Can you take selegiline 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.
A minimal amount of clinical use of selegiline during breastfeeding has been reported. Although no adverse reactions have been reported in the breastfed infants, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. The manufacturer of the selegiline transdermal patch recommends that breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment and for 7 days after the final dose.
Quoted from Selegiline — Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, revised August 16, 2021.
How much selegiline gets into breastmilk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Infant Levels. A woman with severe depression used a selegiline patch 6 mg per day during pregnancy and postpartum. She exclusively breastfed her infant. A blood sample taken from the infant on day 12 postpartum found no selegiline or its metabolite in the infant’s plasma. No details were provided regarding the assay or its detection limits.
What has been seen in breastfed infants
A woman took selegiline 10 mg, levodopa 400 mg and benserazide 100 mg daily throughout pregnancy and continued them while breastfeeding her infant for 3 days. The child was followed for 10 years and no developmental abnormalities were found.
A woman with severe depression used a selegiline patch 6 mg per day during pregnancy and postpartum. She exclusively breastfed her infant for an unstated period of time. Pediatric follow-up at 5 months of age found that the infant was developing normally.
Effects on milk supply
Selegiline can decrease serum prolactin in women with migraine, and in those taking neuroleptic drugs. The clinical relevance of these findings in nursing mothers is not known. The prolactin level in a mother with established lactation may not affect her ability to breastfeed.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take selegiline while breastfeeding?
A minimal amount of clinical use of selegiline during breastfeeding has been reported. 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 selegiline pass into breastmilk?
LactMed's measured drug levels for selegiline are quoted in full on this page, under "How much gets into breastmilk".
Do I need to pump and dump after taking selegiline?
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 selegiline
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.