Use of Codeine By Some Breastfeeding Mothers May Lead To Life-Threatening Side Effects In Nursing Babies
FDA has important new information about a very rare, but serious, side effect in nursing infants whose mothers are taking codeine. Differences in drug metabolism among mothers taking codeine may contribute to side effects in nursing infants.
Infants of nursing mothers taking codeine may have an increased risk of morphine overdose if the mother is an ultra-rapid metabolizer of codeine. When codeine enters the body and is metabolized, it changes to morphine, which relieves pain. Many factors affect codeine metabolism, including a person’s genetic make-up. Some people have a variation in a liver enzyme and may change codeine to morphine more rapidly and completely than other people. These people are ultra-rapid metabolizers and are more likely to have higher than normal levels of morphine in their blood after taking codeine. Nursing mothers taking codeine may also have higher morphine levels in their breast milk. These higher levels of morphine in breast milk may lead to life-threatening or fatal side effects in nursing babies. In most cases, it is unknown if someone is an ultra-rapid codeine metabolizer.
Codeine has been used safely for many years in nursing mothers. Codeine is an ingredient in many prescription pain relievers and some over-the-counter cough syrups.
Once the body changes codeine to morphine, the morphine relieves the pain or cough and may also be responsible for any side effects people may experience. Infants exposed to very high levels of morphine through breast milk can get a morphine overdose as described below.
