breastfeeding and lamictal

[HappyHomeBirther]

Okay, I recently was diagnosed as having a mild form of bipolar disorder, and was prescribed lamactil. The doc told me it was completely safe for pregnancy/breastfeeding, but when I researched on my own, I find conflicting opinions(of course). I was only taking 25 mg once a day, and now it is 25mg twice a day. I just wanted to hear from others who have taken this or know anything about it. Is it really safe for breasfeeding? How high of a dosage would make it unsafe? My little one is 3 months. Please help!

[Carley]

I'm a breastfeeding mom on 200mg/day. Lamictal has a pregnancy registry & there havn't been any problems related to Lamictal.

"Mild form of Bi-polar disorder?" Interesting! Did you mean Bipolar II? I thought Lamictal was used to treat Bipolar I disorder!

[HappyHomeBirther]

Originally Posted by Carley

I'm a breastfeeding mom on 200mg/day. Lamictal has a pregnancy registry & there havn't been any problems related to Lamictal.

"Mild form of Bi-polar disorder?" Interesting! Did you mean Bipolar II? I thought Lamictal was used to treat Bipolar I disorder!

Im not sure... The doc told me it's a milder form of bipolar. I just looked up bipolar II, and that's probably what he meant... Thanks for the reassurance!

[Milkymommi]

I just went to my friends office who is an IBCLC to look this very thing up last week since I just started Lamictal myself. If I remember correctly it was listed as an L3 which is considered right in the middle of the risk scale he uses. It goes 1-5, 5 being an absolute no way. This is the same category as xanax,Wellbutrin,etc... all drugs considered ok while BFing though some trace amounts are passed through bm.

It really depends on who you talk to or what books your using as a reference. The APRN who manages my meds uses the PDR and she thinks that according to that, one should never ever use a drug like Xanax while bfing or wait at least 16 hours after taking it to nurse. Completely rediculous considering Xanax and Lamictal are listed as the same risk factor and she happily gives that out to bfing mamas. Hmmm.

Basically if someone was on a heavy dose and nursing a small infant there would be cause for more concern than if one was nursing a toddler or older who is receiving more nutrition from solids. My friend basically told me that as with drug at all we as nursing mamas should just watch for anything unusual in our nurslings.

If you're feeling unsure I would suggest talking to an IBCLC for some reassurance.