Mick asked
I would like to know if it's safe to take liporidex while nursing my 5 month old?
Answer
According to the package directions for Liporidex, it does state not to take while pregnant or breastfeeding. In general, it's usually not a good idea to take over the counter weight loss medications while pregnant or breastfeeding because they are not regulated by the FDA and are not tested for either purity or ingredients. Having said that, I thought I would look at some of the actual ingredients in the product to see if we can get a better idea if it really is dangerous or not for breastfeeding.
- B vitamins (B6 and B12) - These are safe for breastfeeding and are readily consumed in your daily diet.
- Citrus Aurantium (Bitter Orange) - There isn't much evidence for use of this during lactation. The National Institute of Health's Lactation and Toxicology Database does list it as causing possible side effects though. In animals it is found sometimes to decrease prolactin concentration in the body which would decrease the amount of breast milk produced.
- Caffeine/Guarana/Green Bean Coffee Extract - I list these together because guarana and the coffee extract contain high amounts of caffeine and are used in weight loss products for their stimulant effects. Caffeine is readily released into the breast milk. This could cause the side effects of excess caffeine in the infant including anxiousness and sleep disturbances.
- Quercetin/Bacopa/Raspberry Ketones/Rhodiola/Ashwagandha etc. - All of these ingredients have no evidence or data for use in breastfeeding.
Most ingredients in the product have insufficient evidence in both pregnancy and breastfeeding. The lack of information makes it hard to recommend because there is just so much we don't know about many of the ingredients. I certainly wouldn't recommend it also because the manufacturer of the product specifically advises against it.
