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I've been taking 12.5 mg or 6.25 mg of benadryl on most nights to sleep. My baby is a healthy 5.5 months and exclusively breastfed but she doesn't eat for 9 hours after I take the medication as she sleeps through the night. I know that benadryl passes into breastmilk but is the dose she would be getting concerning? If I take it on consecutive nights does it build up in her system? Is there a better option for insomnia? My dr suggested benadryl or melatonin but the melatonin did not work for me.
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Dear hffla,
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is probably safe to use during breastfeeding as minimal amounts enter breastmilk. The half life (time it takes for half of the medication to be metabolized) is 4 hours so after 9 hours over 75 percent of your dose should have been eliminated which would reduce the risk to your infant. Observe for sedation in your infant. The medication should be out of your system before your next dose even if taken daily. If you have to take antihistamines for other reasons such as allergies, suitable alternative antihistamines that are non-sedating include loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec) or fexofenadine (Allegra).
Sincerely,
Cindy Pride, MSN, CPNP
TTUHSC InfantRisk Center
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