If i use a steroid inhaler for my asthma, is it dangerous to nurse my baby?

No: Using a steroid inhaler is not a reason to stop nursing a healthy baby. The known benefits of breast milk far outweigh any theoretical risks from the medication. You absorb only a small amount of the steroid from your inhaler into your bloodstream. Only a tiny amount of that small amount would make it into breast milk - perhaps not even a detectable amount at all.

No: Inhaled steroids generally have limited entry into the bloodstream, since they act locally in the lung tissue. However, most inhaled steroids are listed as category c medications, meaning their effect on a growing baby is unknown. It is best to discuss the risks and benefits of these medications with your obstetrician.

No: No. Dr greene has a great explanation.

No: Forgot to mention that as of right now, there is one inhaled corticorsteroid, which is in the pregnancy category b classification. It is called Budesonide (trade name is pulmicort), and if you are feeling uncertain about breastfeeding and asthma inhalers, you may want to try that particular type of inhaler.

No: Consult your OB or peds, but basically, no, it is not dangerous. Very little of the medicine gets into the breast milk. Remember, if you cannot breath well (from lack of medicine) then you won't be able to focus and give your baby the best of care.

No: There is no significant amount of the corticosteroid carried into breast milk.

No: There are no reports of adverse reactions in breastfed infants whose mothers use inhaled corticosteroids for asthma or allergic rhinitis. Using inhaled corticosteroids decreases the likelihood of needing oral or systemic corticosteroids like Prednisone that could enter the breast milk in measurable amounts. Lastly, infants are given inhaled corticosteroids directly & safely for their own wheezing.

Possibly: Inhaled budesonide, a category b inhaled steroid is still questionable in nursing. Data with Budesonide delivered via dry powder inhaler indicates that the total daily oral dose of Budesonide in breast milk to the infant is approximately 0.3% to 1% of the dose inhaled by the mother. The manufacturer recommends that caution be used when administering Budesonide inhalation to nursing women.

This is Safe: 5, 000 people die from asthma attacks yearly. 500, 000 are hospitalized for asthma exacerbations. Virtually no inhaled corticosteroid is passed through breast milk. And more importantly, it is safer for you to have your asthma under good control to safely nurse your baby than to have an asthma exacerbation which could hurt both you and the child. Keep using your medication.

No: No, using the inhaler to keep your asthma under control is important and will not harm the baby. You should always tell your doctor that you are nursing before taking any medication, though. They can let you know whether or not the medicine is safe to use while nursing.

NO: The amount of steroid that is present in the body after inhalation is very little, and there may not be any amount in the breast milk. However, large doses of inhaled steroids can be equivalent to oral steroid doses. But at the recommended doses there is very little, in trace amounts of active steroid left in the body.