Has anyone taken Domperidone to relactate?

 My 10 mo. old DD refuses to nurse now. No way around it she will NOT. :( I've been pumping and ended up losing my milk from not being consistent- went from 4 oz. a day, to 2 oz now down to 1/2 oz. a day pumped. It's so discouraging to sit there forever and get zilch.

I have a prescription of Domperidone to increase my supply waiting to be picked up.. but it's $70 for 2 week supply!  Insurance won't cover it since it's compounded and not FDA approved which also makes me a bit nervous. Even though the FDA is bs imo...

So anyone tried it- did it help? were the side effects tolerable? I'm really on the fence as to whether to just call it quits or put the time and effort into getting it back just to pump... Thanks for any input!

I love my domperidone. Without it I would have given up pumping by now. I'm on my second round right now. I've had no noticeable side effects (had an awful time on Reglan. Hate that stuff). What dosage will you be on? I'm at almost full dose, and I can still get a 7-9 week supply for $77. It seems expensive, but it cuts my formula usage in half, so when you factor it how much money I'm saving there it's worth it. I order mine online though. Compounding pharmacies were just too expensive.

I don use it for relactation though. Just to help with my super low supply.

decemberbaby:

I love my domperidone. Without it I would have given up pumping by now. I'm on my second round right now. I've had no noticeable side effects (had an awful time on Reglan. Hate that stuff). What dosage will you be on? I'm at almost full dose, and I can still get a 7-9 week supply for $77. It seems expensive, but it cuts my formula usage in half, so when you factor it how much money I'm saving there it's worth it. I order mine online though. Compounding pharmacies were just too expensive.

 

Thanks Brandi, I heard about inhouse pharmacy, but what confuses me is the compunding pharmacy pharmacist refused to ship it to me (they're 1 hr. away) because he said the med wouldn't do well on the hot trucks. So it wouldn't seem like a good idea to buy it online in the summer? Would save me alot of $ though.

Do you think a 2 wk. supply would do the trick, I didn't have supply issues before, just lost my milk from not nursing...hate to spend the $70 then lose it once the meds are gone...Not sure what dosage they gave, but I think it's 4x daily.

 And yep it would be cheaper to spend the $70 and then not need formula (we spend about $30 a wk on it), although she turns 1 yr. Sept. 29th and will be off it- another reason I'm on the fence. Would like to make it to a year though...I'm so sad she won't nurse, the only baby out of 6 who stopped on her own lil stinker.

 

I took Domperidone with my first and Reglan with my third.  I didn't see great results with either, but it's always worth a shot because it works for many women.

I hope that it helps.

Southernbelle:

I took Domperidone with my first and Reglan with my third.  I didn't see great results with either, but it's always worth a shot because it works for many women.

I hope that it helps.

 

Thanks Southernbelle. I took Reglan w/DS2 and blech the side effects were a stinkin nightmare... Heard Dom's side efects aren't bad though. I hope it works for $70!  Do you recall if your insurance covered it?

I used it for DS2. It worked for a while and it just stopped working. I ran out of milk about 6 pp and used donperidom to get it back.... I did make it to 6 months though. I did find that I did NOT get my AF back until 6 months later. It seriously messed with my cycles. And I missed a single tablet and my milk deminished.

Partyof6:

Thanks Brandi, I heard about inhouse pharmacy, but what confuses me is the compunding pharmacy pharmacist refused to ship it to me (they're 1 hr. away) because he said the med wouldn't do well on the hot trucks. So it wouldn't seem like a good idea to buy it online in the summer? Would save me alot of $ though.

Weird... I've never heard of that. Although, you are supposed to keep most medication in a cool dry place because heat or moisture could break them down.  Domperidone is over-the-counter in a few countries, so at one point they'd have to be on a truck to get to the store/pharmacy.  I don't think shipping it would do that much damage (to the otc/store ready domperidone.... the compounded might be a bit different).  Mine is shipped from Vanuatu and it works fine.

