Safety of Mebendazole Use During Lactation: A Case Series Report.
BACKGROUND
Mebendazole is an effective drug widely used in the treatment of parasitic infections. Although theoretically considered as safe during lactation, no studies have evaluated its potential adverse effects in infants of breastfeeding mothers.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to evaluate the safety of mebendazole in infants of lactating women treated with the drug.


METHODS
Women referred for consultation regarding mebendazole use were invited to participate in the study. Overall 45 lactating women treated with various protocols of mebendazole were recruited in this case series study.


RESULTS
Regardless of the treatment protocol used (single or repeated doses) mebendazole was well tolerated and was not associated with any adverse effects in infants of lactating mothers. There was mild GI irritability in two treated women.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides first evidence in humans as to the safety of mebendazole in breastfeeding.
The Motherisk Program, Zerifin, Israel. nour_karra@yahoo.com.|Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, 70300, Zerifin, Israel. nour_karra@yahoo.com.
Nour
N
Karra
The Motherisk Program, Zerifin, Israel.|Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, 70300, Zerifin, Israel.
Rana
R
Cohen
Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, 70300, Zerifin, Israel.
Maya
M
Berlin
Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, 70300, Zerifin, Israel.
Natalie
N
Dinavitser
The Motherisk Program, Zerifin, Israel.|The Motherisk Program, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Gideon
G
Koren
The Motherisk Program, Zerifin, Israel.|Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, 70300, Zerifin, Israel.|Affiliated to Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Matitiahu
M
Berkovitch
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008463:Mebendazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000633:toxicity; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*
D008463:Mebendazole