Should mothers who are undergoing methadone maintenance treatment breastfeed their babies? Should buprenorphine be used to treat women who are breastfeeding their babies?
Breastfeeding is not advised for mothers who are being treated with buprenorphine. Methadone is secreted into human milk and has been detected in very low plasma concentrations in some infants whose mothers were taking it. Therefore, caution should be exercised when methadone is administered to a nursing woman. Women who choose to breastfeed their infants while on methadone should be taught to identify any adverse effects in their babies and counseled that use of illicit drugs can increase the risk to her breastfeeding infant beyond any risk from methadone.
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