Health Tip: Drugs to Avoid While Breast-Feeding

(HealthDay News) -- If you''re breast-feeding, you should stay away from certain drugs, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

These include medications for anxiety, depression, migraines and chemotherapy, the agency says.

Medications whose effects on nursing infants may be cause for concern include:

• Anti-anxiety drugs: Alprazolam, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Midazolam, Perphenazine, Prazepam, Quazepam, Temazepam.
• Antidepressant drugs: Amitriptyline, Amoxapine, Bupropion, Clomipramine, Desipramine, Dothiepin, Doxepin, Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, Imipramine, Nortriptyline, Paroxetine, Sertraline, Trazodone.
• Antipsychotic drugs: Chlorpromazine Galactorrhea, Chlorprothixene, Clozapine, Haloperidol, Mesoridazine, Trifluoperazine.
• Other drugs: Amiodarone, Chloramphenicol, Clofazimine, Lamotrigine, Metoclopramide, Metronidazole, Tinidazole.

Talk to your doctor if you''re not sure about whether any medication you''re taking could harm your breast-feeding infant.

-- Deborah DiSesa Hirsch

Last Updated: Feb. 16, 2006