Is Nimodipine 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 Nimodipine. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Based on limited data, amounts ingested by the infant are small and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants.
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. A woman who was 3 days postpartum received 60 mg of nimodipine orally every 4 hours. She had a peak milk nimodipine level of about 3.5 mcg/L at 1 hour after a dose at steady-state. Milk levels from 1 hour before a dose (i.e., 3 hours after the previous dose) to simultaneously with a dose were less than 1 mcg/L.[1] Using the peak milk level data, the estimated maximum intake of an exclusively breastfed infant would be about 0.0009% of the maternal weight-adjusted dosage.
One woman who was 3 weeks postpartum was receiving nimodipine 2 mg per hour intravenously for 22 hours. The highest milk nimodipine concentration occurred 2 hours after completing the regimen and was 4.7 mcg/L. Four hours later the level had dropped to 0.63 mcg/L. It was estimated that a nursing infant would receive a maximum daily dosage of 0.092% of the mother's weight-adjusted dosage.[2]
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 Nimodipine 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 “Nimodipine” (LM199). 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.