Newborn safety with 15 mg generic Adderall (Amphetamine salts) 1-2 times daily

[universityheights]

Quick question on recommendations for a nursing schedule / infant safety with an Rx for 15 mg amphetamine salts 1-2 times daily.

I did not take this medication at all during pregnancy, so this would be our daughter's first exposure. I'm exclusively breastfeeding and hope to continue. Should I be concerned about side effects with this dose? Would you recommend nursing before taking each dose (the next feed would be approx. 3-4 hours later)? Is there a certain time at which the medication is at its peak that I should avoid?

I've noticed the recommendation tends to be to "try it" and see if it works. Do you know approximately how long it would take to have the drug completely out of my and my baby's systems if we do start to experience problems? Her health and safety is my first priority.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[universityheights]

One additional question:

I've considered decreasing my dose while breastfeeding. If I were to go this route, would it be preferable to move to 15 mg once daily or a lower dose (e.g. 10 mg) twice daily? Trying to determine what would be best for the baby.

[admin]

Universityheights,

Adderall is rated an L3-limited data-probably compatible. The amount transferred into breast milk is 2.46-7.25% of your dose. If this product is used in breastfeeding mothers, the dose should be kept low, and infants should be monitored for agitation, hyperactivity, insomnia, decreased appetite, weight gain, tremor. We recommend trying to keep the dose around 20mg or less a day so that it is less likely to affect the infant. Regular Adderall peaks in 1-2 hours and has a half life of 9.77-11 hours. We would recommend wait about 3 hours to breastfeed after a dose and as long as your infant is not symptomatic it is probably ok. It would take approximately 66 hours to be completely out of your system.

Sandra Lovato R.N.
InfantRisk Center
806-352-2519

[universityheights]

Hi Sandra,

Thanks so much for that information. Is age relevant at all? That is, are babies able to better metabolize the drug and less likely to be symptomatic the older they are? Also, would I be more likely to see side effects during the day closer to the time I took the dose and fed her, or later that night once her system processed it?

I tried taking 10 mg one day and 5 mg the next with my 2.5 month old this week. Prior to this, she'd been getting a 5-7 hour stretch of sleep once nightly. The nights after I took it she woke up every 3 hours or so, much like when she was a newborn. Is two nights enough to determine an adverse effect, or do I need to try for a few more days? I'm not sure if it was simply a coincidence, but I'm nervous to continue if it is negatively impacting her sleep. I'm really surprised, more than anything, as it was such a low dose.

Thanks in advance for clarifying on the above! I feel so much better, even with the low dose, but her health is my first priority.