Can a nursing mother take acetylsalicylic acid?

Aspirin during breastfeeding or Ibuprofen, as well as any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, are prohibited for use.

In medical publications you can find unprofessional advice about the possibility of taking one or two tablets if your mother has a headache or a fever. However, the opinion of pediatricians on whether Aspirin can be used during breastfeeding clearly does not allow it, even in doses that are harmless to a healthy person. Aspirin is excreted from the body in the urine, but before that it enters the blood. During lactation, part of the drug is excreted in breast milk, and during feeding it enters the child’s body.

General information about the drug

Aspirin is a non-steroidal analgesic anti-inflammatory drug with a long, proven reputation and countless beneficial properties. The abundance of dosage forms produced with its content made it possible to use the first known NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/agents, NSAIDs, NSAIDs, NSAIDs, NSAIDs) even for diseases that were considered absolute contraindications.

This is a non-narcotic pain reliever that can prevent blood clots. It is taken for the prevention of cancer and atherosclerosis, for arthrosis and rheumatoid arthritis, as a safe pain reliever and antipyretic. As part of combination drugs, Aspirin can relieve a hangover, and for migraines/neuralgia it is one of the drugs of choice.

Often pharmacy Aspirin is a mono drug, produced in tablets of standard packaging, but sometimes substances are added to it that reduce side effects, then a drug for widespread use is obtained. Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which becomes dangerous if ingested by an infant.

Options for trade names of acetylsalicylic acid

The diverse pharmacology of the drug makes it popular in a variety of areas of medicine, and this, in turn, determines the variety of commercial names, dosage forms and drug combinations.

Trade names of aspirin drugs

Acetylsalicylic acid is produced today under dozens, if not hundreds of different trade names, and not always (although often) they contain the originally patented word “aspirin”. In addition to Germany, the drug is produced in a huge number of countries, including Russia. Of course, the original drug on our market costs tens of times more than domestic aspirin.

Photo gallery: acetylsalicylic acid preparations

Dosage forms

The main dosage form of acetylsalicylic acid is tablets for oral administration. They are produced both in regular form and in a special shell, which dissolves in the intestines and, accordingly, minimizes the negative effect of acid on the stomach (the price in this case, of course, is higher). Tablets are the most common dosage form of aspirin

Another specific dosage form of aspirin is the so-called “pop”. These are also tablets, but they should not be swallowed, but dissolved in a small amount of liquid, which ensures an accelerated effect of the drug. Effervescent tablets are also a very popular form of aspirin.

A rarer, but still possible form of aspirin release is powder for preparing a solution. Injections with acetylsalicylic acid are done both intramuscularly and intravenously. Indications for this are common - pain, rheumatism, thrombophlebitis (especially in the postoperative period), blockage of blood vessels, fever.

Interestingly, it is the intravenous method of administering aspirin that Californian scientists consider the most effective remedy for migraines. Scientists conducted studies on one and a half hundred volunteers suffering from severe headaches. Every day, patients were injected five times with 1 g of acetylsalicylic acid. Common side effects from aspirin (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain) were noted in no more than 6% of those observed, while positive dynamics to varying degrees were observed in 40% of cases.

However, in fairness, it should be admitted that the injection form of acetylsalicylic acid is still very rare today, in particular, Aspizol, produced by the German company Bayer, today cannot be purchased either in Russia, or in Ukraine, or even in the USA, where the above studies were carried out. Intravenous administration of aspirin is quite rare

Finally, there is another form of aspirin - suppositories for rectal use. Previously, they were often used to bring down the temperature in young children, but today such practice is prohibited in civilized countries, and in adults, this method of using the drug has many negative aspects - ranging from an unpredictable and inconsistent absorption rate to irritation of the intestinal mucosa.

Combination drugs that contain aspirin

The versatile pharmacological properties of acetylsalicylic acid determine its inclusion in a wide variety of combination drugs. Here are just a few of them known to everyone:

Photo gallery: popular combinations with acetylsalicylic acid

General information: methods of administration and dosage

We have already said that acetylsalicylic acid affects our body differently, depending on the dosage. For this reason, drug treatment technologies may differ greatly.

Thus, for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cerebral circulatory disorders, thrombosis, varicose veins, liver diseases, and migraines, aspirin is usually recommended to be taken for a long time (often throughout life), but in very small doses: 75–300 mg daily.

As an antipyretic and analgesic drug, aspirin is effective in higher dosages. At one time you can use from 500 mg to 1 g, a safe daily dose is no more than four grams with an interval of at least four hours.

Despite the fact that the drug is available without a prescription, it should not be taken for a long time in the doses indicated above. The maximum allowable course of treatment with acetylsalicylic acid is three days to reduce fever and a week for pain relief.

