Hydromorphone transfer into breast milk after intranasal administration

A literature review of drug transport mechanisms during lactation

Despite the benefits of breastfeeding, lactating mothers who take prescribed medications may discontinue breastfeeding due to concerns associated with infant drug exposure in breastmilk. Consolidating the current knowledge of drug transport to breastmilk may inform understanding of the safety of medication use during lactation. This literature review summarizes the mechanisms of drug transport to breastmilk, details the physicochemical drug properties that may alter the extent of passive transport, and describes the expressional changes in mammary drug transporters that may affect active transport. During the period of 20 July 2023 to 11 August 2023, PubMed® was searched to identify journal articles pertinent to the mechanisms of drug transport from maternal plasma to breastmilk and the expression of mammary drug transporters during lactation. From the 28 studies included in this review, four mechanisms were identified for transporting drugs from maternal plasma to breastmilk: passive transport, active transport, lipid co-transport, and transcytosis. The lactational expression of 20 drug transporters was further summarized, with 9 transporters demonstrating downregulated expression during lactation and 11 transporters demonstrating upregulated expression during lactation. Understanding the mechanisms of drug transport to breastmilk may aid in estimating infant drug exposure, developing physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models that describe drug transfer, and initiating clinical drug development programs in the lactating population.

Breastfeeding on Injectable Opioid Agonist Therapy: A Case Report

BACKGROUND

Injectable opioid agonist therapy (iOAT) is the highest-intensity treatment currently available in Canada for individuals with severe opioid use disorder. However, there is limited data on iOAT administration in the perinatal period, with no research, practice guidelines, or known reports of breastfeeding on iOAT. This article presents the first known case of an individual breastfeeding on iOAT.

CASE SUMMARY

We present a case of a pregnant 32-year-old woman from Canada with severe opioid use disorder, who stabilized with iOAT and chose to breastfeed her infant. She presented to hospital at 38 + 6 gestation in labor, unstable in her substance use disorder despite multiple interventions and was initiated on iOAT (intravenous hydromorphone) shortly after delivery. Before initiation of breastfeeding the infant was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for monitoring. On day 9 of life the infant received breastmilk for the first time, and was discharged from neonatal intensive care unit on day 12 of life with no clinical evidence of sedation or respiratory depression. The infant maintained mixed feeding and at 58 days of life was discharged in the mother and father's care, a healthy infant with stable vitals.

DISCUSSION

This case suggests positive infant and maternal health and social outcomes for breastfeeding on iOAT. Further research on perinatal iOAT use and the pharmacokinetics of high-dose hydromorphone in breastmilk is required to inform clinical practice guidelines to safely support individuals and their infants who are impacted by substance use.

Supporting Lactation in Otolaryngology Patients Through Medication Optimization, Radiology Considerations, and More: A Literature Review

Importance

The benefits of breastfeeding are well established, with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Canadian guidelines recommending exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. However, maternal hospitalization, illness, medication use, and poor support can result in early termination of breastfeeding. Caring for breastfeeding patients in otolaryngology is a challenge because of the lack of literature regarding otolaryngology-specific medication safety, patient concerns, and inadequate education among otolaryngologists. This review highlights recent literature regarding lactation in otolaryngology patients, including medication, radiologic imaging, perioperative considerations, and subspecialty-specific considerations for lactating patients.

Observations

The majority of common medications used in general otolaryngology are safe for breastfeeding patients, including antihistamines, mucolytics, antitussives, antifungals, and decongestants. Certain analgesics and anti-inflammatories, such as tramadol, are not preferred in breastfeeding individuals. Some subspeciality-specific medications such as biologics (dupilumab) and methotrexate should be avoided. Lactating patients require special perioperative attention to ensure that optimal patient care is provided, such as managing supply, considering length of surgery, managing postoperative pain, and determining the safe amount of time until an infant can be fed.

Conclusions and Relevance

Most medications can be safely used with lactating patients. If physicians are unsure about a medication's safety, they should consult appropriate resources prior to recommending breastfeeding cessation or to discard pumped milk.

