Is breastfeeding and taking sulfamethoxazoleTMP safe for your newborn?

Answer 1

This is for your physician to decide. While more dangerous in near term, there are reasons why this (alone or in synergy) may be the drug of choice. While there is a warning about early pregnancy, it does not rule out the usage of this med. ---- I respectfully disagree with the author of the answer above for the following reason:

Sulfonamide antibiotics are not given to women who are breastfeeding, especially newborns, since these medications are excreted in breastmilk and are known to increase the bilirubin in newborns by displacing it from proteins in the blood, increasing the risk of kernicterus, a debilitating and permanent condition in which bilirubin stains certain areas of the brain, leading to brain damage and mental and physical retardation.

If you are breastfeeding, you MUST tell your physician so s/he can take that into account when prescribing any medication, as most will pass through the breastmilk and potentially be absorbed by your child. ------------- The respectful disagreement is right on target. I'll leave the first up there, as -- while I was incomplete, what little I did say had some points that weren't totally off. Of the two answers choose the second.