App provides information on how medications may affect breastfeeding
- Tech Tip
The LactMed app from the National Library of Medicine and the Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET) provides information on the potential effects of specific drugs and supplements on lactation and breastfeeding.
The app is free and links to the TOXNET LactMed database, which is updated monthly with peer-reviewed information culled from scientific literature. Features of the app include:
- information on drugs and chemicals to which breastfeeding moms might be exposed;
- details on the levels of substances in breast milk and an infant’s bloodstream;
- alternatives to specific drugs/substances as appropriate; and
- potential adverse effects on breastfeeding infants.
The app allows users to browse or to search by specific drug names.
The LactMed app is available from Google Play, http://bit.ly/2GOBdNV, and the App Store, https://apple.co/2Tmcthv. The database also is available online at https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/newtoxnet/lactmed.htm.
If you would like to share a firsthand experience using technology, such as software, program, app, widget, etc., to improve patient care or practice management, email submissions of 250 words or less to Lisa Krams at lkrams@aap.org.
