Often there is a need to decide whether a mother who is breastfeeding and who needs treatment with drugs can take the necessary medication and still continue breastfeeding safely. There are very few kinds of treatment during which breastfeeding is absolutely contraindicated. However, there are some drugs which a mother may need to take which sometimes cause side-effects in the baby. The summary box “Breastfeeding and Mother`s Medication” on page 3 provides a preliminary guide. This document gives more detailed information about specific drugs from the Eleventh Model List of Essential Drugs.