Anesthesia and breastfeeding

The importance of breastfeeding with its positive impact on the wellbeing of the mother-infant pair is well established. Anesthesiologists should encourage the promotion of lactation by being willing to give reassurance during the preoperative period and preparing a plan that does not interfere with safe breastfeeding. There is concern regarding the transfer of drugs into breast milk, which may lead to inconsistent advice from many health professionals and to early discontinuation. However, evidence shows that most anesthetic drugs are safe in terms of transfer into breast milk, and hence, compatible with breastfeeding, which should be resumed after anesthesia as soon as the mother is alert and feels well enough to hold her infant, without the need to “pump and dump”. This review provides pharmacokinetic information on commonly used anesthesia drugs and their passage into breast milk, to help practitioners discuss risks and benefits with the mother, emphasizing that anesthesia should not interfere with the benefits of breastfeeding. Four practical clinical scenarios are presented: pregnant women concerned about the effect of epidural analgesia on subsequent breastfeeding, spinal anesthesia for c-section and lactation, patients who will receive general anesthesia during cesarean section, and finally women who are breastfeeding and require anesthesia for elective or urgent surgery. Neuraxial anesthesia allows for better pain control and immediate skin-to-skin contact at the time of childbirth. Also, it interferes the least with the woman’s ability to care for her infant. Regional techniques, opioid-sparing techniques and outpatient surgery are preferred. Drugs such as opioids and longer-acting benzodiazepines should be administered cautiously, particularly in repeat doses.

A comparative study of three concentrations of intravenous nalbuphine combined with hydromorphone for post-cesarean delivery analgesia

Background:

Nalbuphine has been suggested to be used for post-cesarean section (CS) intravenous analgesia. However, ideal concentration of nalbuphine for such analgesia remains unclear. The present study was conducted to explore an ideal concentration of nalbuphine for post-CS intravenous analgesia by evaluating the analgesic effects and side-effects of three different concentrations of nalbuphine combined with hydromorphone for post-CS intravenous analgesia in healthy parturients.

Methods:

One-hundred-and-fourteen parturients undergoing elective CS were randomly allocated to one of three groups (38 subjects per group) according to an Excel-generated random number sheet to receive hydromorphone 0.05 mg/mL + nalbuphine 0.5 mg/mL (group LN), hydromorphone 0.05 mg/mL + nalbuphine 0.7 mg/mL (group MN), and hydromorphone 0.05 mg/mL + nalbuphine 0.9 mg/mL (group HN) using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, PCA bolus demands, cumulative PCA dose, satisfaction score, Ramsay score, and side-effects such as urinary retention were recorded.

Results:

The number of PCA bolus demands and cumulative PCA dose during the first 48 h after CS were significantly higher in group LN (21 ± 16 bolus, 129 ± 25 mL) than those in group MN (15 ± 10 bolus, 120 ± 16 mL) (both P < 0.05) and group HN (13 ± 9 bolus, 117 ± 13 mL) (both P < 0.01), but no difference was found between group HN and group MN (both P > 0.05). VAS scores were significantly lower in group HN than those in group MN and group LN for uterine cramping pain at rest and after breast-feeding within 12 h after CS (all P < 0.01) and VAS scores were significantly higher in group LN than those in group MN and group HN when oxytocin was intravenously infused within 3 days after CS (all P < 0.05), whereas VAS scores were not statistically different among groups for incisional pain (all P > 0.05). Ramsay sedation scale score in group HN was significantly higher than that in group MN at 8 and 12 h after CS (all P < 0.01) and group LN at 4, 8, 12, 24 h after CS (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Hydromorphone 0.05 mg/mL + nalbuphine 0.7 mg/mL for intravenous PCA could effectively improve the incisional pain and uterine cramping pain management and improve comfort in patients after CS.

Trial registration number:

ChiCTR1800015014, http://www.chictr.org.cn/ Chinese Clinical Trial Registry.

Continuous Epidural Hydromorphone Infusion for Post-Cesarean Delivery Analgesia in a Patient on Methadone Maintenance Therapy: A Case Report

The prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States has more than quadrupled over the past two decades. This patient population presents a number of challenges to clinicians, including difficult pain management after surgical procedures due to the development of opioid tolerance. Significantly greater opioid consumption and pain scores after cesarean delivery have been reported in patients with OUD compared to other obstetric patients. A multi-modal analgesic regimen is generally recommended, but there are few well-established pain management strategies after cesarean delivery specific to patients with OUD. We present the case of a patient with OUD maintained on daily methadone that received a continuous epidural hydromorphone infusion for post-cesarean analgesia, a technique not previously reported in obstetric patients and only rarely described for patients undergoing other surgical procedures. The patient received epidural anesthesia for cesarean delivery, and after surgery, the epidural catheter was left in place for the epidural hydromorphone infusion, initiated at 140 mcg/hr and continued for approximately 40 hrs. This strategy reduced her average daily oral opioid consumption by 97%, reduced self-reported pain scores, shortened the length of hospitalization and improved ability to ambulate compared to her previous cesarean delivery. The use of continuous epidural hydromorphone infusion was effective in this case, and this analgesic technique may also be applicable to other types of surgical procedures with the potential for significant post-operative pain, particularly in patients with OUD.

