Tom Hale told me once when we were discussion safe topicals for use on infected nipples that Neosporin should be avoided. He suggested Polysporin -- another over-the-counter cream, or better still, discussing with the doctor a prescription for Bactroban (mupirocin) which is only minimally absorbed following topical application. It is so rapidly metabolized that systemic levels are not sustained. (Mupirocin is commonly used to pack the nasal passages in people with staph colonization of the nose, and you can bet it's swallowed plenty in that situation.) I don't think we can make assumptions that over-the-counter drugs are by definition harmless, and unless we've researched that pretty carefully. Barbara Wilson-Clay BSEd, IBCLC Austin Lactation Associates http://www.lactnews.com *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html