Active Transport of Nitrofurantoin into Human Milk – (07-09-01)

Active Transport of Nitrofurantoin into Human Milk

Nitrofurantoin is an antibiotic that is commonly used in the United States. This study demonstrates that breastfeeding mothers on nitrofurantoin do have levels found in breast milk that is much higher than found in their bloodstreams. So now you have a newborn infant, desperately trying to establish a healthy flora for proper development of their immune system–being sterilized through nursing. Not a good situation. The bottom line is that, although many pharmaceutical drugs are accepted as “safe” during nursing, I firmly believe that a lactating woman should avoid all drugs unless life threatening.

Pharmacotherapy 21(6):669-675, 2001 – To determine the extent to which nitrofurantoin is transferred into human milk. Four healthy lactating women 8-26 weeks postpartum. Conclusions. Nitrofurantoin is actively transported into human milk, achieving concentrations in milk greatly exceeding those in serum. Concern is warranted for suckling infants younger than 1 month old, or for infants with a high frequency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency or sensitivity to nitrofurantoin.