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My daughter is 8 weeks old and I have insomnia that was being treated before I was pregnant with 10 mg Ambien every night. Is Ambien safe to take while breastfeeding? If so do I have to wait a certain time frame after dosing before feeding?
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Dear makjrd,
Young infants are more sensitive to sedating medications
compared to older infants. Because Ambien has a variable and moderately high
transfer into breast milk, there is a higher chance of sedation in young
infants such as your daughter. The time Ambien would be most concentrated in
your milk is at one and one half hours after you take the dose. One half of
your dose will be out of your system by two and one half to five hours. If your
child sleeps six to eight hours without breastfeeding, there would be less risk
of sedation but if she awakens every three to four hours to breastfeed, she
would be exposed to a higher amount of the Ambien. The baby should be monitored
for sedation and poor feeding. If Ambien is taken for a long period of time then
stopped, the breastfed infant may experience withdrawal symptoms. The preferred
sedative during breastfeeding is zopiclone because its transfer into breast
milk is minimal; therefore, decreasing the risk of sedation in the
breastfeeding infant. The time zopiclone would be highest in your milk is one
and one-half hours after you take your dose. One half of the zopiclone dose
would be out of your system by four to five hours. Also, if you are sleeping
soundly at night, make sure the baby is not sleeping with you, and that there
is someone available to care for the infant in case you are very drowsy. Let me know if you have
further questions.
Sincerely,
Cindy Pride, MSN, CPNP
TTUHSC InfantRisk Center
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