Can you take mepivacaine 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.
No information is available on the use of mepivacaine during breastfeeding. Based on the low excretion of other local anesthetics into breastmilk, a single dose of mepivacaine during breastfeeding is unlikely to adversely affect the breastfed infant. However, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
Mepivacaine given during labor as a local anesthetic to the mother has been reported to interfere with initial nursing behavior of some infants, but not weight gain during the first 5 days postpartum. Although not well studied specifically with mepivacaine, it appears that with good breastfeeding support, epidural local anesthetics with or without fentanyl or one of its derivatives has little or no adverse effect on breastfeeding success. Labor pain medication may delay the onset of lactation. More study is required to clarify the effect of mepivacaine during labor on breastfeeding outcome.
Quoted from Mepivacaine — Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, revised November 16, 2020.
How much mepivacaine gets into breastmilk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
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
In a study that compared extradural administration of mepivacaine, bupivacaine and lidocaine for analgesia during normal childbirth, no differences were found in weight changes over the first 5 days after delivery among the breastfed infants of the 3 groups. Overall weight gain was within normal limits for all groups.
Of 6 infants whose mothers received a pudendal block with mepivacaine within the hour before delivery, 4 took longer to begin nursing behavior and nursed less initially than 10 infants whose mothers received no anesthesia during labor. The long-term consequences of these differences were not reported.
A national survey of women and their infants from late pregnancy through 12 months postpartum compared the time of lactogenesis II in mothers who did and did not receive pain medication during labor. Categories of medication were spinal or epidural only, spinal or epidural plus another medication, and other pain medication only. Women who received medications from any of the categories had about twice the risk of having delayed lactogenesis II (>72 hours) compared to women who received no labor pain medication.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take mepivacaine while breastfeeding?
No information is available on the use of mepivacaine during breastfeeding. 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 mepivacaine pass into breastmilk?
LactMed's measured drug levels for mepivacaine are quoted in full on this page, under "How much gets into breastmilk".
Do I need to pump and dump after taking mepivacaine?
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 mepivacaine
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.