Is Itraconazole safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Itraconazole. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. An unpublished study reported 2 healthy volunteers who each took 2 oral doses of itraconazole 200 mg 12 hours apart. Milk samples were obtained with a breast pump at 4, 24, and 48 hours after the second dose. The average milk concentrations of itraconazole were 70.2, 27.7, and 16.2 mcg/L, respectively. At 72 hours, the milk level was 20.1 mcg/L in one woman and not detectable ( 5 mcg/L) in the other. However, steady-state was probably not attained at the time of sampling, and metabolites including the active hydroxyitraconazole were not measured.[ 1 ] Using data reported in the literature, including the above source, researchers estimated that fully breastfed infants between 3 and 12 months of age would receive 1.48% of the mother's weight-adjusted dosage of itraconazole and attain a plasma concentration of 0.77% of the mother's plasma concentration.[ 2 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Itraconazole is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
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.