Alleviating anxiety while breastfeeding: evaluating buspirone transfer into human milk

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Neonatal Health
• Lactation Studies

Background:

• Buspirone is an anxiolytic medication.
• Limited data exists on buspirone transfer into human milk.
• Assessing infant exposure is crucial for breastfeeding mothers.

Purpose of the Study:

• Quantify buspirone and its metabolite 1-PP transfer into human milk.
• Estimate maternal drug exposure to breastfed infants.
• Document infant health outcomes following buspirone exposure.

Main Methods:

• Collected milk samples and health histories from nine breastfeeding mothers on buspirone.
• Utilized liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine drug concentrations.
• Calculated the relative infant dose (RID).

Main Results:

• Buspirone levels were below detection limits (<1.5 ng/mL) in all milk samples.
• Low levels of the active metabolite 1-PP were detected.
• The calculated RID ranged from 0.21% to 2.17%, below the 10% safety threshold.
• No adverse effects were reported in exposed infants.

Conclusions:

• Buspirone transfer into human milk is clinically insignificant.
• The low RID suggests minimal risk to breastfed infants.
• Buspirone is likely safe for use in breastfeeding mothers.