Methadone and breastfeeding

Pediatrics for Parents, Dec, 2007

Breastfeeding mothers know that any medicine they take may be found in their breast milk. Fortunately, most medicines are in such low concentrations that there is no effect on the baby. Still, it's best for all breastfeeding mothers to carefully evaluate the need for the medicines they are taking.

Even breastfeeding mothers on methadone maintenance require their medicine. Without it, they run a high risk of relapse and heroin use. A recent study measured the amount of methadone found in the breast milk of eight new mothers enrolled in a program. Samples of their breast milk were tested at one, two, three, four, fourteen, and thirty days after delivery and were taken when the mothers' blood methadone levels were expected to be their highest and lowest.

In all the samples, the methadone levels found in the mothers' breast milk were low and weren't related to the mothers' methadone dosages. All the babies, along with eight age-matched babies who were formula fed, underwent neurobehavioral testing at three, fourteen, and thirty days after birth. No differences between the two groups were found. This study supports the recommendation that methadone-maintained lactating mothers can safely breastfeed their newborns.

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