Adderall and breastfeeding?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

I probably wouldn't do it, and this is coming from someone who took Wellbutrin and drank coffee and alcohol (not very often, and definitely didn't breastfeed drunk or anything) while nursing. Did you take Adderall before your pregnancy?

[Anonymous]

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!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I probably wouldn't do it, and this is coming from someone who took Wellbutrin and drank coffee and alcohol (not very often, and definitely didn't breastfeed drunk or anything) while nursing. Did you take Adderall before your pregnancy?

yes, was on adderall before pregnancy, managed to stay off it from about 9-10 weeks into the pregnancy on. Similar for my previous pregnancy and did manage to stay off it until I weaned DD at about 13 months, but I'm not able to get by as well now.

I can't find anything that suggests that adderall is UNsafe for breastfeeding, at least as compared to many other drugs... just the usual cost/benefit analysis... but am I wrong about this?

Did you take Wellbutrin for ADHD symptoms and if so did it help? Is Wellbutrin better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I probably wouldn't do it, and this is coming from someone who took Wellbutrin and drank coffee and alcohol (not very often, and definitely didn't breastfeed drunk or anything) while nursing. Did you take Adderall before your pregnancy?

yes, was on adderall before pregnancy, managed to stay off it from about 9-10 weeks into the pregnancy on. Similar for my previous pregnancy and did manage to stay off it until I weaned DD at about 13 months, but I'm not able to get by as well now.

I can't find anything that suggests that adderall is UNsafe for breastfeeding, at least as compared to many other drugs... just the usual cost/benefit analysis... but am I wrong about this?

Did you take Wellbutrin for ADHD symptoms and if so did it help? Is Wellbutrin better?

My psychiatrist (who DID do the research), said it depends on the baby. Watch for irritability, trouble sleeping, decreased appetite, and slow down in weight gain. Also, try to take the Adderall immediately after feeding/pumping. My DD is four months and I just went back to work and haven't tried it yet, but have my old prescription ready if needed. I didn't take it during pregnancy and my work definitely suffered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I probably wouldn't do it, and this is coming from someone who took Wellbutrin and drank coffee and alcohol (not very often, and definitely didn't breastfeed drunk or anything) while nursing. Did you take Adderall before your pregnancy?

yes, was on adderall before pregnancy, managed to stay off it from about 9-10 weeks into the pregnancy on. Similar for my previous pregnancy and did manage to stay off it until I weaned DD at about 13 months, but I'm not able to get by as well now.

I can't find anything that suggests that adderall is UNsafe for breastfeeding, at least as compared to many other drugs... just the usual cost/benefit analysis... but am I wrong about this?

Did you take Wellbutrin for ADHD symptoms and if so did it help? Is Wellbutrin better?

\

Yes, I take Wellbutrin for ADD and depression. A big reason I went on it was for the ADD (I'm inattentive type, not hyperactive). I plateau'd on Adderall and ended up taking huge doses and told the doctor to take it away (all that was waaaayyy before I had kids, though).

I did the cost/benefit analysis and stayed on Wellbutrin during my pregnancy, but cut my dose way back -- technically to a sub-therapeutic level, but it was enough to get me through the workday; that is, I used it to treat my ADD and wasn't having problems with depression at the time. I slowly ramped back up to my pre-pregnancy dose over the course of a month or so while I was still nursing, after I went back to work. I did what another PP said -- watched for irritability, etc, in my DC. I didn't notice any reaction to anything I ate, drank or took when it came to feeding DC breastmilk. Maybe I'm not observant, or maybe it does just depend on the baby.

[Anonymous]

^^Wellbutrin PP here -- also, once I was back to my regular dose, I tried to take it right after I nursed or pumped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I probably wouldn't do it, and this is coming from someone who took Wellbutrin and drank coffee and alcohol (not very often, and definitely didn't breastfeed drunk or anything) while nursing. Did you take Adderall before your pregnancy?

yes, was on adderall before pregnancy, managed to stay off it from about 9-10 weeks into the pregnancy on. Similar for my previous pregnancy and did manage to stay off it until I weaned DD at about 13 months, but I'm not able to get by as well now.

