Adderall and breastfeeding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How can any drug be kept out of breastmilk??

6:42 ?

OP here, not 6:42. But I'm not sure what your point is. Different drugs show up in different %s in breastmilk, so it's a very relevant issue. Practically none of zoloft transfers into breastmilk. Alcohol transfers in very low quantities as well - you have to drink a ton for it to even register.

[Anonymous]

WTF - no! I say this as someone who just weaned so I could go back on my Adderall XR prescription. I consulted with a high-risk OB and OB specialist in meds and a psychiatrist. All were ok with a low-dose of anti-depressant, based on the cost-benefit analysis (but interestingly, not comfortable with Wellbutrin) and most definitely not OK with Adderall.

If you need Adderall that bad, take it and go ahead and use formula. Formula isn't going to hurt your baby but taking AMPHETAMINES could definitely harm your baby.

Adderall is amphetamines, you know, like cocaine. Why would you want your baby to ingest that?

Just buy some formula!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How can any drug be kept out of breastmilk??

6:42 ?

6:42 here. Come on, people. Drugs are metabolized and excreted into breastmilk at vastly different rates (see the concept of half life) and concentrations. In addition, other factors such as the mother's weight, the infant's weight and age, what else the mother has ingested (ex: vitamin C affects how adderall is absorbed) all matter. The issue isn't just whether a substance can be kept out of breastmilk, but also whether it enters breastmilk at concentrations high enough to affect the baby and whether the baby itself can metabolize those concentrations with a low risk of harm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTF - no! I say this as someone who just weaned so I could go back on my Adderall XR prescription. I consulted with a high-risk OB and OB specialist in meds and a psychiatrist. All were ok with a low-dose of anti-depressant, based on the cost-benefit analysis (but interestingly, not comfortable with Wellbutrin) and most definitely not OK with Adderall.

If you need Adderall that bad, take it and go ahead and use formula. Formula isn't going to hurt your baby but taking AMPHETAMINES could definitely harm your baby.

Adderall is amphetamines, you know, like cocaine. Why would you want your baby to ingest that?

Just buy some formula!!!

Cocaine is not an amphetamine and you clearly do not know what high risk OBs and psychiatrists do. Neither category of doctor is the one to consult about the effects of medications on breastfeeding and no doctor would categorically rule out adderall when there are virtually no studies making blanket conclusions possible. The advice has to be tailored to each circumstance and is not as black and white as it would be if you were asking whether you can put your baby in the trunk of the car. Damn. A lot of dumb people around these parts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF - no! I say this as someone who just weaned so I could go back on my Adderall XR prescription. I consulted with a high-risk OB and OB specialist in meds and a psychiatrist. All were ok with a low-dose of anti-depressant, based on the cost-benefit analysis (but interestingly, not comfortable with Wellbutrin) and most definitely not OK with Adderall.

If you need Adderall that bad, take it and go ahead and use formula. Formula isn't going to hurt your baby but taking AMPHETAMINES could definitely harm your baby.

Adderall is amphetamines, you know, like cocaine. Why would you want your baby to ingest that?

Just buy some formula!!!

Cocaine is not an amphetamine and you clearly do not know what high risk OBs and psychiatrists do. Neither category of doctor is the one to consult about the effects of medications on breastfeeding and no doctor would categorically rule out adderall when there are virtually no studies making blanket conclusions possible. The advice has to be tailored to each circumstance and is not as black and white as it would be if you were asking whether you can put your baby in the trunk of the car. Damn. A lot of dumb people around these parts.

Uh, yeah, I actually do know what they do, and the specialist's background was in pharmacology and the developing fetus (we consulted her before I was pregnant to help decide what drugs would be safe to take during pregnancy and breastfeeding). We paid a hefty sum of $, out of pocket for the consultation because we were actually pretty concerned about the health of our future child and with mom's health.

And I never said any of the three doctors categorically ruled it out, just that they didn't recommend it. Although I doubt my psychiatrist would have written the script to a nursing mother. We made the decision to forego the Adderall because it is an amphetamine that stimulates the central nervous system and I didn't want to expose my baby to that in utero or through breastfeeding when other options were available. And you're right, amphetamines (Adderall's generic name is "amphetamine salts" ) are NOT cocaine but guess what - amphetamines/Adderall have a longer half-life than cocaine, which means they take longer to clear your body, which increases the risk of transmission through your milk (whatever % comes through).

