Is Rizatriptan safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Rizatriptan. 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
A review of four European adverse reaction databases found 26 reported cases of painful, burning nipples, painful breasts, breast engorgement and/or painful milk ejection in women who took a triptan while nursing. Pain was sometimes intense and occasionally led to decreased milk production. Pain generally subsided with time as the drug was eliminated. The authors proposed that triptans may cause vasoconstriction of the arteries in the breast, nipples, and the arteries surrounding the alveoli and milk ducts, causing a painful sensation and a painful milk ejection re ex.[ 2 ]
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Five women who were at least 1 month postpartum and used rizatriptan to treat migraine provided one milk sample before their dose, then additional milk samples at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours after their 10 mg oral dose. The average peak milk level was 58.4 mcg/L (range 14.6 to 105.6 mcg/L) and occurred 2 hours after the dose in 4 women ad 4 hours after the dose in another. The average milk level was 9 mcg/L (range 2.6 to 14.8 mcg/L) and the average half-life in milk was 2.2 hours (range 1.6 to 3.1 hours). The average daily infant dosage of rizatriptan was 1.3 mcg/kg (range 0.4 to 2.2 mcg/kg) and the weight-adjusted infant dosage averaged 0.9% (range 0.5 to 1.4%) of the maternal dose.[ 1 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
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.