Codeine the analgesic-opiate is commonly used by nursing mothers to reduce episiotomy pains. And, if you are one of them, and you find your little one is sleepy more often than usual, then be aware - it is not that he is just fine, but you are actually risking his life!
Commonly marketed in continental Europe and other regions, the nursing mothers there who also take codeine should keep a watch on their infants for also other signs of overdose, the federal health officials warn.
The side effects of the analgesic though rare, are very serious. It can also cause death of your child! — with such a case also prompted by a 2006 report.
A woman’s body can convert the codeine to morphine more rapidly and completely compared to other people, which increase the level of morphine in her breast milk much higher than expected. This is revealed by a genetic testing.
Alerting on such adverse side effects of the painkiller, the FDA alerts that such a rapid conversion of codeine to morphine is very rare. But, morphine can reach higher and unsafe levels both in the blood and breast milk in some mothers.
Thus, this finding requires doctors to prescribe nursing mothers with the smallest codeine dose, and that too for the shortest time period. It also demands close after- dosage monitoring for both the both the mother and the child.
