Is Cefoperazone 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 Cefoperazone. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Cefoperazone is no longer marketed in the United States. Limited information indicates cefoperazone produces low levels in milk that are not expected to cause adverse effects in breastfed infants. Occasionally disruption of the infant's gastrointestinal flora, resulting in diarrhea or thrush have been reported with cephalosporins, but these effects have not been adequately evaluated. Cefoperazone is acceptable in nursing mothers.
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. After 1 gram of cefoperazone intravenously in 5 women, it was undetectable in milk in 2 women at any time up to 6 hours after the dose. The average peak milk levels of 0.33 mg/L occurred 2 hours after the dose, but in individuals, peak levels occurred 2, 3 or 4 hours after the dose.[1]
After 1 gram of cefoperazone given intravenously in 2 women, milk cefoperazone was 0.1 mg/L at 2 hours and 0.3 mg/L 3 hours after the dose. It was undetectable in milk 1 and 6 hours after the dose.[2,3]
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 Cefoperazone 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 “Cefoperazone” (LM48). 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.