# Do all antihistamines dry up milk supply if taken frequently?



## Jen78fl (Nov 2, 2007)

Hi all. Well my allergies have really been acting up lately.. I have been taking claritin the past few nights.. I know that benadryl will dry up your milk supply but what about claritin or other antihistamines? I am just worried that if I continue to take every day that my supply could decrease.. I appreciate any advice on this. Thanks!

Jen


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## PatioGardener (Aug 11, 2007)

The big concern with milk supply is pseudoephedrine. I don't have a copy of Hale's book with me, but I have heard that claritin (or generic equivalent) is usually OK for breastfeeding moms (very low levels get into milk) and I haven't heard of it causing low milk supply. Note, Claritin-D had pseudoephedrine in it and likely will decrease milk supply.

Nasal allergy treatments (don't know the names) are usually good too - they act locally so don't get into the blood stream as much.

Hope you feel better soon!


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## Jen78fl (Nov 2, 2007)

Thanks for the info patio.. I think i am done with claritin because it takes a long time to work and I had bad insomnia last night and I think that may have been the cause of it, since Ive heard that can be one of the side effects... I will probably be trying something homeopathic for allergies and hope that it helps!


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## PatioGardener (Aug 11, 2007)

Have you ever tried Allegra? I think Dr. Hale says it is OK too - but you would want to either check out his book or forum for that, I'm not sure. He also says that benadryl _should_ not decrease milk supply, but that he has had some reports of it happening - so I guess it varies mother to mother.







Hope you feel better soon! Have you ever tried a netti pot?

ETA: this is from memory - so pls check it out int he book, but I think he was cautious to monitor for drowsiness in babies with benadryl too. Not sure if it was only in newborns. I have to get a copy of that book!


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## Calamy (Feb 7, 2009)

Hale on claritin:

"Loratadine is a long-acting antihistamine with minimal sedative properties. During 48 hours following administration, the amount of loratadine transferred via milk was 4.2 µg, which was 0.01% of the administered dose.[1] Through 48 hours, only 6.0 µg of descarboethoxyloratadine (metabolite) (7.5 µg loratadine equivalents) were excreted into breast milk, or 0.029% of the administered dose of loratadine or its active metabolite were transferred via milk to the infant. A 4 kg infant would receive only 0.46% of the loratadine dose received by the mother on a mg/kg basis (2.9 µg/kg/day). It is very unlikely this dose would present a hazard to infants. Loratadine does not transfer into the CNS of adults, so it is unlikely to induce sedation even in infants. The half-life in neonates is not known although it is likely quite long. Pediatric formulations are available.
Pregnancy Risk Category:B
Lactation Risk Category:L1
Adult Concerns: Sedation, dry mouth, fatigue, nausea, tachycardia, palpitations.
Pediatric Concerns: None reported, but observe for sedation, dry mouth, tachycardia."

on benadryl:

" There are anecdotal reports that diphenhydramine suppresses milk production. There are no data to support this theory.
Pregnancy Risk Category:B
Lactation Risk Category:L2
Adult Concerns: Sedation, drowsiness.
Pediatric Concerns: None reported, but observe for sedation. Some suggestions of reduced milk supply but these are unsubstantiated."


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