Is Rosuvastatin safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Rosuvastatin. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
A mother with familial hypercholesterolemia hypothyroidism stopped treatment of hyperlipidemia before pregnancy and lactation. At 13 months postpartum she began rosuvastatin 10 mg daily. At the time, the infant was receiving solid foods with 3 to 4 daytime breastfeeds and 2 to 3 nighttime breastfeeds. Lipid parameters in the infant were obtained at baseline and 1 and 5 months after the start of rosuvastatin. All lipid parameters (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL) remained in the normal range over the 5 months. All developmental parameters were normal except for weight at the 97 th percentile at 18 months.[ 4 ]
Effects on milk supply
A possible case of rosuvastatin-induced gynecomastia has been reported. Serum prolactin was not measured.[ 5 ]
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels . A woman with familial hypercholesterolemia was started on rosuvastatin 40 mg daily on day 33 postpartum. On one unspecified day after beginning rosuvastatin, the breastmilk rosuvastatin concentration was about 22 mcg/L at 21 hours after the previous dose. One hour after the dose, the breastmilk concentration was 15.2 mcg/L, and 7 hours after the dose, the breastmilk concentration was 29.4 mcg/L. Breastmilk concentrations were also measured on day 4 at 3 hours after the dose, day 24 at 3.8 hours after the dose, and on day 80 at 21 hours after the dose. All of these concentrations were in the range of 21 to 22 mcg/L.[ 2 ] Rosuvastatin was being initiated in a nursing mother who was 13 months postpartum and weaning her infant. She began with a dose of 20 mg daily at bedtime. After 5 days of therapy, she donated 8 milk samples over a 24-hour period. The trough milk concentration was 16.6 mcg/L at 5 hours after the dose and remained relatively constant until about 15 hours after the dose. The peak milk concentration of 58.6 mcg/L occurred 17 hours after the dose. The authors calculated a daily infant dosage of 4.63 mcg/kg, which corresponded to a weight-adjusted 1.5% of the maternal dose.[ 3 ] 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.