Is Terbutaline safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Terbutaline. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Two papers have reported a total of 4 infants aged 3 to 8 weeks who were breastfed during maternal use of oral terbutaline 2.5 or 5 mg three times daily. None of the infants had any signs of sympathetic stimulation and all were developing normally.[ 6 , 7 ] These cases were also summarized in a third publication.[ 5 ]
Effects on milk supply
A small retrospective survey from Serbia found that mothers who received a beta agonist pharmacologically similar to terbutaline (fenoterol or hexoprenaline) as a tocolytic breastfed for a shorter period of time than those who received no tocolytic (4.5 vs 9.5 months).[ 8 ] It is not known if terbutaline has a similar effect. A study in an Australian hospital compared breastfeeding outcomes in women who received a cesarean section during 2 time periods. During the first time period women did not receive terbutaline before a category one or two cesarean section (n = 423). In the second period, all women receiving a category one or two cesarean section received terbutaline 250 mcg subcutaneously as a tocolytic agent unless there was a contraindication at the time a decision was made to perform a cesarean section (n = 253). The breastfeeding rates at the time of discharge were 95% in the first period and 99% in the second period. The difference was statistically significant.[ 9 ]
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. With long-term maternal intake of 2.5 or 5 mg three times daily orally, milk terbutaline levels ranged from 2.5 to 4 mcg/L at various times during the dosing interval. There was little fluctuation of milk levels. The average dose that an exclusively breastfed infant would receive based on these patients is 1.4% (range 0.7 to 2.2%) of the maternal weight-adjusted dose.[ 5 - 7 ] Infant Levels. Serum levels were undetectable ( 0.1 mcg/L) in one 8-week-old exclusively breastfed infant whose mother was taking oral terbutaline 5 mg three times daily.[ 5 , 7 ]
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.