Is Theophylline Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Theophylline? Is Theophylline safe for nursing mother and child? Does Theophylline extracts into breast milk? Does Theophylline has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Theophylline influence milk supply or can Theophylline decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Theophylline lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Theophylline is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Theophylline is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Theophylline does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Theophylline safe in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher 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.
Answer by Dr. Ru: About Theophylline usage in lactation
One case of nausea, vomiting and irritability has been described. However, theophylline has been used as treatment of apnea on premature babies. It can enhance milk production by stimulating prolactin release.
Answer by DrLact: About Theophylline usage in lactation
An expert panel considers use of theophylline to be acceptable during breastfeeding.[1] Maternal theophylline use may occasionally cause stimulation and irritability and fretful sleep in infants. Newborn and especially preterm infants are most likely to be affected because of their slow elimination and low serum protein binding of theophylline. There is no need to avoid theophylline products; however, keep maternal serum concentrations in the lower part of the therapeutic range and monitor the infant for signs of theophylline side effects. Infant serum theophylline concentrations can help to determine if signs of agitation are due to theophylline. Avoiding breastfeeding for an 2 hours after intravenous or 4 hours after an immediate-release oral theophylline product can decrease the dose received by the breastfed infant. When theophylline is given as an oral sustained-release product, timing of nursing with respect to the dose is of little or no benefit.
Theophylline Side Effects in Breastfeeding
Irritability and fretful sleeping occurred in a 3-day-old breastfed infant on days of maternal aminophylline intake of 200 mg every 6 hours. These effects ceased with discontinuation and recurred on rechallenge over the next 9 months. These effects were probably caused by theophylline in breastmilk. Another five infants reported in this paper showed no adverse reactions after maternal theophylline ingestion.[3] Accumulation of theophylline in infant serum appears most likely in neonates and premature infants because they eliminate theophylline slowly.[2][5]
Alternate Drugs
Nedocromil(Safe)
Aminophylline(Safe)
Montelukast(Safe)
Albuterol(Safe)
Ipratropium(Safe)
Levalbuterol(Safe)
Isoetharine(Safe)
Dyphylline(Safe)
Omalizumab(Low Risk)
Formoterol(Safe)
Cromolyn(Safe)
Fluticasone, Inhaled(Safe)
Flunisolide(Safe)
Theophylline(Safe)
Arfomoterol(Low Risk)
Zafirlukast(Low Risk)
Salmeterol(Safe)
Pirbuterol(Safe)
Albuterol(Safe)
Ipratropium(Safe)
Levalbuterol(Safe)
Glycopyrrolate(Unsafe)
Isoetharine(Safe)
Dyphylline(Safe)
Formoterol(Safe)
Atropine(Safe)
Epinephrine(Safe)
Theophylline(Safe)
Arfomoterol(Low Risk)
Terbutaline(Safe)
Salmeterol(Safe)
Pirbuterol(Safe)
Aminophylline(Safe)