Since you had a full supply at one point, a two week supply might work out.  I tried weaning off mine, and lost my increase.  I never had a full supply though, so it's not as effective for me as it most likely will be for you.  I saw an increase in about 48 hours, then I saw a bit more after a week.  It makes most people a week or two to see the full effect... and it could take up to 6 weeks (it took me 4-6 to see the full effect, but once again, my body sucks.)   

Partyof6:

 And yep it would be cheaper to spend the $70 and then not need formula (we spend about $30 a wk on it), although she turns 1 yr. Sept. 29th and will be off it- another reason I'm on the fence. Would like to make it to a year though...I'm so sad she won't nurse, the only baby out of 6 who stopped on her own lil stinker.

I'm sorry.  You only have to tough it out for two months though.  It might be hard work, but just think how proud you'll be when you reach that year mark (and if you get her back on the breast, you'll probably make it well past that!!).  It will be worth it.  That's what I tell myself anyway    Have you contacted LLL for any help getting her back on?  They'll send someone to your house for free.

 

 

 Also, is she nursing at all, or is it a full blown strike?  If you've only been pumping, how much and how long are you pumping for?  What kind of pump are you using?

Partyof6:

I took Reglan w/DS2 and blech the side effects were a stinkin nightmare... Heard Dom's side efects aren't bad though. I hope it works for $70!  Do you recall if your insurance covered it?

My insurance paid for the Reglan, but not the domperidone.  I bought it online through a canadian pharmacy.  It wasn't too expensive that way.  I don't recall any significant side effects with the domperidone.

 Well I started it last night let's hope it does the trick and it's not $70 down the tubes!

She hasn't nursed on me for 3+ weeks which is beyond frustrating. She absolutley will not. She hits my breast and yells at it.

Found out the reason the Dom can't be shipped is because it's compunded, and the online one is a actual drug not compounded, and will be fine to order/ship in the heat. So YAY if I need more when this 2 wks. is up I will give the online thing a try...

Thanks again for all the input ladies! Any tips on how to get lil stinker to nurse on me again?  It's hard finding the time to pump w/6 kids.

 

decemberbaby:

I'm sorry.  You only have to tough it out for two months though.  It might be hard work, but just think how proud you'll be when you reach that year mark (and if you get her back on the breast, you'll probably make it well past that!!).  It will be worth it.  That's what I tell myself anyway    Have you contacted LLL for any help getting her back on?  They'll send someone to your house for free.

 

 

Unfortunately our local lact. lady is not helpful, tried getting help when A had failure to thrive- she referred me off to someone an hour away. (breast and bottle feeding were challenging for her until she was 5 mo. old so we really got off on the wrong foot. )

Thank you so much for the encouragement. 

Don't worry at all about Domperidone not being FDA approved. My understanding of that is that the patent expired before it was every submitted for approval in the US, so it isn't worth any company's money to do an FDA trial (since it would go generic right away). It is used in many countries and is very safe (safer and fewer side effects than Reglan).

I know someone who decided not to nurse her baby and then regretted the decision and relactated four months later. I believe she took Domperidone. I also know someone who is currently taking it to establish a supply for an adopted baby. From everything I have heard, it is good stuff.

I'm sorry your local lactation lady isn't helpful. That is awful. Do you have LLL there?

Are you taking supplements at all? Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle can really help with supply (I am taking both). You have to take enough fenugreek to make your sweat smell like maple syrup.

You are an awesome mama for sticking with this through everything you've been through. I hope the Domperidone helps you get to a year.

 Thank you Mom2RJA.

Tried Blessed Thistle and loads of Fenugreek but wasn't helping. The Dom seems to be working- Day 5- 1/2 oz., today Day 7 about 1.5 oz. so very gradual. Although what is weird is I'm sore and engorged but only get about 1 oz.- and pump is functioning properly I think (hospt. grade Medela w/brand new membranes) If I end up with mastitis I'll probally call it a day...

 She hasn't nursed on me for about 4 wks. now- any advice how to get her to? She turns 11 mo. Aug. 29th.

Thanks again everyone!

Have you tried nursing her in her sleep (dream feed)? That will sometimes get a baby back to the breast during a strike. They just do it without being awake enough to realize it. I have done this by lying down next to my baby to nurse. You might also try taking a bath with her and nursing in the bath.