Is Carperitide safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database published by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports about Carperitide. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Carperitide is not approved for marketing in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but is available in Japan and possibly other countries. It is a synthetic version of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), which is a normal component of human milk. Carperitide was no higher than normal in the milk of two women who received it during lactation. If a mother requires carperitide, it is not a reason to discontinue breastfeeding
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. A woman developed pulmonary embolism with pulmonary edema after an emergency cesarean section. On hospital day 4, a continuous intravenous infusion of carperitide 0.025 mcg/kg/min was initiated; it was discontinued on hospital day 5. The breastmilk ANP concentration on day 4 of hospitalization was 0.31 mcg/L. On day 13 (during the non-administration period), the breastmilk concentration was 0.76 mcg/L. A second woman was diagnosed with acute heart failure 6 days postpartum. Treatment included a continuous intravenous infusion of carperitide 0.05 mcg/kg/min. The ANC in breastmilk on day 8 was 1.27 mcg/L and the mean concentration was 1.68 mcg/L during the administration period. During the non-administration period (days 9, 12, and post-discharge), the mean milk ANP concentration was 1.56 mcg/L. In both cases, the ANC concentrations in milk during therapy did not exceed the milk concentrations when the patients were not receiving the drug. When the authors assumed that all ANC in milk came from carperitide, the RIDs were 0.24% and 0.19% to 0.53% for cases 1 and 2, respectively.[1]
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Carperitide is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Carperitide” (carperitide). LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.