Community Forum: General Discussion
Use this forum to discuss matters of interest to lactation professionals.
medication use in breastfeeding.
Posted 19th Feb By Kathy Foster
Hi everyone, i was just wondering following a discussion among colleaues what time frame is classified as a long half-life for a drug compared to a short half-life. I understand the concept of what the half life is but is there an arbitrary figure that determines whether the half life is classified as short or long?
Re: medication use in breastfeeding.
Posted 22nd Feb By Denise Fisher
It does seem rather arbitrary doesn't it? For the purposes of lactation though a short half-life would be one a mother could plan to breastfeed around. For example if the half-life is 4 hours, she may breastfeed immediately prior to taking it, then know that if baby does sleep for 4 hours she will have half the concentration of the drug in her system (and perhaps breastmilk if the drug transfers solely by simple diffusion).
Also, if the mother is unable to breastfeed while taking the drug, the shorter the half life the less time she will have to withhold breastmilk after the last dose. ie for a half life of 4 hours it will only be about 20 hours before the drug is virtually eliminated from her system.
Another consideration while breastfeeding is the time-to-peak.
Also, if the mother is unable to breastfeed while taking the drug, the shorter the half life the less time she will have to withhold breastmilk after the last dose. ie for a half life of 4 hours it will only be about 20 hours before the drug is virtually eliminated from her system.
Another consideration while breastfeeding is the time-to-peak.
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