Would you use domperidone?

[2mama]

I suddenly have a low milk supply and a LC has recommended Domperidone and more milk plus...

I have read the warnings about Domperidone but can't find any about more milk plus..

Would you take either and why?

[Monkeygrrl]

i was on domperidone for 8 months with my first son, and again for 7 months with my second son...

i pumped fulltime, and did not make enough milk for them with out it...i did not have any adverse side effects from the medication...

peace...

[Caittune]

I used it for almost a year with my DD. For me, I suppose the small risk outweighed my desperation not to give formula. If I feel my supply dipping, I still pop a couple here and there. Especially before AF is due.

If you want to avoid the comercial drugs could you try the herbals first?

[alegna]

I would do both if my supply was really in danger. I'd try the herbals first (plus water, mothers milk tea and oatmeal) But if I needed to I'd do dom.

-Angela

[lolar2]

I was considering using domperidone, before it became clear that I can't keep up pumping for as long as it would take to take effect. But I would try to get it from a compounding pharmacy in the US, rather than from Canada. I like to be able to talk to the pharmacist where I get things, KWIM?

[shelbean91]

I used both with ds1- long story. The more milk didn't do much, the dom made the difference between being able to nurse and switching to formula. I'd use it again in a heartbeat if I needed to. I had no side effects whatsoever and ds was able to nurse until 22 mos instead of 4 mos.

[bdavis337]

Yes, I would. I have low supply issues related to a breast reduction, and if I had the chance to use ANYTHING to increase my supply, I'd do it.

[miche28]

Yup - using it now (weaning off) and I think it meant the difference for us. It wasn't so much for supply as speed of flow for me - we had major nipple preference. I had also used fenugreek with blessed thistle - worked well, but dom was better. I wouldn't take it for no reason, but the risks of FF so clearly outweigh the dom, that I wouldn't think twice to do it again.

[AlexisT]

I did, no qualms. I really don't understand the FDA's warnings on it--it doesn't even require a prescription here! You just ask the chemist for it. (But it costs a lot, £4 for 10 tablets, so it's worth getting a prescription or buying it online if you're taking it for breastfeeding.)

It didn't work for me, but I was ultimately diagnosed with IGT. I do know women it's helped a great deal.

[MaryJaneLouise]

Yes I did -- I'm going to bump my FAQs on the topic.

[metted]

I started out by using various products containing fenugreek. It worked great for my supply, but did not agree with DS's stomach at all.
I then tried Dom. Just a very small amount of the medication made a huge difference for my supply and the effect was immediate. I took very little of it here and there when I felt that my supply was dipping. Whether you're comfortable using a drug while nursing is very personal question. Good luck to you.

[turtlewomyn]

I used domperidone for 6 weeks when DD was a month old. She had tongue tie and it took a while to find a doctor who would fix it (without putting her under GA, and telling me that it didn't affect breastfeeding, yeah right) and so my supply had been decreased. The fixing of the tongue tie along with the domperidone actually caused an over production problem for a little while.
It is safe (provided you don't have anything else that would be affected by it) but is hard to get a hold of.

[DoomaYula]

I used it with my dd, and was able to make 100% of her supply, as a BFAR mom.

I'm planning to use it again!

[doudat]

I used it with ds with no hesitation. He had an undiagnosed tongue-tie and at 6mths was losing weight due to my low supply. Dom worked instantly, it was amazing!! I used it till ds weaned at 21 mths.

[ShadowMom]

Domperidone really works. The warnings on it relate to high intraveneous doses of it. In the pill form it is considered extremely safe.

I took approximately 100 mg per day for around 2 years.

It is very common to take this dose for those who take it for its stomach-soothing properties. And, it's very common for people who have other problems which give them an upset stomach to take that dose for years and years.

So I did not worry a lot.

The main concern would be whether you are really at the point where you should consider it. It's always best to increase supply naturally if possible. The dom can become a crutch. That is just info I have heard from more knowledgeable LC's, I am not an LC and have no actual knowledge in that area except my own experience.

[ErinBird]

I have a chronic low supply.

I tried the herbs and more "natural" supply boosters. I didn't see much of an increase (if any).

Domperidone also didn't help much at the time, but I'm considering trying it again now that my baby nurses less frequently. My issue is insufficient glandular tissue- when I was diagnosed my baby was nursing 24/7 so my supply was likely maxed out. Now that she's nursing less frequently, I'm interested to see if it boosts my supply at all.

[mamaverdi]

I tried everything natural available I could find, and I ended up using domperidone. I found it more effective than anything else. I took it for 2 years.

[BookGoddess]

I took it. I bought it from a New Zealand pharmacy on the internet. Domperidome worked for me in that it increased my supply which was quite low from the start. I could see the difference but I couldn't nurse my daughter exclusively. We still supplemented. I tried everything else - pumping more, drinking a lot of water, rest, taking fenugreek. Fenugreek really upset my stomach when I took it at the dosage recommended by my LC. Domperidome didn't have any side effects that I noticed. And it didn't seem to affect my daughter any. I would use it again if I needed to.

Good luck!

[RootSnort]

I am afraid to try it. I'm a pharmacist, and I think for most people it's safe, but I tried Reglan (which I think is related) and did not tolerate it at all well. I could not be still (severe akathesia) and it really slowed my thinking. I have similar problems with compazine and phenergan.

I am just getting started on herbs and pumping 8 times a day (I had cut back to 4 times a day before). I'm restarting blessed thistle and Fenugreek, and tomorrow I plan to also get brewer's yeast and hops for those days that I can't drink dark beer.

But if this doesn't work, I could try it over a weekend where it just doesn't matter if I turn into a freak. Right now I'm making 30 ounces a day, down from 40 which is what DS would like to eat. I'm currently topping off each bottle with 20% formula. I HATE to do this, but there's no other way than descimate my milk stash which is getting kind of low and scary.

Not only do I want to feed ds until he's AT LEAST 2, but I'm adopting a baby girl around November 2008, and I'd like to give her milk as well.

[ShadowMom]

RootSnort - Sorry you had those problems with Reglan, mama. That would make me reticent to try drugs for milk production, too.

One reason that domperidone is so popular is because it does not cross the "blood/brain barrier" (I don't know what this means, but you probably do) and so it does not cause the sort of problems that Reglan does. I hope you don't end up needing supplements at all, but if you do domperidone seems to be a very safe and effective way of doing it.

Good luck, mama. I have btdt and I know how hard it is.