Breastfeeding and Pentasa

Check out Dr. Hale's website on medications and mother's milk. Here is the link to the main site. You can search medicines from here:
http://neonatal.ama.ttuhsc.edu/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi?pg=topics&access=guest

Here is a link I could find on pentasa: http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/discus/messages/48/34216.html?1170790627

It looks like the risk is really going to be determined by the dose you are taking. Is it a high dose?

*activated your links*

Post Edited By Moderator (Nanners) : 9/22/2009 11:26:14 AM (GMT-6)

(Visiting from the UC forum)

Here's a link to a great article on pregnancy and IBD.  You have to copy and paste it into your browser as clicking on it doesn't work for some odd reason.

http://www.ccfa.org/ccfaprof/ibd-journal/Dec%202008%20-%20Management%20of%20the%20Pregnancy%20IBD%20Patient.pdf

It covers a lot of things, including breastfeeding and it's potential effect on flaring, as well as medications and breasfeeding. 

Mods, this article is in the UC resources thread on "our" page...maybe you'd like to add it to the Crohn's one as well? :)

I'm still breast feeding my 13-month old. I took Pentasa through pregnancy I just stopped taking it in July. I was on a smaller dose (5- 500mg caps/day as Rxed, but I tended to just take one dose usually 3 at night). I checked Dr. Hale and saw no concerns, my GI, Ped, Pharmacist and lactation consultant were all fine with it. My daughter is perfect and healthy. She's right on with all of her growth and development and absolutely perfect. I did stop taking it right after she was born, then had a few symptoms, so I started right back up and have been fine since.

Congrats on your new little one and good luck with a safe and easy delivery. Breast feeding is such a wonderful thing, I hope you can find a balance that works for you. I'm getting sad at the prospect of weaning my "baby" at the moment.

A couple things that might help:
- some meds are not okay at first b/c the babe nurses so much, but are ok taken later while breastfeeding or taken before bed once the baby lets you have a stretch of sleep. One trick I used with my hubby was to have him give one bottle of pumped milk in the night (if you can stand pumping or don't mind doing formula). I got a stretch of sleep and would take my Pentasa or whatever med I was taking immediately after I fed her, so I had the longest time between the med and the next nursing session.
- question any doc who quotes the pregnancy category to you when you are asking about a med and breast feeding. I had this happen with my PCP. They are two TOTALLY different standards. Some drugs may not cross the placenta, but will cross into breast milk and vice versa. You want to know the LI, LII, LIII ... info. Dr. Hale's site and book are the best.

Anyway, I'm very excited for you. Totally miss being pregnant (obviously). Take time to relax and enjoy the feeling of carrying the little one with you and to pamper yourself.