Women with migraine may be concerned about breastfeeding due to fears of exposing the baby to medication. However, many medications can be safely taken during breastfeeding including acetaminophen (Tylenol), anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen (Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve), and sumatriptan (Imitrex). There are several good resources for patients and health care providers to use when making a decision regarding medication use during breastfeeding. These include:

1. Medications and Mothers Milk by Thomas Hale, PhD. This is a comprehensive manual updated every 2 years. It lists medications alphabetically and lists the pregnancy category and gives a breastfeeding (lactation) rating based on what is currently known about a particular medication. To access this resource: www.iBreastfeeding.com
2. Lactation Database: An online reference data base that is part of the National Library of Medicine’s TOXNET system. It includes information on drugs and lactation including potential effects in breastfeeding infants. This data base can be accessed by clicking on: http://toxnet.nlm.nig.gov in addition, there is a free downloadable. This data base can be useful for both patients and health care providers. The name of the medication is entered and then all available information including recent published studies is listed.