It is equally important to drink aspirin correctly. No matter how chemists purify salicylic acid, aspirin is still very irritating to the mucous membranes of the stomach. If we are not talking about tablets in a special protective film, the drug must be taken with plenty of liquid and under no circumstances taken on an empty stomach! Aspirin must be taken with plenty of water

It’s even better to wash down the drug with something viscous, for example, jelly.

Another important condition. Taking aspirin should not be combined with consuming acidic foods and juices, especially citrus fruits. This applies to all dosage forms without exception, including injections. Moreover, you should not expect that the advertised enteric coating on the tablets will completely protect your mucous membranes from the destructive effects of acid.

Indications for use and its properties

The reasons for taking acetylsalicylic acid and its beneficial properties were discovered almost 130 years ago. Its ability to lower body temperature, relieve inflammation, pain, antiplatelet properties that help avoid blood vessel thrombosis, cope with neuralgic symptoms, rheumatism, and angina pectoris have allowed the drug to become very popular.

All beneficial therapeutic effects are achieved thanks to the active substance. Despite a number of contraindications, the use of the drug only in adults is safe, and only in small quantities, if the person does not have diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

The same properties of the drug that help achieve positive dynamics in adulthood make it undesirable and potentially harmful in early childhood. The ability to help with migraines, dental pain, and headaches makes aspirin a sought-after medicine. But for a newborn, acetylsalicylic acid, especially when breastfed, is extremely dangerous, even in the small amount it receives from mother’s milk.

We recommend reading: What painkillers can you use while breastfeeding?

How does aspirin work and what does it help with?

Today it is customary to talk about four pharmacological properties of aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid:

1. Antipyretic.
2. Painkiller.
3. Anti-inflammatory.
4. Antithrombotic.

Moreover, the severity of this or that effect directly depends on the dose of the drug. The antithrombotic effect is achieved by taking small doses of aspirin; with increasing doses, the predominant effect of the drug is pain relief and a decrease in temperature.

Most often, aspirin is taken to reduce fever, relieve an attack of pain (headache, dental, menstrual, etc.) and thin the blood. It must be admitted that the antipyretic properties of acetylsalicylic acid are indeed very strong (in particular, in comparison with such drug analogues as paracetamol and ibuprofen). High temperature is the most common reason for taking aspirin

The antipyretic and analgesic effect of aspirin can occur within 10 minutes after taking the tablet (sometimes you need to wait longer, up to half an hour), while the anti-inflammatory properties of the drug begin to appear several (from two to twelve) hours after taking it.

The analgesic properties of acetylsalicylic acid are due to the fact that the drug acts on nerve fibers, reducing their sensitivity, thereby preventing the development of pain. To the credit of the drug, it can be noted that it demonstrates its effectiveness even against such a painful type of headache as migraine. Aspirin is also taken for headaches

The antithrombotic properties of the drug allow it to be used for the treatment and prevention of thrombosis, heart attacks, other diseases of the cardiovascular system and problems with cerebral circulation. Tests conducted on one hundred thousand volunteers suggest that daily preventative use of the drug reduces the risk of a heart attack in men by about a third (in women this percentage is half lower). In small doses, aspirin is taken to prevent heart problems

Aspirin’s ability to thin the blood and get rid of microclots that form in it makes the drug indispensable for severe forms of hangover (the famous Alka-Seltzer is the same acetylsalicylic acid).

Acetylsalicylic acid is also widely used for rheumatism, arthritis and other diseases affecting joints and connective tissue.

But even this is not all.

According to research by Professor Peter Rothwell from the University of Oxford, regular intake of acetylsalicylic acid reduces the 20-year risk of developing prostate cancer by 10%, lung cancer by 30%, bowel cancer by 40%, and cancer of the esophagus and throat by 60%.

Acetylsalicylic acid, as evidenced by American and Canadian scientists, also reduces the likelihood of developing malignant tumors in the liver, and Australian researchers even noticed that the drug has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and minimizes the manifestation of depression.

Of course, all of the above problems (high temperature, severe pain, thrombosis, varicose veins, problems with joints and heart) can occur at any age and in any condition, and a nursing mother is not protected from all this either.

The effect of Aspirin on the child's body

Doctors categorically do not recommend aspirin for breastfeeding , due to the negative effect of the drug on a small, imperfect and fragile organism.

For a breastfeeding woman, the potential dangers of taking a common medication may be unclear; almost everyone believes that there is no particular harm in taking an aspirin tablet. Treatment of a nursing mother sometimes simply cannot be carried out with conventional medications, because they enter the baby’s body along with the milk produced. Its digestive system is imperfect, its hematopoietic system is vulnerable, and the acid itself is a strong allergen that can affect people with weak immunity.

So is it possible to take aspirin while breastfeeding?

