Is Phenprocoumon 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 Phenprocoumon. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Phenprocoumon is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Limited information indicates that anticoagulant maternal doses of phenprocoumon produce low levels in milk. Until more data are available, shorter-acting anticoagulants are preferred, especially if the infant is younger than 2 months.
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. One mother required anticoagulation postpartum was given phenprocoumon as an anticoagulant. Milk samples were obtained on days 27, 28 and 31 postpartum when her prothrombin time and phenprocoumon serum concentrations were stable. Milk phenprocoumon concentrations varied between 26 and 76 mcg/L and concentrations were higher in hindmilk than foremilk. A complete 24-hour milk collection contained a concentration of 33 mcg/L of phenprocoumon.[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 Phenprocoumon 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 “Phenprocoumon” (LM638). 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.