Can you take desmopressin while breastfeeding?
What LactMed says
The National Library of Medicine’s own summary, quoted in full. We do not write a verdict of our own on this question, and we do not compress theirs into a label.
Desmopressin from a nasal spray is excreted in negligible amounts into milk and is poorly absorbed orally by the infant, so it appears acceptable to use during breastfeeding. There is no published experience with sublingual desmopressin during breastfeeding. Until more data become available, sublingual desmopressin should be used with caution during breastfeeding, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
Quoted from Desmopressin — Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, revised March 17, 2021.
How much desmopressin gets into breastmilk
Maternal Levels. In a patient who was using intranasal desmopressin 10 mcg twice daily for diabetes insipidus, serum and milk levels of arginine vasopressin were measured after a dose. Milk levels gradually increased from the background level of 1 ng/L to about 1.5 ng/L over the 4-hour observation period.
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
What has been seen in breastfed infants
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Several cases have been reported of mothers with diabetes insipidus using desmopressin and breastfeeding their infants. In one case, the mother discontinued nursing after 2 weeks because of a low milk supply, but this was not clearly drug related. Lactation sometimes improves diabetes insipidus and reduces desmopressin requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take desmopressin while breastfeeding?
What the NIH's Drugs and Lactation Database says about Desmopressin while breastfeeding — quoted in full. The full record is quoted on this page, and the decision is one to make with the person who prescribed it — LactMed itself states it is not a substitute for professional judgement.
Does desmopressin pass into breastmilk?
LactMed's measured drug levels for desmopressin are quoted in full on this page, under "How much gets into breastmilk".
Do I need to pump and dump after taking desmopressin?
LactMed does not frame its records that way — it reports measured drug levels in milk and what has been observed in breastfed infants, which is what this page quotes. "Pump and dump" advice for a specific drug and dose should come from your clinician or a pharmacist, not from a general rule.
More on desmopressin
LactMed states that the information it presents is not a substitute for professional judgement, and that you should consult your healthcare provider for breastfeeding advice related to your particular situation. Nothing on this page is medical advice.