Is Glucosamine safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Glucosamine. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. N-acetylglucosamine is a normal component of human breastmilk. One study measured its content in the breastmilk of 8 mothers nursing fullterm infants. Average concentrations ranged from 1,459 mg/L during week 1 postpartum to 646 mg/L during week 13 postpartum. Considerable variation occurred within and between mothers at various times of the day. Two mothers of preterm infants had higher levels of N-acetylglucosamine than the mothers of fullterm infants.[ 1 ] Another study found higher levels of N-acetylglucosamine in the breastmilk of smokers than in nonsmokers.[ 2 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Glucosamine is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.