medication to dry up breast milk?

[ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN]

sorry if this is a silly question-- im just curious. im a nursing student in my OB rotation and i was doing discharge teaching today on a post partum mom. in the breast feeding section of the education it gives advice to moms who arent breastfeeding on how to make yourself more comfortable (snug bra, ice, dont let the hot water hit your nipples in the shower, etc).. it also says in bold print "no medication will be given to dry up breast milk"

my mom bottle fed me , and i remember her telling me that they gave something to dry up her milk so she wouldnt have as much discomfort.

so my questions are: Did they used to give something to dry up milk in the past (or do they still in some hospitals?), What was it (an anti cholenergic maybe?), Why did they stop doing it?

thanks in advanced for anyone who replies.. just curious.

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

They did the same thing in the 60's when my mom had my sister and me; they gave you some kind of shot to make your milk dry up. My mom swears the cabbage leaves did a better job, however. Supposedly works really well, even if you do smell like sauerkraut for a few days...

One of the meds was DES. It would explain a some of the health problems my sister and I have had, but we don't have a lot of the "DES Daughters" S/S. And, of course, my mom's doc has been dead 20 years and we have no idea what he gave my mom or even where we'd begin to look for records; she didn't go to the base doctors, so we can't go to the Army and find out.

[ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN]

lol thats funny because my instructor told me to tell the mom to do the cabbage thing.. never heard of it, but she said it works!

[ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN]

btw, i was born in 1989, so it wasnt that long ago that they suppsedly did this for my mom.

[DixieRedHead, ASN, RN]

Whatever it was, they gave it to me in the late 60s. Didn't work.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Google is your friend.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lactation-suppression/AN01456

[Wave Watcher]

They gave me pills to dry up my breast milk and I had a child in 1990. Can't remember if it worked or not.

[cosmicmama, BSN, RN]

The meds that they used to give to dry up milk were causing women to have strokes, so the FDA pulled them. If they choose not to breastfeed, they'll just have to suffer through it.

[robby5313]

It was Parlodel. Worked for my first 2. They banned it before #3. Never had so much pain! It was horrible! Couldn't breast feed as kids were highly allergic!

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

They were still giving this in the early '90s when I was going through nursing school. I remember because I looked the med up in my nursing drug book and couldn't find any reason why this new mom would be on this parkinson's med. I got fussed at by my clinical instructor (for not knowing a off-label use). Remember we didn't have google in 1991. So I remember parlodel very well.

Now I know it quite well as my husband is on it for a microadenoma of the pituitary (a benign prolactinoma).

[etaoinshrdluRN]

Seems a bit over the top to give anything, considering the lengths they go to to prevent DVT postpartum. And the mother may change her mind early on and want to nurse.

I nursed my second one, but my first was born still, very preterm, and as I recall, the worst of the engorgement was over in 3 or 4 days. No big deal.

[rdsxfnrn]

I had it for first child in 83, by second in 94 in was no longer an option.