Is Amoxicillin safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Amoxicillin. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
In a telephone follow-up study, 25 nursing mothers reported taking amoxicillin (dosage unspecified). Three mothers reported diarrhea in their infants. No rashes or candidiasis were reported among the exposed infants.[ 4 ] In contrast, a small, controlled, prospective study had mothers monitor their infants for signs of adverse effects (furring of the tongue, feeding difficulties, changes in stool frequency and consistency, diaper rash, and skin rash). Weight change and the development of jaundice were also recorded. No statistical differences in these parameters were found between the infants of the control mothers and those of mothers taking the related antibiotics, ampicillin or ampicillin-clavulanate.[ 5 ] A prospective, controlled study asked mothers who called an information service about adverse reactions experienced by their breastfed infants. Of 40 infants exposed to amoxicillin in breastmilk, 2 developed diarrhea and 1 developed a rash.[ 6 ] A study compared the breastfed infants of mothers taking amoxicillin to those taking a macrolide antibiotic. Adverse reactions occurred in 8.3% of the infants exposed to amoxicillin, which was similar to the rate in macrolide-exposed infants. Reactions included rash and somnolence.[ 7 ] A 2-month-old infant was breastfed since birth. His mother had taken many medications during pregnancy, but she did not recall their identity. She developed mastitis and was treated with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 1 gram orally every 12 hours and gentamicin 160 mg intramuscularly once daily. The infant was breastfed for 10 minutes starting 15 minutes after the first dose of both drugs. About 20 minutes later, the infant developed a generalized urticaria which disappeared after 30 minutes. A few hours later, the infant breastfed again and the urticaria reappeared after 15 minutes and disappeared after an hour. After switching to formula feeding and no further infant exposure to penicillins, the reaction did not reappear with follow-up to
Effects on milk supply
A study of 25 breastfeeding mothers who had been taking amoxicillin for at least 2 days, with infants older than 4 weeks had 75 milk samples collected at multiple time points following amoxicillin administration. No impact was reported on maternal milk supply.[ 3 ]
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. After a single 1 gram oral dose of amoxicillin in 6 women, peak milk amoxicillin levels occurred 4 to 5 hours after the dose. Average milk levels were 0.69 mg/L (range 0.46 to 0.88 mg/L) at 4 hours and 0.81 mg/L (range 0.39 to 1.3 mg/L) at 5 hours after the dose.[ 2 ] Using these data, an exclusively breastfed infant would be expected to receive a maximum daily dosage of about 0.1 mg/kg of amoxicillin with a maternal dose of 500 mg three times daily. This amounts to 0.25 to 0.5% of a typical infant amoxicillin dosage. A study involving 25 breastfeeding mothers who had been taking amoxicillin for at least 2 days, with infants older than 4 weeks had 75 milk samples collected at multiple time points following amoxicillin administration. Pharmacokinetic modeling and Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to estimate the RID based on a maternal dosage of 6 grams daily as a worst-case scenario. The RID based on adult or pediatric dosages remained 0.4% for both measured and simulated concentrations.[ 3 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.