Pain Home > Ketamine and Breastfeeding
No research has been done to determine whether ketamine (Ketalar) passes through human breast milk. However, this anesthetic is administered during surgery or other medical procedures, a time when women would be unable to breastfeed. Also, ketamine is completely removed from the body within 11 hours after it is given, so women may want to wait at least this long before nursing.
Can Breastfeeding Women Receive Ketamine?
Ketamine hydrochloride (Ketalar®) is an injectable anesthetic medication. It is used to cause a loss of consciousness (called anesthesia) before certain medical procedures, such as surgery. At this time, it is not known if ketamine passes through breast milk in humans. However, it is generally considered safe for use while breastfeeding.More Information on Ketamine and Breastfeeding
No studies have been done to see if ketamine passes through breast milk in humans. Because ketamine is used as an anesthetic before surgery or other medical procedures, it would not be possible to breastfeed while receiving this drug.Furthermore, ketamine is a short-acting medication. This means that it does not stay in the body for long periods of time. In most cases, the drug is no longer detectable in the body approximately 11 hours after it is given.
Therefore, to be safe, it is probably best to wait at least 11 hours after the anesthetic is administered to breastfeed. It is unlikely that a nursing infant would be exposed to the drug if the mother waited to breastfeed until after this time frame.