Question

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

Diazepam lactation summary

Diazepam usage has low risk in breastfeeding
  • DrLact safety Score for Diazepam is 3 out of 8 which is considered Low Risk as per our analyses.
  • A safety Score of 3 indicates that usage of Diazepam may cause some minor side effects in breastfed baby.
  • Our study of different scientific research indicates that Diazepam may cause moderate to no side effects in lactating mother.
  • Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Diazepam low risk in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
  • While using Diazepam We suggest monitoring 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.

Answer by Dr. Ru: About Diazepam usage in lactation

It is a long-acting Benzodiazepine. Low excreted into breast milk. However, it may cause sedation and poor suction reflex in the infant mostly because of large or repetitive use in the newborn period. Low dose and short-term use is usually compatible with breastfeeding. Choose a short-acting and minimal effective drug dose specially when nursing a newborn. Watch out for somnolence and poor feeding of the infant. Bed-sharing is not recommended for mothers who are taking this medication.

Answer by DrLact: About Diazepam usage in lactation

Diazepam is excreted into breastmilk and it and its active metabolite, nordiazepam, accumulate in the serum of breastfed infants with repeated doses. Because the half-life of diazepam and nordiazepam are long, timing breastfeeding with respect to the dose is of little or no benefit in reducing infant exposure. Other agents are preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. After a single dose of diazepam, as for sedation before a procedure, there is usually no need to wait to resume breastfeeding, although with a newborn or preterm infant, a cautious approach would be to wait a period of 6 to 8 hours before resuming nursing.

Diazepam Side Effects in Breastfeeding

Three infants were breastfed from birth while their mothers were receiving diazepam 10 mg 3 times daily. The authors noticed no lethargy or hypoventilation in the infants during the 6-day observation period. The authors expressed concern that nordiazepam may compete with bilirubin for hepatic glucuronide conjugation in the neonate.[1] A nursing mother was given diazepam 10 mg orally 3 times a day beginning on day 5 postpartum. Weight loss, lethargy and an EEG consistent with sedative effect in her 8-day-old was probably caused by diazepam or its metabolites in breastmilk.[7] Of 8 infants breastfed from birth during maternal diazepam therapy (dosages unspecified), 3 had mild jaundice during the first few days postpartum, although this was not thought by the authors to be unusual.[8] Sedation was reported in the breastfed newborn infant of a mother taking oral diazepam 6 to 10 mg daily if the infant was nursed within a few hours of a dose, but not if she nursed 8 or more hours after a dose. Infant sedation was probably caused by diazepam and its major metabolite in breastmilk.[4] In a telephone follow-up study, 124 mothers who took a benzodiazepine while nursing reported whether their infants had any signs of sedation. About 10% of mothers took diazepam while breastfeeding and none reported sedation in her infant.[9] In a longitudinal study of women taking medications during breastfeeding, some mothers who were taking diazepam reported discontinuing breastfeeding because of drowsiness in their breastfed infants.[10]

Alternate Drugs

Oxazepam(Safe)
Alprazolam(Low Risk)
Midazolam(Safe)
Lorazepam(Safe)
Temazepam(Low Risk)
Diazepam(Low Risk)
Meprobamate(Low Risk)
Nitrazepam(Low Risk)
Quazepam(Unsafe)
Clorazepate(Low Risk)
Oxazepam(Safe)
Clonazepam(Low Risk)
Alprazolam(Low Risk)
Midazolam(Safe)
Clobazam(Low Risk)
Lorazepam(Safe)
Estazolam(Low Risk)
Temazepam(Low Risk)
Flurazepam(Unsafe)
Diazepam(Low Risk)
Nitrazepam(Low Risk)
Quazepam(Unsafe)
Clorazepate(Low Risk)
Phenobarbital(Low Risk)
Pentobarbital(Low Risk)
Clorazepate(Low Risk)
Secobarbital(Low Risk)
Oxazepam(Safe)
Propofol(Safe)
Alprazolam(Low Risk)
Ketamine(Low Risk)
Midazolam(Safe)
Chloral Hydrate(Low Risk)
Zolpidem(Safe)
Estazolam(Low Risk)
Zaleplon(Safe)
Lorazepam(Safe)
Triazolam(Low Risk)
Flurazepam(Unsafe)
Eszopiclone(Low Risk)
Sodium Oxybate(Low Risk)
Meprobamate(Low Risk)
Temazepam(Low Risk)
Diazepam(Low Risk)
Butalbital(Low Risk)
Nitrazepam(Low Risk)
Quazepam(Unsafe)
Butabarbital(Low Risk)

Synonyms of Diazepam

Disclaimer: Information presented in this database is not meant as a substitute for professional judgment. You should consult your healthcare provider for breastfeeding advice related to your particular situation. We do not warrant or assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information on this Site.