Is Quinapril safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Quinapril. 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
Quinapril is an inactive drug that is metabolized to the active metabolite quinaprilat. Quinaprilat is poorly absorbed orally. Maternal Levels. Six women who had been breastfeeding their infants for at least 2 weeks and were 4 to 9 months postpartum were given a single oral dose of 20 mg of quinapril. Quinapril milk levels were detectable at 4 hours after the dose, but undetectable ( 5 mcg/L) in all samples by 6 hours after the dose. Quinalaprilat milk levels were undetectable ( 5 mcg/L) at all time points. The authors estimated that a breastfed infant would receive about 1.6% of the maternal weight-adjusted dosage of quinapril.[ 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 Quinapril 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.