Is Tolmetin 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 Tolmetin. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Because of the low levels of tolmetin in breastmilk and its short half-life, it is unlikely to adversely affect the breastfed infant. However, because there is no published experience with breastfeeding during tolmetin use, other agents may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
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. Following a single 400 mg dose of tolmetin in a woman who was 2 months postpartum, peak milk levels occurred at 40 and 60 minutes after the dose in the right and left breasts, respectively, and averaged 160 mcg/L. The drug was undetectable (<30 mcg/L) in milk by 5 hours after the dose and its half-life in breastmilk was 1.54 hours.[1]
Using the peak milk level data, the estimated maximum intake of an exclusively breastfed infant would be 0.4% of the maternal weight-adjusted dosage.
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 Tolmetin 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 “Tolmetin” (LM263). 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.