Ibuprofen and breastfeeding
Updated onNicole Wendler holds a PhD in biology in the field of oncology and immunology. As a medical editor, author and proofreader, she works for various publishers, for whom she presents complex and extensive medical issues in a simple, concise and logical manner.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Ibuprofen and Breastfeeding - is that a Problem? Many women ask that. In fact, taking the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug is not very problematic while breastfeeding. Read here which dosage makes sense, how much it pollutes breast milk and for which complaints ibuprofen makes sense during breastfeeding.
Ibuprofen and breastfeeding: dosage during breastfeeding
If you are taking ibuprofen and breastfeeding your child, single doses of a maximum of 800 milligrams are allowed. Even when taken twice a day, i.e. with a daily dose of up to 1,600 milligrams of ibuprofen, the infant is not stressed through the breast milk.
The active ingredient and its breakdown products only get into the milk in very small quantities. Even when taking the relatively high daily dose, the pain and anti-inflammatory drugs cannot be found in breast milk. Still, you should try to limit your ibuprofen intake while breastfeeding and try non-drug options first.
Even outside of breastfeeding, you should take painkillers for a maximum of ten days per month. Otherwise a drug-induced headache threatens.
Basically, women who use ibuprofen in low doses and for a short time can continue breastfeeding. In the case of higher doses and taking it over a longer period of time, it is advisable to consult a doctor about whether or not to breastfeed.
Ibuprofen and breastfeeding: when does it help?
Ibuprofen helps on three levels: In addition to its pain-relieving (analgesic) effect, it has anti-inflammatory (anti-inflammatory) and antipyretic (antipyretic) effects.
You can use ibuprofen as a tablet or suppository during breastfeeding to relieve pain, for example in the following cases:
- headache
- migraine
- Toothache
- Symptoms of the flu
- fever
- painful congestion
- Inflammation of the breast (mastitis)
- Muscle and joint pain
- after a caesarean section
The anti-inflammatory effect of ibuprofen is particularly beneficial after operations. With flu symptoms and fever, however, paracetamol also helps very well.
Ibuprofen is also useful when breastfeeding if you have painful congestion or breast inflammation, especially because of its anti-inflammatory effect. Sometimes even a low dose can reduce the symptoms so much that the affected women can continue breastfeeding. In any case, in addition to therapy, breastfeeding management should be checked by a midwife in order to get the breastfeeding problems under control. Long-term, high-dose therapy with ibuprofen while breastfeeding is not a solution!
Furthermore, ibuprofen also helps women who are breastfeeding externally, for example with muscle or joint pain. You must not use a cream or ointment containing ibuprofen when breastfeeding only in the breast area (especially the nipples). Otherwise, your baby could ingest the active ingredient while drinking.
Ibuprofen and Breastfeeding: How Does It Work?
Ibuprofen is one of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from the group of arylpropionic acid derivatives. They inhibit the production of so-called prostaglandins. These are inflammation-mediating tissue hormones that are also involved in the development of pain and fever. The effects last between four to six hours.
The active ingredient is metabolized in the liver and excreted through the kidneys. About one to 2.5 hours after ingestion, its concentration has dropped to half again (half-life).
Ibuprofen and Breastfeeding: Side Effects in the Infant
Of the painkillers from the NSAID group, mothers should prefer ibuprofen to other representatives such as diclofenac or naproxen while breastfeeding. Ibuprofen is therefore the first choice for painful breastfeeding. The combination of ibuprofen and breastfeeding is well tolerated. So far, no side effects have been observed in breastfed babies whose mothers have taken ibuprofen occasionally and in low doses.
You can read more information about the effect, dosage, side effects and interactions of ibuprofen here.
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