Is Benzedrine Safe in Breastfeeding

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

• DrLact safety Score for Benzedrine is 5 out of 8 which is considered Unsafe as per our analyses.
• A safety Score of 5 indicates that usage of Benzedrine may cause serious side effects in breastfed baby.
• Our study of different scientific research indicates that Benzedrine may cause moderate to high side effects or may affect milk supply in lactating mother.
• Our suggestion is to use safer alternate options rather than using Benzedrine .
• It is recommended to evaluate the advantage of not breastfeeding while using Benzedrine Vs not using Benzedrine And continue breastfeeding.
• While using Benzedrine Its must to monitor child for possible reactions. It is also important to understand that side effects vary largely based on age of breastfed child and time of medication in addition to dosage.
• Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.

A sympathomimetic drug and central nervous system stimulant, it has a similar action and uses to its isomer dextroBenzedrine.It is used in the treatment of narcolepsy (Wise, 2007) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and is also used as an illegal drug (Oei, 2012; Bartu, 2009). It is excreted in breast milk, concentrating between 2 and 8 times more than in plasma (FDA, 2017; Steiner, 1984). This concentration, although it could be significant (Bartu, 2009), assumes a relative dose between 2% (Öhman, 2015) and 13.8% (FDA, 2017). In infants whose mothers were taking Benzedrine as narcolepsy treatment, low plasma levels (Öhman, 2015) and urine (Steiner, 1984) were measured and no problems were observed in the clinical follow-up of these infants (Öhman, 2015; Steiner, 1984). There is little information on the impact of Benzedrine abuse on the development and health of infants (Oei, 2012, Wise, 2007; Moretti, 2000), but it is known that they are more exposed to social problems, domestic violence, and lower breastfeeding rates (Oei, 2010). To minimize the risk, it is estimated that 48 hours should pass after the last Benzedrine-based recreational use, before breast-feeding (Bartu, 2009). There is controversy over the possibly mild negative effect of Benzedrine on prolactin (Petraglia, 1987; DeLeo, 1983), but milk production in mothers who took it therapeutically was not affected (Öhman, 2015). During breastfeeding, the therapeutic use (narcolepsy, ADHD) of Benzedrine can be assessed, using the lowest possible effective dose and monitoring the occurrence of irritability, insomnia, lack of appetite and weight loss. Its use as an illegal drug is totally discouraged (Oei, 2012).

In dosages prescribed for medical indications, some evidence indicates that Benzedrine does not affect nursing infants adversely. The effect of Benzedrine in milk on the neurological development of the infant has not been well studied. Large dosages of Benzedrine might interfere with milk production, especially in women whose lactation is not well established. Breastfeeding is generally discouraged in mothers who are actively abusing Benzedrines.[1][2][3] One expert recommends that Benzedrine not be used therapeutically in nursing mothers.[4]

One infant whose mother was being treated for narcolepsy with racemic Benzedrine 5 mg 4 times daily was exposed to the drug in milk for the (unspecified) duration of breastfeeding. There were no signs of abnormal development during the first 2 years of life.[5] The infant of a mother who was taking Benzedrine 35 mg daily for narcolepsy during pregnancy and postpartum was exclusively breastfed for 6 months. The infant experienced no adverse reactions and grew normally.[6]

In 2 papers by the same authors, 20 women with normal physiologic hyperprolactinemia were studied on days 2 or 3 postpartum. Eight received dextroBenzedrine 7.5 mg intravenously, 6 received 15 mg intravenously and 6 who served as controls received intravenous saline. The 7.5 mg dose reduced serum prolactin by 25 to 32% compared to control, but the difference was not statistically significant. The 15 mg dose significantly decreased serum prolactin by 30 to 37% at times after the infusion. No assessment of milk production was presented.[7][8] The authors also quoted data from another study showing that a 20 mg oral dose of dextroBenzedrine produced a sustained suppression of serum prolactin by 40% in postpartum women. The maternal prolactin level in a mother with established lactation may not affect her ability to breastfeed. In a retrospective Australian study, mothers who used intravenous Benzedrines during pregnancy were less likely to be breastfeeding their newborn infants at discharge than mothers who abused other drugs (27% vs 42%). The cause of this difference was not determined.[9] A mother took Benzedrine 35 mg daily for narcolepsy during pregnancy and postpartum. She exclusively breastfed her infant for 6 months with no evidence of an adverse effect on milk production.[6]