SSRIs during breastfeeding: spotlight on milk-to-plasma ratio.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the usefulness of the milk-to-plasma (M/P) ratio for assessing the risks for the breastfed infant associated with the maternal use of SSRIs.


METHODS
Medline, Toxnet, Embase, Current Contents, and PsycInfo indexed articles from 1980 to September 2006.


METHODS
All studies reporting the M/P ratio in mothers taking SSRIs while breastfeeding or studies which such an information could be calculated from data reported in the article.


RESULTS
Higher M/P ratios were rarely associated with a clinically significant impact on the babies during the early phases of breastfeeding.


CONCLUSIONS
So far no evidence-based information seems to support the hypothesis that SSRIs characterized by a M/P ratio <1.0 should be preferred. Hence, physicians should consider different parameters when attempting to choose the safest SSRI for the breastfeeding woman. These parameters might be represented by the number of well-documented published adverse event reports and the tendency of each SSRI of inducing in the infants serum concentrations that are elevated above 10% of average maternal serum levels. In any case, if the mother wishes to breastfeed her infant while taking a SSRI, the baby should be closely monitored in order to promptly detect any iatrogenic event.
Gentile
S
S
Department of Mental Health ASL Salerno 1, Mental Health Center n.4, Cava de' Tirreni (Salerno), Italy.
Rossi
A
A
Bellantuono
C
C
D000328:Adult; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D005473:Fluoxetine; D012701:Serotonin; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors