Pharmacokinetics of Ketamine Transfer Into Human Milk. 2023

Elleana Majdinasab, and Palika Datta, and Kaytlin Krutsch, and Teresa Baker, and Thomas W Hale
From the Departments of Pediatrics.

OBJECTIVE Ketamine is an N -methyl- d -aspartate-antagonistic dissociative anesthetic infused intermittently for off-label management of treatment-resistant depression, acute suicidality, and postpartum depression. Despite the prevalence of postpartum depression nearing upward of 15% of deliveries, almost no research has been done to evaluate its safety during lactation. METHODS In this study, human milk samples were released from the InfantRisk Center's Human Milk Biorepository of 4 participants treated with intermittent ketamine infusions (49-378 mg) to determine the levels of the drug and its active norketamine metabolite using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS The absolute infant dose of ketamine from human milk was 0.003 to 0.017 mg/kg per day, and norketamine was 0.005 to 0.018 mg/kg per day. The relative infant dose (RID) for ketamine ranged from 0.34% to 0.57%. The RID for norketamine ranged from 0.29% to 0.95%. There were no reported infant adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study suggest that the transfer of ketamine, as well as its active metabolite, norketamine, into human milk is minimal, as estimated by RIDs less than 1% in all participants. These relative doses are well below standardly accepted safety thresholds.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007649 Ketamine A cyclohexanone derivative used for induction of anesthesia. Its mechanism of action is not well understood, but ketamine can block NMDA receptors (RECEPTORS, N-METHYL-D-ASPARTATE) and may interact with sigma receptors. 2-(2-Chlorophenyl)-2-(methylamino)cyclohexanone,CI-581,Calipsol,Calypsol,Kalipsol,Ketalar,Ketamine Hydrochloride,Ketanest,Ketaset,CI 581,CI581
D008895 Milk, Human Milk that is produced by HUMAN MAMMARY GLANDS. Breast Milk,Human Milk,Milk, Breast
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000778 Anesthetics, Dissociative Intravenous anesthetics that induce a state of sedation, immobility, amnesia, and marked analgesia. Subjects may experience a strong feeling of dissociation from the environment. The condition produced is similar to NEUROLEPTANALGESIA, but is brought about by the administration of a single drug. (From Gilman et al., Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 8th ed) Dissociative Anesthetics
D019052 Depression, Postpartum Depression in POSTPARTUM WOMEN, usually within four weeks after giving birth (PARTURITION). The degree of depression ranges from mild transient depression to neurotic or psychotic depressive disorders. (From DSM-IV, p386) Post-Natal Dysphoria,Post-Partum Dysphoria,Postnatal Depression,Postnatal Dysphoria,Postpartum Depression,Postpartum Dysphoria,Post-Natal Depression,Post-Partum Depression,Depression, Post-Natal,Depression, Post-Partum,Depression, Postnatal,Dysphoria, Post-Natal,Dysphoria, Post-Partum,Dysphoria, Postnatal,Dysphoria, Postpartum,Post Natal Depression,Post Natal Dysphoria,Post Partum Depression,Post Partum Dysphoria

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