Would a breastfed baby experience withdrawal from Tramadol?

[Belle14]

I posted a question about Tramadol and breastfeeding my 7 month old and am now curious as to what happens if I stop. My pain is chronic but I have periods where I can get by without anything for a few days or even weeks occasionally. If I have taken a maximum of 150 mg a day (usually only 50-100) for about a month would abruptly stopping the medication cause any issues in my baby?

[Belle14]

I have always waited at least 4 hours before nursing my baby after taking the medication. Sometimes longer.

[admin-james]

Hi, thanks for your post.

Withdrawal symptoms in your baby are possible but unlikely. We know from some formal studies that only about 2% of the tramadol that the mother takes is ingested by an exclusively breastfeeding infant. In your case, the delay between taking the pill and breastfeeding will have cut your baby's exposure by 25-50%. That comes out to around 2mg of tramadol per day. I would not expect your baby to suffer withdrawal from that little of the drug. At the very worst, the symptoms will be very mild, temporary, and, not dangerous. In my opinion, the benefits of regular breastfeeding far outweigh the risks of a drug discontinuation syndrome in your case.

Please call us at the InfantRisk Center if this has not completely answered your question.*(806)352-2519

-James Abbey, MD