Balancing the Use of Medications While Maintaining Breastfeeding

Breast milk is the most beneficial nutrition a mother can give her infant. Fortunately, the dose of most drugs transferred into milk is small and does not lead to clinically significant effects on the infant. In almost all instances, the mother should be advised to continue breastfeeding. Certain medications are absolutely contraindicated, including anticancer agents, radioactive drugs, and those that inhibit milk production. However, most medications can be used safely. An improved understanding of the relationship between maternal and infant exposure to medications would provide a more enlightened understanding of the risk and benefit analysis for individual drugs.

A Case of Toxic Breast-feeding?

Opiates are frequently prescribed postpartum for pain relief after cesarean delivery, episiotomies, and headaches. It is estimated that greater than 30% of breast-feeding mothers in the United States are prescribed opiates for pain relief associated with childbirth. Many opiates are readily transferred to human milk, although life-threatening events are rare. We report a 6-day-old breast-feeding infant whose mother was taking hydromorphone for pain relief from a cesarean delivery and whose clinical course was suggestive of opiate toxicity. This case emphasizes the importance of thorough medication history taking in postpartum breast-feeding mothers whose infants may present with symptoms of opiate toxicity. Semisynthetic opiates are frequently not detected on emergency department urine toxicology screens. The pertinent literature is reviewed.

ABM Clinical Protocol #28, Peripartum Analgesia and Anesthesia for the Breastfeeding Mother

A central goal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is the development of clinical protocols, free from commercial interest or influence, for managing common medical problems that may impact breastfeeding success. These protocols serve only as guidelines for the care of breastfeeding mothers and infants and do not delineate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as standards of medical care. Variations in treatment may be appropriate according to the needs of an individual patient.

Maternal medication, drug use, and breastfeeding

This article reviews the necessary skills required for clinicians to make informed decisions about the use of medications in breastfeeding women. Even without specific data on certain medications, this review of kinetic principles, mechanisms of medication entry into breast milk, and important infant factors can aid in clinical decision making. In addition, the article reviews common medical conditions (eg, depression, hypertension, infections) in breastfeeding women and their appropriate treatment.

Safety of the breast-feeding infant after maternal anesthesia

There has been an increase in breast-feeding supported by the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization. An anesthesiologist may be presented with a well-motivated breast-feeding mother who wishes to breast-feed her infant in the perioperative period. Administration of anesthesia entails acute administration of drugs with potential for sedation and respiratory effects on the nursing infant. The short-term use of these drugs minimizes the possibility of these effects. The aim should be to minimize the use of narcotics and benzodiazepines, use shorter acting agents, use regional anesthesia where possible and avoid agents with active metabolites. Frequent clinical assessments of the nursing infant are important. Available literature does suggest that although the currently available anesthetic and analgesic drugs are transferred in the breast milk, the amounts transferred are almost always clinically insignificant and pose little or no risk to the nursing infant.

ABM clinical protocol #15: analgesia and anesthesia for the breastfeeding mother, revised 2012

A central goal of The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is the development of clinical protocols for managing common medical problems that may impact breastfeeding success. These protocols serve only as guidelines for the care of breastfeeding mothers and infants and do not delineate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as standards of medical care. Variations in treatment may be appropriate according to the needs of an individual patient.

Intranasal drug delivery: an efficient and non-invasive route for systemic administration: focus on opioids

Intranasal administration is a non-invasive route for drug delivery, which is widely used for the local treatment of rhinitis or nasal polyposis. Since drugs can be absorbed into the systemic circulation through the nasal mucosa, this route may also be used in a range of acute or chronic conditions requiring considerable systemic exposure. Indeed, it offers advantages such as ease of administration, rapid onset of action, and avoidance of first-pass metabolism, which consequently offers for example an interesting alternative to intravenous, subcutaneous, oral transmucosal, oral or rectal administration in the management of pain with opioids. Given these indisputable interests, fentanyl-containing formulations have been recently approved and marketed for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain. This review will outline the relevant aspects of the therapeutic interest and limits of intranasal delivery of drugs, with a special focus on opioids, together with an in-depth discussion of the physiological characteristics of the nasal cavity as well as physicochemical properties (lipophilicity, molecular weight, ionisation) and pharmaceutical factors (absorption enhancers, devices for application) that should be considered for the development of nasal drugs.

Bioanalytical procedures and recent developments in the determination of opiates/opioids in human biological samples

The use and abuse of illegal drugs affects all modern societies, and therefore the assessment of drug exposure is an important task that needs to be accomplished. For this reason, the reliable determination of these drugs and their metabolites in biological specimens is an issue of utmost relevance for both clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories in their fields of expertise, including in utero drug exposure, driving under the influence of drugs and drug use in workplace scenarios. Most of the confirmatory analyses for abused drugs in biological samples are performed by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric methods, but use of the more recent and sensitive liquid chromatography-(tandem) mass spectrometry technology is increasing dramatically. This article reviews recently published articles that describe procedures for the detection of opiates in the most commonly used human biological matrices, blood and urine, and also in unconventional ones, e.g. oral fluid, hair, and meconium. Special attention will be paid to sample preparation and chromatographic analysis.

