NORTRIPTYLINE AND ITS HYDROXYMETABOLITES IN BREAST-FEEDING MOTHERS AND NEWBORNS

We previously reported the serum nortriptyline levels of a series of b reastfeeding mother-infant pairs. Nortriptyline was below the level of detectability in the infants' sera; however, two young infants aged I n weeks or less had low concentrations of 10-hydroxy-nortriptyline. Be cause very young breasffeeding infants are likely to be at increased r isk for toxicity, we have focused our study on breastfeeding newborns. We present additional data from six mothers and their infants (4 week s of age), as well as data from one prematurely born baby. We were abl e to quantify nortriptyline in one infant and another had higher level s of hydroxy-metabolites than previously reported, although still very low. No adverse clinical effects were observed in the infants.