Is Chlorpropamide 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 Chlorpropamide. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Chlorpropamide is no longer marketed in the United States. Limited data indicate that amounts of chlorpropamide in breastmilk are unlikely to affect a breastfed infant. Short-acting drugs are generally preferred while breastfeeding a neonate to avoid drug accumulation. Monitor breastfed infants for signs of hypoglycemia such as jitteriness, excessive sleepiness, poor feeding, seizures cyanosis, apnea, or hypothermia. If there is concern, monitoring of the breastfed infant's blood glucose is advisable during maternal therapy with hypoglycemic agents.[1,2]
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. No studies on the excretion of chlorpropamide into breastmilk have been published. The manufacturer states that a level of 5 mg/L was found in breastmilk 5 hours after a 500 mg dose; however, no study details were given.[1,3]
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Chlorpropamide 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 “Chlorpropamide” (LM66). 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.