14 Serious Side Effects Of Hydrocodone While Breastfeeding

Are you a proud mother of a healthy breastfeeding baby? Do you often suffer from severe pain? Do you consume Hydrocodone to treat your pain? Did you know that an overdose of Hydrocodone can lead to many risks for your feeding baby? During your lactation phase, it is essential for you to follow the proper dosage of the medication.

To know more about consuming Hydrocodone while breastfeeding, consider reading our post below!

What Is Hydrocodone?

Hydrocodone is a narcotic analgesic. It serves as a combination product along with acetaminophen to reduce high fever. You can use a combination of both Acetaminophen and Hydrocodone to treat the severe pain that occurs due to high fever.

The opioid pain medication Hydrocodone acts on the central nervous system of your body and helps alleviate severe pain and treat nasal congestion (1).

Is It Safe To Take Hydrocodone While Breastfeeding:

During your breastfeeding phase, the medications transmit to your infant’s body through the breast milk. According to many studies, oral narcotics or pain reliever medications like Hydrocodone can cause drowsiness, depression, complications in the central nervous system and even death.

Your breastfeeding infant can be extremely sensitive to small dosages of narcotic analgesics or Hydrocodone. As soon as you start feeding your newborn baby, it is best to manage the symptoms of severe pain through nonnarcotic analgesics. Limit the intake of oral Hydrocodone for few days. If required, you can take a maximum dosage of 30 mg daily, and keep a close watch on your child’s health conditions.

[ Read: Is Oxycodone Safe While Breastfeeding ]

If your breastfeeding baby exhibits any of the following signs, including:

• Sleepiness (more than usual)

• Breathing difficulties

• Difficulty in sucking the breast milk

In such severe conditions, it is advisable to consult the doctor immediately.

Side Effects Of Hydrocodone While Breastfeeding:

Hydrocodone medication can often induce numerous minor side effects in your body. If you come across any of the symptoms below, consult your doctor immediately:

1. Dry throat

2. Drowsiness

3. Anxiety

4. Nausea

5. Vomiting

6. Dizziness

7. Constipation

8. Mood swings

9. Dry throat

10. Itching

11. Skin rashes

12. Difficulty urinating

[ Read: Remedies For Nausea While Breastfeeding ]

Some of the serious side effects of Hydrocodone may include:

13. Difficulty breathing

14. Chest tightness (2)

Overdose Of Hydrocodone While Breastfeeding:

An overdose of Hydrocodone during breastfeeding may trigger symptoms like:

• Excessive sleepiness

• Irregular heartbeat

• Loss of consciousness

• Widened pupils

• Severe breathing disorder

• Seizures

• Bluish or pale skin color

• Death (3)

[ Read: Is It Safe To Use Glucosamine While Breastfeeding ]

Before Consuming Hydrocodone During Breastfeeding:

Before consuming a Hydrocodone combination product during lactation, keep the following points in mind:

• Inform your doctor if you are allergic to any of the active ingredients of Hydrocodone medication. It can lead to allergic reactions, and you may suffer from severe health discomforts including skin rashes, mental depression, and drowsiness.

• Inform your doctor about all the medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements or any other herbal medicines you consume. If you have been taking antidepressants, antipsychotics or antihistamines, let the doctor know about your complete medical history in advance.

• If you suffer health disorders like Parkinson’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, heart rhythm disorders, and liver or kidney disease, seek immediate medical aid.

• Being a heart patient, if you consume sedatives; sleeping pills; and tranquilizers inform your doctor. Your doctor will change the dosage of Hydrocodone and monitor your health conditions to diagnose the onset of any serious side effects.

• Inform your doctor if you go through any surgery recently or possess a medical history of lung disease, a breathing disorder, head injury or thyroid disease. In such cases, consuming Hydrocodone may strictly be prohibited (4).

[ Read: Benefits Of Using Salicylic Acid While Breastfeeding ]

A Word Of Caution:

• Hydrocodone is a narcotic pain reliever, and patients can become addicted to such medications. Never take the medication in combination with alcohols or other drugs, as it can affect the liver functioning. Such combinations can hamper the liver processes and damage it permanently.

• Breastfeeding mothers with a history of liver disorders or diseases should consume Hydrocodone only after seeking professional guidance from a doctor. Taking an excess amount of Hydrocodone can lead to liver failure and sudden death.

• The long-term consumption of pain relievers like Hydrocodone makes them less effective; they fail to reduce the symptoms of pain. In such circumstances, consult your doctor immediately and ask him to change your pain medication.

• Breastfeeding mother suffering from health disorders like asthma, breathing disorders, mental illness, stomach problems, hypoactive thyroid, hypotension or history of addiction should avoid consuming Hydrocodone medications.

• Hydrocodone is a narcotic medication that passes into the infant’s body from your breast milk. If you notice any side effects in your baby, which include drowsiness or breathing issues, consult the doctor immediately. Typically, breastfeeding mothers should consume 30 mg of Hydrocodone per day, and your feeding infant needs to be under close monitoring. Some serious side effects include increased drowsiness, limpness, and delayed developmental condition.

• As a lactating mom, some of the common side effects of Hydrocodone consumption include dizziness, constipation, blurry vision, dry mouth and mood changes. But, in case of severe side effects like difficulty urinating, unusual behavior, breathing issues, seizures, jaundice or seizure contact your physician immediately.

[ Read: Treating Constipation While Breastfeeding ]

Adhering to strict precautionary measures can help you keep a close watch over your baby’s health. If you do suffer from complications during lactation, consider consulting your doctor about an alternative medication or a safe dosage for Hydrocodone. If the dosage is below 30 mg, it is perfectly safe for both you and your baby; it does not lead to any nasty complications. Subsequently, it can help you get relief from the symptoms of pain, which makes breastfeeding your angel an easy task.

Did you consume a combination of Hydrocodone medications during lactation? Did you experience any side effects? Did your medication affect your breastfeeding baby’s health?

If you have consumed Hydrocodone during breastfeeding phase, or you know someone who has, please share your story with us. Leave a comment in the box below! We would love to hear from you.

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