Assessing the Safety of Medications During Lactation: Lactation safety.

Clinicians are often faced with the dilemma of having to decide if a drug is safe for a mother to take while she is breastfeeding her infant. This is particularly difficult with a relatively new drug because information on breastmilk excretion or use during lactation is rarely available. This article reviews the measures used to assess the safety of drugs during breastfeeding and provides some practical guidance on their use.