Is Ceftazidime 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 Ceftazidime. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Limited information indicates that ceftazidime 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. Ceftazidime and 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. Ceftazidime 2 grams was given to 11 women intravenously every 8 hours for 5 days. The average trough milk level was 3.8 mg/L before the next dose, 5.2 mg/L 1 hour after the dose and 4.5 mg/L at 3 hours after the dose. These differences were not statistically significant. The average drug concentrations in milk were 3.9 mg/L for samples before the seventh dose and 4.9 mg/L in milk samples after the seventh dose, but this difference was not statistically significant. There was no correlation between the mother's weight and the ceftazidime milk levels.[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 Ceftazidime 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 “Ceftazidime” (LM54). 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.