Is Halothane Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Halothane? Is Halothane safe for nursing mother and child? Does Halothane extracts into breast milk? Does Halothane has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Halothane influence milk supply or can Halothane decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Halothane lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Halothane is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Halothane is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Halothane does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Halothane 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 Halothane usage in lactation
American Academy of Pediatrics: Maternal Medication Usually Compatible With Breastfeeding.
Answer by DrLact: About Halothane usage in lactation
There is no published experience with halothane anesthesia during breastfeeding. Various recommendations have been made regarding breastfeeding after halothane anesthesia, from discarding the first pumping after recovery to discarding breastmilk for 24 to 48 hours after the surgical procedure.[2][3] Although withholding breastfeeding for 24 h is probably unnecessary, an alternate anesthetic may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. In one study, breastfeeding before general anesthesia induction reduced requirements of sevoflurane and propofol compared to those of nursing mothers whose breastfeeding was withheld or nonnursing women.[1] It is possible that requirements for other anesthetic agents would be affected similarly.