Maternal Transfer of Cetirizine Into Human Milk.

Abstract

Cetirizine hydrochloride is a second-generation H1 histamine antagonist with Food and Drug Administration approval for treatment of allergic rhinitis and urticaria. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration does not recommend use of cetirizine during breastfeeding, as there are insufficient studies on both the transference of cetirizine into human milk and the effects of cetirizine in infants. To determine the concentration of cetirizine in human milk, samples were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Based on calculations, relative infant dose was found to be 1.77% at 24 hr. In addition, there were no reported adverse effects seen in the infants. We suggest that transfer of cetirizine into human milk is minimal and unlikely to pose a significant risk to the breastfeeding infant. This is the first report presenting the transfer of cetirizine in human milk.