Is Nitrendipine 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 Nitrendipine. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Based on limited data, it is unlikely that nitrendipine will reach the infant in clinically important amounts. However, it may be preferable to use another agent drug for which more safety information is available.
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. Three women who had been breastfeeding for at least 3 months were given nitrendipine 10 mg as a single oral dose. Peak milk levels occurred at 1 or 2 hours after the dose and peak levels ranged from 4.3 to 6.5 mcg/L. Two of the mothers had their milk levels measured after taking nitrendipine 10 mg every 12 hours for 5 days. Peak levels occurred 3 to 4 hours after the dose and ranged from 1.5 to 5.5 mcg/L. It was estimated that an exclusively breastfed infant would receive a daily dosage of 0.095% of the mother's weight-adjusted dosage of nitrendipine and 1.4% of the inactive pyridine metabolite.[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 Nitrendipine 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 “Nitrendipine” (LM201). 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.