Is Riluzole 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 Riluzole. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Limited information indicates that maternal doses of riluzole up to 100 mg daily produce low levels in milk and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants, especially if the infant is older than 2 months. Until more data are available, use riluzole with caution, particularly when breastfeeding a newborn.
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 breastfeeding her 18-month-old infant 3 to 4 times a day was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and started on riluzole 50 mg twice daily by mouth. On the third day of therapy, milk samples were collected before and at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 hours after the first dose of the day. The pre-dose sample contained 33.8 mcg/L of riluzole. The peak concentration in milk was 229.5 mcg/L at 2 hours after the dose. The average milk concentration was 94.4 mcg/L over the 12-hour collection time, which would provide the infant with an estimated daily dosage 14.1 mcg/kg. Based on the 12-hour collection period, the maternal weight-adjusted dosage was 0.8%. Riluzole metabolites were not measured.[1]
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 Riluzole 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 “Riluzole” (LM1352). 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.