I can't find anything that suggests that adderall is UNsafe for breastfeeding, at least as compared to many other drugs... just the usual cost/benefit analysis... but am I wrong about this?

Did you take Wellbutrin for ADHD symptoms and if so did it help? Is Wellbutrin better?

\

Yes, I take Wellbutrin for ADD and depression. A big reason I went on it was for the ADD (I'm inattentive type, not hyperactive). I plateau'd on Adderall and ended up taking huge doses and told the doctor to take it away (all that was waaaayyy before I had kids, though).

I did the cost/benefit analysis and stayed on Wellbutrin during my pregnancy, but cut my dose way back -- technically to a sub-therapeutic level, but it was enough to get me through the workday; that is, I used it to treat my ADD and wasn't having problems with depression at the time. I slowly ramped back up to my pre-pregnancy dose over the course of a month or so while I was still nursing, after I went back to work. I did what another PP said -- watched for irritability, etc, in my DC. I didn't notice any reaction to anything I ate, drank or took when it came to feeding DC breastmilk. Maybe I'm not observant, or maybe it does just depend on the baby.

Thanks - my doc did not seem to think there was a huge difference between wellb and adderall but is very vocal about not being an expert on breastfeeding and meds and says he's basically reading the same literature I am on it (he knows I obsessively read the NIH stuff). What he liked about the adderall is that he trusts me to take it on an as-needed basis and knows that a small dose would work. He would still prefer I wean - and I am definitely cutting back a lot and plan to do all that PPs have suggested - but before I actually start it I wanted to check to see if anyone around her had actually done this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I probably wouldn't do it, and this is coming from someone who took Wellbutrin and drank coffee and alcohol (not very often, and definitely didn't breastfeed drunk or anything) while nursing. Did you take Adderall before your pregnancy?

yes, was on adderall before pregnancy, managed to stay off it from about 9-10 weeks into the pregnancy on. Similar for my previous pregnancy and did manage to stay off it until I weaned DD at about 13 months, but I'm not able to get by as well now.

I can't find anything that suggests that adderall is UNsafe for breastfeeding, at least as compared to many other drugs... just the usual cost/benefit analysis... but am I wrong about this?

Did you take Wellbutrin for ADHD symptoms and if so did it help? Is Wellbutrin better?

My psychiatrist (who DID do the research), said it depends on the baby. Watch for irritability, trouble sleeping, decreased appetite, and slow down in weight gain. Also, try to take the Adderall immediately after feeding/pumping. My DD is four months and I just went back to work and haven't tried it yet, but have my old prescription ready if needed. I didn't take it during pregnancy and my work definitely suffered.

Thanks - one thing my doctor did say is that he was much less comfortable with any use with a newborn, so once they hit 4-6 months, it's less risky. I think the main deal is that the long-term effects haven't been studied - there haven't been negative reports, just not much data.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't. I took Wellbutrin and noticed an immediate decline in my infant's sleeps so I stopped taking it. Granted, I was just mildly depressed and it wasn't affecting work etc. so my risk/benefit is probably different than yours.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't do it. It's a stimulant. You'd basically be saying that Adderall is safer than baby formula, which, on its face, is kind of a crazy proposition!

I'm sympathetic. I take Vyvanse for ADD, and I'm a disaster without it. I switched to formula for both of my children at about 7 weeks.

[Anonymous]

16:22 again. I was assuming that you take the extended release. If so, what about a short acting stimulant and give baby formula during the day while you pump and dump the milk that might be contaminated? You could still nurse at night.

[Anonymous]

16:22 again. I was assuming that you take the extended release. If so, what about a short acting stimulant and give baby formula during the day while you pump and dump the milk that might be contaminated? You could still nurse at night.

[Anonymous]

Jesus Christ, people. Just take the medication that you need and feed your children formula. This is insane.

[Anonymous]

Youre taking adderall so you don't have to drink caffeine? Yikes.