How long do meds stay in your system?

[himom]

I've been very sick with a cold/asthma/bronchitis (depends on which dr you believe) for the last two weeks, and I finally went in to a regular MD. He prescribed albuterol. I reminded him that I am almost full term so I need something that is safe for pregnancy and also safe for breastfeeding, and he said this was ok. A follow up phone call with my OB confirmed it.

Well, the precautions on the albuterol say only take it if the need outweighs the risk to the fetus. How do I figure that out?? And then it says do NOT breastfeed. I'm not going to sabotage my nursing relationship with the baby over something like this.

So...they already gave me a dose in the doctor's office. Now I need to know how long it will take for it to go away so I can nurse.

I'm 38 weeks but "set to go" at any minute. The plan is to start nursing as soon as he's out.

Thanks in advance....I'm coughing like crazy but afraid to go take anything now.

Jodi

[o_mom]

Almost every medication out there says "only take if the benefits outweigh the risk", it is just CYA on the part of the manufacturer. If your OB said it was OK, then I wouldn't worry.

As far as breastfeeding, this is what I found:

http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bbreastfeed/0,,3x8m,00.html

"Proventil (albuterol) is a medication commonly prescribed for asthmatics. Following inhalation, it works by dilating constricted bronchial passages. When inhaled, less than 10 percent is absorbed into the mother's bloodstream. "It is very unlikely that pharmacologic doses will be transferred to the infant via milk following inhaler use" (Hale, 1997)."