Abstract
The characteristics of a drug which influence the rate and amount excreted in breast milk include its protein binding capacity — only those molecules not bound to protein are available for transfer. Other factors include the degree of ionisation of the drug at its physiological pH. The amount of milk ingested by the baby regulates its intake of any drug therein; for example very little can pass in the first three days in colostrum. The fact that the baby ingests the drug does not mean that it is necessarily absorbed.
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References
Hawkins, D.F. (1989) Antibiotics and breast feeding. Int. J. Feto-Maternal Med., 2, 223–6.
Lewis, P.J. and Hurden, E.L. (1987) in Drugs and Pregnancy; Human Teratogenesis and Related Problems 2nd edit. (ed. D.F. Hawkins), Churchill Livingstone, London and Edinburgh, pp. 304–32.
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Wilson, J.T. (1981) Drugs in Breast Milk, MTP Press, Lancaster.
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© 1991 R.S. Ledward, D.F. Hawkins and L. Stern
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Ledward, R.S., Hawkins, D.F., Stern, L. (1991). Drugs and breast feeding. In: Drug Treatment in Obstetrics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3296-9_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3296-9_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-412-34900-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-3296-9
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