Despite all the horrors described above, acetylsalicylic acid is not one of the medications whose use during breastfeeding is completely prohibited. But, of course, it is impossible to be treated uncontrollably with such a drug.

First of all, a young mother needs to know that the active ingredient in aspirin passes into breast milk. The dose of acetylsalicylic acid in mother's milk can reach 8% of the amount of the drug present in her blood! Thus, if a woman, in order to reduce a high temperature, took two 500 mg aspirin tablets (we said that this is an acceptable single dose), the baby can receive up to 80 mg of the active substance at once through breast milk!

It is believed that such a one-time situation is not dangerous for the baby. Provided that the child does not have the slightest sign of a viral infection (and this is actually very likely if the mother has a high fever), otherwise aspirin should not be taken!

Only two drugs are safe analogues of aspirin for reducing fever and pain relief during breastfeeding - paracetamol and ibuprofen. Both have many trade names, we are talking about the active ingredient. When breastfeeding, aspirin is best avoided

Continuous treatment with aspirin (including for antithrombotic purposes) during breastfeeding is contraindicated. The accumulation of acetylsalicylic acid in the baby’s body can lead to chronic acidification (acidosis), bleeding, fever, anorexia, decreased platelet count and other harmful consequences .

Many nursing mothers are familiar with such an unpleasant condition as lactostasis. This is stagnation of milk in the breast, accompanied, in particular, by a strong increase in body temperature. If the fever is caused precisely by lactostasis, and not by acute respiratory viral infection, which can spread to the baby, the nursing mother is allowed a one-time dose of aspirin as a quick and effective antipyretic drug. However, having brought down the temperature, you need to start eliminating the cause that caused lactostasis, and not continue to fight the symptoms. For lactostasis, a single dose of aspirin is acceptable

Note that the maximum dose of acetylsalicylic acid in breast milk accumulates 1–2 hours after taking the tablet. Therefore, if necessary, a nursing mother can lower the temperature by drinking an aspirin tablet and feed the baby immediately or, on the contrary, wait at least 4–5 hours.

There is no point in expressing milk while taking aspirin, because the drug does not cure, but only relieves symptoms, therefore, by depriving the baby of such an invaluable product as breast milk, we are not solving any problem. There are certain conditions, the observance of which makes the medication conditionally safe for the child. You just need to remember them, so let’s repeat and summarize:

1. Aspirin during breastfeeding can be taken once, as an exception, and no more than one gram per day. The next day, if symptoms continue, safer, albeit less effective, drugs (ibuprofen, paracetamol) should be used.
2. The only justified use of aspirin during breastfeeding is to quickly bring down a high temperature (for example, with lactostasis). For these purposes only, aspirin is better than its analogues. We treat headaches and toothaches with the above-mentioned safe remedies.
3. In the period from one to four hours after taking the pill, you should refrain from breastfeeding (and, accordingly, do not express during this time), thus, the concentration of acetylsalicylic acid in breast milk will be minimal and will not harm the baby’s health.
4. The presence of signs of a viral infection in a child is an absolute reason to refuse aspirin in favor of other drugs.
5. For women suffering from cardiovascular diseases, severe headaches, rheumatism and other pathologies for which aspirin helps symptomatically, it is advisable at the stage of pregnancy planning to establish the cause of the disease and try to get rid of it, then subsequently there will be no need to endanger the baby.
6. Having taken aspirin as an emergency aid, we urgently look for the cause of the disease and take adequate measures to eliminate it (in case of a viral infection, we drink more fluids, lower the temperature in the room, ventilate and moisturize, in case of lactostasis we warm and massage the breasts, pump, in case of toothache we go to the dentist and so on.).

Video: aspirin during breastfeeding: compatibility, dosage, precautions

Side effects

The occurrence of adverse reactions in a newborn is an almost guaranteed phenomenon that can be predicted based on the characteristics of childhood. After taking it, its fragile healthy state can be shaken in several areas of life:

• bleeding in the stomach can develop due to deterioration of blood clotting (this is its property that is successfully used in the treatment of thrombocytosis);
• very strong effects on hearing, kidneys, liver and brain (Reye's syndrome develops);
• the reasons for the appearance of gastric pathologies lie in the ability of ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) to suppress the synthesis of enzymes and affect the mucous membrane;
• aspirin can provoke hepatic encephalopathy, reduce hemoglobin levels, and lead to the development of hemorrhagic diathesis;
• When treating the mother for cold symptoms, the baby may develop allergic rhinitis, spasm of the bronchi due to this.

Attempts to habitually improve health during lactation, treating a nursing mother with even the most seemingly harmless drugs can lead to the most negative results. Sometimes such negative phenomena make it necessary to stop breastfeeding. Problems with the breast begin, weaning from mother's milk negatively affects the immune system and digestion. Taking aspirin while breastfeeding, even if the nursing mother was treated once, is one of those cases whose consequences are difficult to predict.

