Is Selegiline safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Selegiline. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
A woman took selegiline 10 mg, levodopa 400 mg and benserazide 100 mg daily throughout pregnancy and continued them while breastfeeding her infant for 3 days. The child was followed for 10 years and no developmental abnormalities were found.[ 2 ] A woman with severe depression used a selegiline patch 6 mg per day during pregnancy and postpartum. She exclusively breastfed her infant for an unstated period of time. Pediatric follow-up at 5 months of age found that the infant was developing normally.[ 1 ]
Effects on milk supply
Selegiline can decrease serum prolactin in women with migraine,[ 3 ] and in those taking neuroleptic drugs.[ 4 , 5 ] The clinical relevance of these findings in nursing mothers is not known. The prolactin level in a mother with established lactation may not affect her ability to breastfeed.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date. Infant Levels. A woman with severe depression used a selegiline patch 6 mg per day during pregnancy and postpartum. She exclusively breastfed her infant. A blood sample taken from the infant on day 12 postpartum found no selegiline or its metabolite in the infant s plasma. No details were provided regarding the assay or its detection limits.[ 1 ]
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.