Is Linaclotide 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 Linaclotide. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.

Summary of use during breastfeeding

Linaclotide is minimally absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and the drug and its active metabolite are not measurable in milk following administration of doses up to 290 mcg daily. Linaclotide appears to be acceptable in nursing mothers and no special precautions are required.

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

Linaclotide is metabolized in the gastrointestinal tract to its active metabolite, MM-419447.

Maternal Levels. In a multicenter study, 7 lactating women were taking linaclotide in doses of 72 mcg (n = 5), 145 mcg (n = 1) or 290 mcg (n = 1) once daily. Milk was pumped on day 1 and day 3 of the study. Over 24-hours of milk collection on day 3, concentrations of linaclotide and MM-419447 in milk samples were below the quantitation limits (<0.25 mcg/L and <1 mcg/L, respectively) at all time points in all participants.[1]

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 Linaclotide 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 “Linaclotide” (LM1287). 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.