We recommend reading: Ibuprofen during breastfeeding

Dangers known and little known

With all its numerous medicinal properties (largely, we note, symptomatic), acetylsalicylic acid is by no means a safe drug. Its use is associated with a sufficient number of risks, and a nursing mother must be aware of some of them, since this directly affects the baby’s health.

What are the dangers of taking aspirin?

We have already mentioned the destructive effect that acetylsalicylic acid has on the mucous membranes of the stomach. However, what’s even worse is that this substance often provokes internal bleeding. And not only.

Some statistics. American doctors talk about negative reactions to aspirin, which are observed in every twentieth patient. As a rule, we are talking about nausea and vomiting (which is precisely due to irritation of the mucous membranes), but, in addition, other reactions have been recorded - dizziness, headaches, ringing in the ears, hearing and vision impairment. In approximately one case out of a hundred, treatment with acetylsalicylic acid causes the development of ulcers and bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Stomach pain is very common after aspirin

Interestingly, unexpected side effects occur even when taking aspirin in small doses, to thin the blood and prevent heart attacks and strokes. Thus, studies were conducted in the Netherlands that showed that older people who regularly took aspirin were twice as likely to complain of age-related vision problems than those who did not use this drug.

But let's get back to the bleeding. It turns out that the occurrence of such a side effect is facilitated by a combination of three factors simultaneously caused by the action of acetylsalicylic acid:

• increased acidity in the gastrointestinal tract (aspirin promotes the release of hydrochloric acid by the fundic glands of the stomach;
• disruption of mucus formation by superficial accessory cells, as a result of which the protection of the gastric mucosa is sharply reduced;
• dissolution of epithelial cells in acetylsalicylic acid, that is, destruction of the epithelial layer lining the surface of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract.

By the way, some aspirin preparations (for example, the well-known Alka-Seltzer) specifically include alkaline additives to neutralize acidity or components that promote the formation of mucus on the walls of the digestive tract, thus reducing the risk of bleeding.

Alternatives to the drug for hepatitis B

Find completely safe alternatives for the duration of breastfeeding, a short period, when you will have to limit your old habits and acquire new ones. You can find drugs that do not pass into breast milk. Establishing breastfeeding, problems arising during lactation, restoring the usual feeding regimen at the time when you have to take medications - all this requires skillful management and medical recommendations. But all the ailments that arise can be resolved in other ways, and if things get really bad, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics.

Take medications designed to combine with infant or pregnancy feeding before the onset of an attack. Instead of dangerous antipyretics, you can use vinegar rubs, herbal medicines, and homeopathic medicines recommended by your doctor to reduce body temperature.

The optimal solution is legal herbal teas.

With their help, you can reduce blood pressure, relieve incipient headaches, prevent a rise in temperature, boost immunity, and benefit the baby. After all, when his mother is healthy, she gives him her immunoglobulin, protects him from harmful effects by the mechanism provided by nature. You will have to temporarily forget about aspirin while breastfeeding your beloved baby. Hot tea with raspberries or honey, fresh ventilated air, regular walks - this is the minimum that will maintain tone and prevent headaches.

Use of the drug

Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drug that is produced on the basis of acetylsalicylic acid. Acetylsalicylic acid should not be taken during breastfeeding.

This medicine has effective antiseptic and anesthetic effects. But this drug cannot always be used to relieve pain or lower fever. It is better for a nursing mother not to take this medication, as it can negatively affect the health of the newborn.

During breastfeeding, a woman remains vulnerable to various diseases, since many effective drugs are contraindicated for her.

We suggest you read: Dental treatment during pregnancy 1st, 2nd, 3rd trimester. Is it possible to do x-rays, when is it best to treat, what anesthesia is used?

Almost every resident of Russia is accustomed to using aspirin, but with the birth of a baby, a woman begins to assume that this medicine is not so safe.

To give a clear answer to the question about the safety of Aspirin, you need to consider it in more detail.

Effect of the drug

It is probably a rare person who doubts the effectiveness of Aspirin. This drug can act as the following:

• antipyretic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• analgesic.

Aspirin has antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory effects

When exposed to it, skin vessels dilate, sweating begins and body temperature decreases. The drug has an analgesic effect, has a positive effect on blood clots, preventing their formation, as it has the property of thinning the blood.

It is also taken for unstable angina, which reduces the risk of myocardial infarction.

Aspirin promotes the excretion of uric acid by interfering with its reabsorption (reabsorption) in the urinary tubules, but for this it is taken in significant doses.

The use of Aspirin can lead to disruption of the gastric mucosa, ulceration or bleeding, so it is recommended to use “effervescent” tablet forms, which are safer