Is Ticarcillin and Clavulanic Acid 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 Ticarcillin and Clavulanic Acid. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Limited information indicates that ticarcillin produces low levels in milk that are not expected to cause adverse effects in breastfed infants. Clavulanic acid has not been studied in nursing mothers. Occasionally disruption of the infant's gastrointestinal flora, resulting in diarrhea or thrush have been reported with penicillins, but these effects have not been adequately evaluated. Ticarcillin and clavulanic acid is acceptable is acceptable in nursing mothers.
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. No studies on the combination of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid during breastfeeding have been reported. Only trace levels of ticarcillin were detected for 6 hours after single 1 gram intramuscular doses in 3 women in one study[1,2] and 5 women in another early study.[3]
After ticarcillin doses of 5 grams intravenously three times a day in 10 women, milk levels averaged 2 to 2.5 mg/L. By 12 hours after the last dose, ticarcillin was undetectable in the milk. The total daily intake of a breastfed infant would be negligible.[4]
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 Ticarcillin and Clavulanic Acid 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 “Ticarcillin and Clavulanic Acid” (LM257). 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.