the hypertension medication, whether there are provisions for drinking before giving ASI or vice versa.
What if the baby has a reaction or a certain symptom?
When you breastfeed and your child experiences certain symptoms such as changes in diet, sleep patterns, and certain skin problems, don't panic. Not necessarily the symptoms come from the hypertension drug you are taking.So, if this happens to your baby, immediately consult your child to the doctor for further treatment.
