Transfer of triptans into human breast milk and estimation of infant drug exposure through breastfeeding.

Clinical data on the transfer of triptans into human breast milk remain scarce. In a lactation study including 19 breastfeeding women with migraine, we examined the excretion of six different triptans into milk. Following intake of a single dose, each participant collected seven breast milk samples at predefined intervals up to 24 hours after dose. Triptan concentrations in milk were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Infant drug exposure was estimated by calculating the relative infant dose (RID). Twenty-two breast milk sample sets were obtained for sumatriptan (n = 8), rizatriptan (n = 5), zolmitriptan (n = 4), eletriptan (n = 3), almotriptan (n = 1) and naratriptan (n = 1). Based on the average concentration in milk throughout the day, estimated mean RIDs (with range in parenthesis) were as follows: eletriptan 0.6% (0.3%-0.8%), sumatriptan 0.7% (0.2%-1.8%), rizatriptan 0.9% (0.3%-1.4%), almotriptan 1.8% (-), zolmitriptan 2.1% (0.7%-5.3%) and naratriptan 5.0% (-). Infant drug exposure through breastfeeding appears to be low and indicates that use of the triptans in this study is compatible with breastfeeding. Naratriptan may not be first choice in breastfeeding mothers initiating triptans during the neonatal period.

Recurrence and Severe Worsening of Hepatotoxicity After Reintroduction of Atorvastatin in Combination With Ezetimibe.

Severe hepatotoxicity is a rare but well-known adverse reaction to statins. However, despite the widespread use of statins, only a few cases describing statin reexposure or switch to another statin after liver injury have been published. The literature on hepatotoxicity with ezetimibe alone or in combination with statins is also scarce. We report a case where a patient with a history of elevated liver enzymes while using atorvastatin, but prior and subsequent good tolerance to simvastatin and pravastatin, developed drug-induced liver injury on reexposure to a combination of atorvastatin and ezetimibe. The hepatotoxicity in our patient was most likely caused by reexposure to atorvastatin, although we cannot exclude ezetimibe as a contributing factor. This case highlights the risk of hepatotoxicity recurrence on rechallenge with the same statin. The tolerance to other statins in this case also strengthens the suspicion that statin-induced liver injury may not be a class effect, although the current data are too scarce to draw any definite conclusions.

Severe apnea in an infant exposed to lamotrigine in breast milk.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of severe apnea in an infant exposed to lamotrigine through breast-feeding. CASE SUMMARY: A 16-day-old infant developed several mild episodes of apnea that culminated in a severe cyanotic episode requiring resuscitation. A thorough examination at the hospital gave no evidence of underlying diseases that could explain the reaction. The mother had used lamotrigine in increasing doses throughout pregnancy, and at the time of the apneic episodes, she used 850 mg/day. The infant was fully breast-fed, and the neonatal lamotrigine serum concentration was 4.87 microg/mL at the time of admission. Breast-feeding was terminated, and the infant fully recovered. DISCUSSION: Although there are several reports on extensive passage of lamotrigine into breast milk, this is the first published report of a serious adverse reaction in a breast-fed infant. Lamotrigine clearance increases throughout pregnancy, and maternal dose increases are often necessary to maintain therapeutic effect. After delivery, clearance rapidly returns to preconception levels, enhancing the risk of adverse reactions in both mothers and breast-fed infants if the dose is not sufficiently reduced. In this case, the dose was slowly reduced after delivery, and the maternal lamotrigine serum concentration more than doubled in the week before the neonatal apneic episodes. A high lamotrigine concentration was detected in the breast milk, and the neonatal lamotrigine serum concentration was in the upper therapeutic range. The neonatal lamotrigine elimination half-life was approximately twice that seen in adults. The Naranjo probability scale indicated a probable relationship between apnea and exposure to lamotrigine through breast-feeding in this infant. CONCLUSIONS: Infants can be exposed to clinically relevant doses of lamotrigine through breast-feeding. Individual risk/benefit assessment is important, and close monitoring of both mother and child is advisable, especially during the first 3 weeks postpartum.