Is Methamphetamine Safe in Breastfeeding

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

• DrLact safety Score for Methamphetamine is 5 out of 8 which is considered Unsafe as per our analyses.
• A safety Score of 5 indicates that usage of Methamphetamine may cause serious side effects in breastfed baby.
• Our study of different scientific research indicates that Methamphetamine 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 Methamphetamine .
• It is recommended to evaluate the advantage of not breastfeeding while using Methamphetamine Vs not using Methamphetamine And continue breastfeeding.
• While using Methamphetamine 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, powerful stimulant of the central nervous system, whose action and uses are similar to dextroamphetamine. It has been used in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but above all it is considered an illegal drug (Chomchai, 2016; Bartu, 2009). It is partially metabolized to amphetamine and is highly addictive. It is excreted in breast milk (Chomchai, 2016; Bartu, 2009), with a slower elimination than in plasma, as the half-life in milk is 40 hours, disappearing completely from the milk 1 day before the values ​​in urine are negative (Chomchai, 2016). In order to avoid exposure to the infant, it is estimated that 48 hours (Bartu, 2009) to 100 hours (Chomchai, 2016) should pass after the last use of methamphetamine before breastfeeding or, more safely, when the detection in the mother's urine is negative (Chomchai, 2016). A breastfeeding mother who inhaled methamphetamine was accused of the cot death of her 2-month-old baby, although there has been some question as to whether methamphetamine in milk was the cause (Green, 1996; Ariagno, 1995). There is little information on the impact of amphetamine abuse on infant development and health (Oei, 2012), but it is known that they are more exposed to social problems, domestic violence, and lower rates of breastfeeding (Shah, 2012, Oei, 2010). Amphetamines do not cause significant decreases in prolactin levels (DeLeo, 1983). Methamphetamine withdrawal caused increased prolactin secretion (Zorick, 2011). Its use as an illegal drug is totally discouraged (Oei, 2012). See below the information of these related products:

Because there is no published experience with methamphetamine as a therapeutic agent during breastfeeding, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. Methamphetamine should not be used as a recreational drug by nursing mothers because it may impair their judgment and child care abilities. Methamphetamine and its metabolite, amphetamine, are detectable in breastmilk and infant's serum after abuse of methamphetamine by nursing mothers. However, these data are from random collections rather than controlled studies because of ethical considerations in administering recreational methamphetamine to nursing mothers. Other factors to consider are the possibility of positive urine tests in breastfed infants which might have legal implications, and the possibility of other harmful contaminants in street drugs. In mothers who abuse methamphetamine while nursing, withholding breastfeeding for 48 to 100 hours after the maternal use been recommended, although in many mothers methamphetamine is undetectable in breastmilk after an average of 72 hours from the last use.[1][2] Nevertheless, breastfeeding is generally discouraged in mothers who are actively abusing amphetamines.[3][4][5][6] One expert recommends that amphetamines not be used therapeutically in nursing mothers.[7]

A 2-month-old infant whose mother used illicit street methamphetamine recreationally by nasal inhalation was found dead 8 hours after a small amount of breastfeeding and ingestion of 120 to 180 mL of formula. The infant's serum methamphetamine concentration on autopsy was 39 mcg/L. Although the infant's mother was convicted of child endangerment for the use of methamphetamine during breastfeeding, the role that methamphetamine played in the infant's death has been questioned because of the low infant serum methamphetamine concentration and the mother's alleged minimal breastfeeding.[8][9]

A single oral dose of 0.2 mg/kg to a maximum of 17.5 mg of d-methamphetamine was given to 6 subjects (4 male and 2 female). Serum prolactin concentrations were unchanged over a period of 300 minutes after the dose.[10] In 2 papers by the same authors, 20 women with normal physiologic hyperprolactinemia were studied on days 2 or 3 postpartum. Eight received dextroamphetamine 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. The authors also quoted data from another study showing that a 20 mg oral dose of dextroamphetamine produced a sustained suppression of serum prolactin by 40% in postpartum women.[11][12] A study compared 31 methamphetamine-dependent subject to 23 non-dependent subjects. The serum prolactin concentrations in the methamphetamine-dependent subjects were elevated at days 2 and 30 of abstinence. The elevation was greater in women than in men.[13] 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 amphetamines 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.[14] A prospective, multicenter study followed mothers who used methamphetamine prenatally (n = 204) to those who did not (n = 208). Mothers who used methamphetamine were less likely to breastfeed their infants (38%) at hospital discharge than those who did not use methamphetamine (76%).[15]