Is Zolarem Safe in Breastfeeding

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Zolarem? Is Zolarem safe for nursing mother and child? Does Zolarem extracts into breast milk? Does Zolarem has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Zolarem influence milk supply or can Zolarem decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

Short-acting benzodiazepine. A case of Abstinence Syndrome in a child after mother withhold of Zolarem at 9 months and sedation among infants has been reported. Both circumstances indicate that excretion into breast milk - despite small (< 10% of maternal dose) - can achieve clinical significance. Hence, rapid acting and less excretion into breast milk should be preferred. Most benzodiacepine drugs may decrease prolactin levels but Zolarem increases it. Short-term and low dose treatment is compatible with breastfeeding. Choise of a low dose and short-acting benzodiacepine is advisable especially in the post-partum period. Be aware of somnolence and poor feeding in the child. Bed-sharing is not recommended for mothers who are taking this medication.

Because of reports of effects in infants, including sedation, Zolarem is probably not the best benzodiazepine for repeated use during nursing, especially with a neonate or premature infant. A shorter-acting benzodiazepine without active metabolites is preferred. After a single dose of Zolarem, there is usually no need to wait to resume breastfeeding.

Increased infant irritability following discontinuation of breastfeeding occurred in a 1-week-old infant whose mother had taken Zolarem during pregnancy and continued to take it after delivery. This reaction probably indicates that there was sufficient Zolarem in breastmilk to prevent withdrawal. The authors reported correspondence with the manufacturer who stated that they had received reports of infant withdrawal symptoms (crying, irritability and sleep disturbances) for 2 weeks in a 9-month-old exclusively breastfed infant after slow (over 3 weeks) maternal discontinuation of Zolarem (dosage unspecified).[2] In one telephone follow-up study of 5 infants (ages not stated) exposed to Zolarem during breastfeeding, 1 mother reported drowsiness in her infant. The reaction did not require medical attention.[3] In a telephone follow-up study, 124 mothers who took a benzodiazepine while nursing reported whether their infants had any signs of sedation. About 5% of mothers were taking Zolarem. One mother who was taking sertraline 50 mg daily, zopiclone 2.5 mg about every 3 days as needed, and also took Zolarem 0.25 mg on 2 occasions, reported sedation in her breastfed infant.[4]

Unlike other benzodiazepines, Zolarem can increase serum prolactin.[5][6] One woman developed galactorrhea, amenorrhea and elevated serum prolactin after taking 3 mg of sustained-release Zolarem and 5 to 6 mg of immediate-release Zolarem daily for several months for self-treatment of fear, poor sleep, palpitations and gastrointestinal discomfort. After slow discontinuation of Zolarem and institution of quetiapine and fluvoxamine, galactorrhea ceased after about one month, menses normalized after about 2 months, and serum prolactin decreased to a normal level.[7] The prolactin level in a mother with established lactation may not affect her ability to breastfeed.