Is Naltrexone Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Naltrexone? Is Naltrexone safe for nursing mother and child? Does Naltrexone extracts into breast milk? Does Naltrexone has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Naltrexone influence milk supply or can Naltrexone decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Naltrexone lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Naltrexone is 3 out of 8 which is considered Low Risk as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 3 indicates that usage of Naltrexone may cause some minor side effects in breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research indicates that Naltrexone may cause moderate to no side effects in lactating mother.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Naltrexone low risk in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
- While using Naltrexone 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 Naltrexone usage in lactation
Antagonist of opium derivative drugs similar to Naloxone. Used for alcohol dehabituation therapy.
Answer by DrLact: About Naltrexone usage in lactation
Limited data indicate that naltrexone is minimally excreted into breastmilk. If naltrexone is required by the mother, it is not a reason to discontinue breastfeeding.
Naltrexone Side Effects in Breastfeeding
A 1.5-month-old breastfed infant of a mother who was taking 50 mg of oral naltrexone daily during pregnancy and lactation was reportedly healthy with no naltrexone-related adverse effects.[1]