Wellbutrin XL and Deplin

[ceallen]

I am currently 32.5 weeks pregnant and on 450mg of Wellbutrin and 7.5 mg of Deplin. I would really like to be able to breastfeed. I have done a bit of research and nothing seems to be concrete. But a lot of people have reference Dr. Hale's site which is what lead me here to pose my question of whether or not it will be safe for me to breastfeed my baby.

I have been taking the wellbutrin and deplin through out my whole pregnancy and at this point there seems to be no side effects.

Thank you,
ceallen

[cpride]

Dear ceallen,

Bupropion (Wellbutrin) is secreted into breastmilk in low amounts, 0.2 to 2 percent of your dose, and the infants that have been studied had no detectable drug levels in their blood. The time the extended release drug would be most concentrated in your milk would be five hours after taking your dose so avoid breastfeeding at that time to reduce the amount your infant is exposed to. Observe your infant for agitation, restlessness, seizures, and sleep disturbance. There have been a few reports of decreased production of breastmilk in some mothers so observe your milk supply. L-Methylfolate (Deplin) is a form of circulating folate. This drug should be used with caution in patients with seizures as it may lower the levels of their seizure medications. This drug is unlikely to elevate milk folate levels significantly. There are several studies that suggest milk folate levels do not rise significantly with maternal supplementation of folic acid. Both Wellbutrin and Deplin are probably compatible with breastfeeding. Hope this information helps.

Sincerely,
Cindy Pride, MSN, CPNP
TTUHSC InfantRisk Center

[ceallen]

Cindy thank you for the response. Yes it was helpful.