Is Tobramycin safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Tobramycin. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
An infant was breastfed (extent not stated) until the 4th month postpartum. At 2 months of age, his mother was given a 2-week course of tobramycin 150 mg three times daily plus meropenem for a cystic fibrosis exacerbation. infant displayed no change in stool pattern during the maternal treatment and had normal renal function at 6 months of age.[ 5 , 6 ]
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. After a single 80 mg intramuscular dose of tobramycin in 5 women, milk levels were measured every hour for 6 hours. Only trace levels were detected in 4 of the samples from 1 to 8 hours after the dose. In the fifth woman, milk levels ranged from 0.4 to 0.52 mg/L over 8 hours, with the highest level found at 4 hours after the dose.[ 3 ] In one patient who received 80 mg of tobramycin every 8 hours by intramuscular injection, milk levels were 0.6 mg/L 1 hour after the dose and 0.58 mg/L 8 hours after the dose.[ 4 ] At 2 months postpartum, a woman was receiving intravenous tobramycin 150 mg 3 times daily plus meropenem for cystic fibrosis. Four days after beginning, milk tobramycin levels were undetectable ( 0.18 mg/L) before the infusion and in 6 milk samples taken from 1 to 5 hours after the infusion.[ 5 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
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.