Pain management for the pregnant, lactating, and neonatal to pediatric cat and dog

Little information on the approach to analgesia in pregnant, nursing, or extremely young animals is available in the veterinary literature. Various analgesics and analgesic modalities are discussed, with emphasis placed on preference and caution for each group. Management of pain is extremely important in all animals but especially in the extremely young, in which a permanent hyperalgesic response to pain may exist with inadequate therapy. Inappropriate analgesic selection in pregnant and nursing mothers may result in congenital abnormalities of the fetus or neonate. Inadequate analgesia in nursing mothers may cause aggressive behavior toward the young. Review of the human and veterinary literature on the various analgesics available for use in this group of patients is discussed.

A Multiple-Dose Phase I Study of Intranasal Hydromorphone Hydrochloride in Healthy Volunteers

We evaluated the pharmacokinetics, tolerability, and safety of 1 and 2 mg of intranasal hydromorphone hydrochloride in an open-label, single- and multiple-dose study. This Phase I study was conducted in 24 healthy volunteers (13 men and 11 women). Intranasal doses were delivered as 0.1-mL metered-dose sprays into one or both nostrils for 1- and 2-mg doses, respectively. Venous blood samples were taken serially from 0 to 12 h after the first single dose and the last (seventh) multiple dose. Plasma hydromorphone concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. Noncompartmental analysis was used to estimate pharmacokinetic variables. After 7 intranasal doses of 1 and 2 mg (once every 6 h), mean +/- sd peak plasma concentrations of 2.8 +/- 0.7 ng/mL and 5.3 +/- 2.3 ng/mL, respectively, were observed. The median time to peak concentration was 20 min for both single and multiple doses. Dose proportionality was observed for the 1- and 2-mg doses. Adverse events included somnolence, dizziness, and bad taste after dose administration. Intranasal hydromorphone hydrochloride was well tolerated and demonstrated rapid nasal drug absorption and predictable accumulation. These results support clinical investigation of hydromorphone hydrochloride nasal spray for use as an alternative to oral and IM administration.

Effect of fluticasone propionate nasal spray on bioavailability of intranasal hydromorphone hydrochloride in patients with allergic rhinitis

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of the nasal corticosteroid fluticasone propionate on the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of single-dose intranasal hydromorphone hydrochloride in patients with allergic rhinitis.

DESIGN

Randomized, three-way, crossover pharmacokinetic study.

SETTING

University clinical research unit.

PATIENTS

Twelve patients with allergic rhinitis.

INTERVENTION

Hydromorphone hydrochloride 2.0 mg was administered by intravenous infusion (treatment A), intranasal spray without allergic rhinitis treatment (treatment B), and intranasal spray after 6 days of fluticasone propionate (treatment C). Blood samples were collected serially from 0-16 hours.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined by noncompartmental methods. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was used for statistical analysis. Mean (% coefficient of variation) absolute bioavailability of intranasal hydromorphone was 51.9% (28.2) and 46.9% (30.3) in patients with allergic rhinitis with and without treatment with fluticasone propionate, respectively. Mean maximum concentration (Cmax) values were 3.02 and 3.56 ng/ml, respectively. No statistical differences in Cmax and area under the concentration versus time curve were detected between intranasal treatments. Bioavailability values for both intranasal treatments were lower than those in healthy volunteers (57%). Median time to Cmax (Tmax) values were significantly different (p=0.02) for treatments B and C (15 and 30 min, respectively) using rank-transformed Tmax for ANOVA. Adverse effects were consistent with known effects of hydromorphone administered by other routes, with the exception of bad taste after intranasal administration.

CONCLUSION

Hydromorphone was rapidly absorbed after nasal administration, with maximum concentrations occurring for most subjects within 30 minutes. Allergic rhinitis may affect pain management strategies for intranasal hydromorphone, with a delay in onset of action for patients treated with fluticasone propionate.

Drugs that affect the fetus and newborn infant via the placenta or breast milk

In general, drugs that are taken by a mother during pregnancy or after birth may be transferred to the fetus or the infant (through breast milk). Many factors are involved that determine the amount of drugs that are transferred and their potential effects on the fetus or infant. A careful assessment of the risk versus benefit is necessary and should be individualized. In the breastfed infant, many measures can be undertaken further so that the amount of drug transferred to the infant is minimized.