Is Meprobamate safe while breastfeeding?

Effects on the breastfed infant

Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Effects on milk supply

One paper reported that some psychiatric patients receiving meprobamate alone or in combination with other psychotropic drugs developed galactorrhea. Further details of meprobamate use were not reported.[ 4 ]

Levels in milk

Maternal Levels. One author reported a personal communication from the manufacturer. The manufacturer reports that 6 lactating women who were given a single 800 mg oral dose of meprobamate had peak milk meprobamate concentrations 4 hours after the dose.[ 1 ] The muscle relaxant carisoprodol is metabolized to meprobamate. A mother taking carisoprodol 700 mg three times daily during pregnancy and lactation had trough breastmilk levels of carisoprodol and meprobamate measured before the first morning dose on 4 consecutive days at steady-state (time postpartum not stated). Average minimum breastmilk levels were 0.9 mg/L for carisoprodol and 11.6 mg/L for meprobamate. The authors calculated that the minimum infant dose of the drug plus metabolite was 1.9 mg/kg daily or 4.1% of the maternal weight-adjusted dosage. Extrapolating these results to an average (rather than minimum) dose, the authors estimated that an exclusively breastfed infant would receive 3 mg/kg daily or 6% of the maternal weight-adjusted dosage.[ 2 ] A woman who was suspected to have been abusing carisoprodol had the drug and meprobamate detectable in breastmilk for 2 consecutive days after hospitalization; only meprobamate was detectable on day 3.[ 3 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Alternatives LactMed lists

• Lorazepam
• Oxazepam