Drug transfer into breastmilk

[Prince]

Hi

Would an exclusively breastfed baby be likely to receive the largest dosage of a maternal drug in his/her mother's breastmilk when he/she is:

a) between 1-6 months old because milk volume consumed is near its maximum, or
b) less than 2 days old, because alveolar junctions are still open.

Thanks

[admin]

Prince:

1) the largest "concentration" of the drug would be in 2 day old milk, but due to limited volume (30-60 cc) the clinical dose would be miniscule.
2) by 1-6 months the clinical dose would be higher with most drugs, since the volume of milk is so much higher...even though the concentration would be lower.


Tom Hale PH.D.

[Prince]

drug transfer into breastmilk

Thanks very much. This makes sense. No one has explained it to me like that. That helps a lot. Thank you.