Hi all,
Something that came up on another list has got me thinking, and I wondered
what you people know about this. I have always assumed that, like
bromocriptine, metaclopramide has the most effect on lactation in the early
stages of lactation. This is because these drugs act on prolactin levels,
and that's the time when prolactin is most important to the process. After
the initial weeks, the autocrine control is what keeps things going, mainly.

I recently heard about a mum who was still breastfeeding a 23-month-old,
and was taking metaclopramide for nausea. To her surprise, she suddenly has
masses of milk and engorgement - similar to milk coming in in the early
days. I was wondering if the drug had tricked her body into thinking she
had just given birth again and had turned on lactogenesis II because of the
prolactin surge. In another case, a pregnant mum suddenly started leaking
milk after taking metaclopramide.

If this is what is happening, does this mean that a mum could get this
effect at *any* time when her breasts are primed for lactation? How useful
would this be to boost milk supply in mothers several weeks or months down
the track? Or am I off the track thinking that it shouldn't work at later
stages, and you all know that it can be used at any time?

******************************************************************
Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia.   mailto:[log in to unmask]
******************************************************************