You seem pretty determined to take amphetamines while you nurse your baby. Good for you. If you're that determined to avoid perfectly healthy formula in exchange for amphetamine-tainted and caffeine-soaked breastmilk, well, I guess we should nominate you for lactivist of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. And I also don't go overboard on caffeine. If you're not going to breastfeed safely, you shouldn't be breastfeeding. You are negating all the benefits--and potentially harming your child--with "ridiculous amounts of caffeine." Just switch to formula. There is nothing wrong with formula; there IS something wrong with excessive caffeine and medications that aren't safe for breastfeeding!

+1

[Anonymous]

Lol @ women here freaking out over adderall. Meanwhile, almost all of you jump at epidurals and narcotics in labor, all of which are known for a fact to affect babies in various ways, including lowered heart rate, labor slowing, fetal distress, and postpartum difficulties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTF - no! I say this as someone who just weaned so I could go back on my Adderall XR prescription. I consulted with a high-risk OB and OB specialist in meds and a psychiatrist. All were ok with a low-dose of anti-depressant, based on the cost-benefit analysis (but interestingly, not comfortable with Wellbutrin) and most definitely not OK with Adderall.

If you need Adderall that bad, take it and go ahead and use formula. Formula isn't going to hurt your baby but taking AMPHETAMINES could definitely harm your baby.

Adderall is amphetamines, you know, like cocaine. Why would you want your baby to ingest that?

Just buy some formula!!!

OP here. Thanks for your experience. Helpful - but do you recall why they were not comfortable? My understanding is just that there aren't many studies but there is also literally no evidence of adverse effects either.

[Anonymous]

ADHD adult, and I did not and would not BF and take Adderall. I used formula. Which has been shown to have no negative impact on babies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone done it? My doc is not an expert on breastfeeding w/meds and I think he's a bit on the conservative side ("why not just stop breastfeeding?" is his basic attitude) but since I am basically self-medicating with ridiculous amounts of caffeine he's willing to write the script for a low dose. DS is 6 months old if it matters.

You scoff, but he has a very valid point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By the way, threads like these are why people who have no training and understanding of science should not opine on drugs. Comparing adderall to meth is the height of stupidity. A dose of meth is typically MUCH more potent than adderall, lasts a lot longer, and is taken in larger doses more frequently. Dosage, concentration, potency, frequency -- all of those things matter. You can't just opine in a vacuum based on your knee jerk prejudices and tv watching.

Actually some of us on the thread are licensed mental health professionals with some graduate psychopharmocology training. And still advising against this. Adderall has a long enough half life that I would not be comfortable pumping and dumping. We are not talking about a life threatening impairment to mom with a severely formula allergic baby. This is a mom who is making choices. Either the mom or the baby gets the priority here--it is not good to do this half way.

[Anonymous]

If you want anectdotal commentary, my friend continued to take adderall while breastfeeding and her kid is a terrible sleeper (no napping and 2 hr bedtime plus wake ups) and has continued to have behavioral issues, leading to the family pulling kid out of daycare. is this related to adderall? no idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want anectdotal commentary, my friend continued to take adderall while breastfeeding and her kid is a terrible sleeper (no napping and 2 hr bedtime plus wake ups) and has continued to have behavioral issues, leading to the family pulling kid out of daycare. is this related to adderall? no idea.

Thanks - any idea of dosage?

How would you all feel about taking it and pumping/dumping for 12 hours? I have no problem basically giving up bf on days I take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, threads like these are why people who have no training and understanding of science should not opine on drugs. Comparing adderall to meth is the height of stupidity. A dose of meth is typically MUCH more potent than adderall, lasts a lot longer, and is taken in larger doses more frequently. Dosage, concentration, potency, frequency -- all of those things matter. You can't just opine in a vacuum based on your knee jerk prejudices and tv watching.

Actually some of us on the thread are licensed mental health professionals with some graduate psychopharmocology training. And still advising against this. Adderall has a long enough half life that I would not be comfortable pumping and dumping. We are not talking about a life threatening impairment to mom with a severely formula allergic baby. This is a mom who is making choices. Either the mom or the baby gets the priority here--it is not good to do this half way.

I appreciate the advice - I haven't made the choice yet to be clear. Most likely I would take it 1-3x a week right after feeding then pump and dump for at least 12 hours. At the moment I feel comfortable with this plan but I haven't done it yet. Doc is ok with it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want anectdotal commentary, my friend continued to take adderall while breastfeeding and her kid is a terrible sleeper (no napping and 2 hr bedtime plus wake ups) and has continued to have behavioral issues, leading to the family pulling kid out of daycare. is this related to adderall? no idea.

Is the kid ADD?

Here's the problem ... ADD parents have like a 50% chance of ADD kids. In my case my daughter is ADD and I never used the adderall w her.