Is Teicoplanin safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Teicoplanin. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
A mother who was exclusively nursing her 52-day-old infant developed a soft-tissue infection. She was treated with intravenous teicoplanin 400 mg every 12 hours for 3 doses, then 400 mg daily for 5 days total, intravenous ceftriaxone 1 gram daily, and topical mupirocin cream twice daily. A careful follow-up indicated that her infant had no adverse effects.[ 2 ]
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. A woman who was 2 months postpartum was given teicoplanin 500 mg twice daily for an infected fistula. The drug was discontinued after 3 doses and a sample of milk from a complete emptying of the breast was taken 19 hours after the third dose. The concentration of the A2-2 component of teicoplanin in breastmilk was 0.94 mg/L. The authors estimated that this would represent a dose to the infant of 141 mcg/kg daily or about 1.4% of the maternal weight-adjusted dosage. However, if the other components of teicoplanin distribute into milk similarly, these values could be approximately doubled.[ 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.