Is Fenoprofen 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 Fenoprofen. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Some reviewers consider fenoprofen to be acceptable during breastfeeding.[1] Because there is little published experience with fenoprofen during breastfeeding, other agents may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
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. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date. Data are limited to those reported in a review article by the drug’s manufacturer in which no study details are reported. After a dose of 600 mg every 6 hours for 4 days in postpartum mothers, breastmilk fenoprofen levels were reportedly 1.6% of those in maternal plasma and below those accurately detected by the assay (assay limit not stated).[2] Additionally, fenoprofen has glucuronide metabolites that could be absorbed as fenoprofen by a newborn.
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 Fenoprofen 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 “Fenoprofen” (LM110). 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.