Is Orlistat Safe in Breastfeeding

Question

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

Orlistat lactation summary

Orlistat usage has low risk in breastfeeding

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

Anti-obesity product with a peripheral acting mechanism. Absorption of ingested fat is reduced by 35% due to local neutralization of lipase activity in the gut. Orlistat is not absorbed. At latest update, relevant information on excretion into breast milk was not found. However, because of pharmacokinetic data (a moderately high molecular-weight, a nil absorption, a high protein-binding-capacity), excretion of Orlistat into breast milk in significant levels is unlikely. Due to a lack of absorption, serum levels are likely nil. On long-standing basis, it may affect absorption of liposoluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and beta-carotenes. This would be a reason to recommend a varied diet which should be rich in consumption of fruits, vegetables. Vitamin supplementation should also be considered. Nutritional status of the nursing mother should be monitored. Most of breastfeeding mothers recover the weight previous of pregnancy sooner than those who are not.

Answer by DrLact: About Orlistat usage in lactation

Because orlistat is poorly absorbed orally, it is unlikely that any orlistat is excreted into milk or absorbed by the infant. Therefore, it is unlikely to adversely affect the breastfed infant.