Some countries such as the United States have already banned a certain medication called domperidone, which is said to be responsible for a serious heart condition called cardiac arrhythmia. This means that the rhythm of the heart is unstable and a person can experience a slowness or quickness of heartbeat for a few seconds.
Prior to the ban, doctors prescribed the drug to cancer patients who suffer from nausea and vomiting usually after a strong chemotherapy treatment.
Other countries such as Australia are also thinking of following suit. Currently, the Therapeutic Goods Administration in the country is still trying to determine whether to expand the restriction of domperidone use. But one doctor says not yet as the same drug can actually be helpful to new mothers.
Dr. Luke Grzeskowiak of Robinson Research Institute of the University of Adelaide cites that so far there's no conclusive evidence that suggests the drug can be dangerous for breastfeeding women.
Domperidone helps new mothers who struggle with breastfeeding by increasing their supply of milk. Many researchers already prove and back the claims that breastfeeding is the best form of milk a mother can give to a newborn, since it's rich with the needed nutrients that can help the baby increase its immunity to prevent or fight off infection, thereby decreasing mortality.
Breastfeeding women, on the other hand, usually report of quicker weight loss as the activity burns a significant amount of calories. It also reduces their risk of developing certain types of cancer such as breast cancer.
According to the doctor, most of the studies that establish the relationship between the medication and the heart problem actually focused on very sick patients, mostly men whose ages were 60 years old and above. So far, there's no study that points out that the same drug can have a similar effect on breastfeeding women.
True enough, despite the controversy that surrounds the medication, many doctors still recommend it, although off label, to new mothers.
