Excretion of imipramine and desipramine in human breast milk
Sovner, R.; Orsulak, P.J.
American Journal of Psychiatry 136(4a): 451-452
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-953X PMID: 426114 Document Number: 150256
A nursing woman at 1 month post partum was treated for depression with imipramine and was taking 200 mg once daily before bedtime on the 14th day of treatment. She also took 0.3 mg L-thyroxine/day. On the 16th day of treatment she agreed to discontinue breast feeding. 6 milk samples taken on days 16-18 of treatment and expressed 1-23 h after ingestion of the drug contained 4-29 ng imipramine/ml and 17-35 ng desipramine/ml. Plasma samples on day 22 of treatment contained 21 and 41 ng imipramine and desipramine/ml resp., well below the therapeutic range of 150-250 ng/ml for the 2 compounds together. The infant did not appear to be affected by the drug, but it is suggested that nursing women should be advised to discontinue breast feeding if they require antidepressant drug therapy.