Is Methohexital safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Methohexital. 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. Nine women who were at least 1 month postpartum received between 120 and 150 mg of methohexital intravenously for induction of general anesthesia for bilateral tubal ligation. Milk samples were obtained in the recovery room after surgery, the evening of surgery and on the day after surgery. The highest milk level was found at 63 minutes after the dose in one woman. Milk levels 1 to 2 hours after the dose ranged from 100 to 407 mcg/L (n = 5); levels 2 to 4 hours after the dose ranged from 39 to 199 mcg/L (n = 4); levels 8 to 10 hours after the dose ranged from undetectable ( 20 mcg/L) to 65 mcg/L (n = 9). Methohexital was not detectable in the breastmilk of any woman 24 to 48 hours after the dose. The authors estimated that the typical breastfed infant would receive a maximum single dose of 0.04 mg of methohexital in a 100 mL feeding 1 hour after the dose or between 0.1 to 0.8% of the maternal weight-adjusted dosage.[ 1 ] 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 Methohexital 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.