Drug excretion is the removal of drugs from the body, mainly through the kidneys, feces, breast milk, sweat, and saliva. The kidneys act as a filter and drugs are removed through urine. As more women breastfeed, medication use during breastfeeding will increase, so it is important to pay attention to which medications transfer least into breast milk and can have the smallest effects on infants. Patient age and any altered drug elimination must also be considered when determining safe medications.

2.  Drug excretion is defined as the removal
of drugs from the body
 A healthy kidney is key!

3.  Drugs leaving the body can exit in many
different routes
-Kidneys (urine)
-Feces
-Breast milk
-Sweat
-Saliva

4.  The most important organ in drug
excretion
-It acts like a filter
-We pee out the drug

7.  As health care professionals encourage
more women to breast-feed, medication
use while breast-feeding will increase
 Medications will transfer into breast milk;
however, the degree of transfer
depends on several factors
 Pay special attention to medications
and encourage medications that have
the least effects on the infant

8.  Assess patients for possible altered drug
elimination
 Keep in mind the age of the patient
 Educate breast feeding mothers, know
which drugs are more likely to transfer to
an infant

9.  http://www.forcon.ca/learning/excretion.html
 http://www.scribd.com/doc/19341399/Drug-
Excretion
 Lynn, S. J. (2012). Adverse drug reactions in the
elderly: Can we stem the tide?. American nurse
today, 7(1),retrieved from
www.americannursetoday.com.
 Carrillo Norte, J. A. (2011). Pharmacokinetic process:
does the site of drug action? Excretion of drugs. Rev
Enferm 34:24-31. 2011 retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22013710.
 Lehne, R. (2010). Pharmacology for nursing care (8th
edition). Saint Louis, Missouri: Elsevier