Galvus (Vildagliptin) in a Lactating Mother

[Yomna88]

A diabetic mother who is prescribed metformin is currently uncontrolled and needs add-on therapy. Her baby is 11 months old and her doctor would like to add vildagliptin for further control. Is vildagliptin compatible with breastfeeding?

[admin-james]

Hi, thanks for your post.

There are no published studies that specifically examine breastfeeding safety with any member of this drug class. We can predict that only a small amount of this drug will end up in the breastmilk, based on its molecular size and other chemical properties. The child you mentioned is likely to get even less exposure because toddlers get less milk relative to their body weights than infants do. However, it's not possible to be more precise than that without data based on direct laboratory examination of breastmilk samples. As I said, such information does not exist.

The main advantage of this drug class is that it tends not to cause the blood sugar to drop too low. This drug has not been studied in babies and we don't know if it works the same way in that population. If the mother starts on this medication, she should be well educated on the signs of hypoglycemia in her baby, when to test his blood sugar directly, and how to correct problems if they should arise.

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

-James Abbey, MD

[drrajanarora]

Thanks for Sharing it with us..
Take vildagliptin exactly as your doctor tells you to Swallow the tablets with a drink of water. The usual dose is one 50 mg tablet taken twice a day (Galvus), although sometimes only one dose a day is needed depending on what other medicines you are taking.