Last update Aug. 23, 2021

Butalbital

Limited compatibility

Unsafe. Moderate/severe adverse effects. Compatible under certain circumstances. Follow-up recommended. Use safer alternative or discontinue breastfeeding from 5 to 7 T ½ . Read Commentary.

Barbiturate with general properties similar to those of amobarbital. Hypnotic and sedative.
It is used to treat pain in preparations combined with paracetamol or caffeine.
Discontinued medication due to risk of overdose and abuse (Suddock 2020).

At the date of the last update, there was no available published data on its excretion in breast milk.

Its pharmacokinetic data (low molecular weight, low protein binding, prolonged half-life) make it probable that it will pass to milk in an amount that could be significant.

A 7-day-old newborn, whose mother was taking a butalbital (50 mg) -paracetamol-caffeine compound four times a day, presented sedation, lethargy, hypotonia, insufficient feeding and vomiting. The infant had butalbital levels in its urine(Vohra 2019).

Known safer alternatives are preferable during lactation, especially during the neonatal period and in the case of prematurity (Burch 2020 and 2019, Worthington 2013).

Alternatives

  • Eletriptan Hydrobromide (Safe substance and/or breastfeeding is the best option.)
  • Ibuprofen (Safe substance and/or breastfeeding is the best option.)
  • Paracetamol (Safe substance and/or breastfeeding is the best option.)
  • Sumatriptan (Safe substance and/or breastfeeding is the best option.)
  • Zaleplon (Fairly safe. Mild or unlikely adverse effects. Compatible under certain circumstances. Follow-up recommended. Read Commentary.)

Suggestions made at e-lactancia are done by APILAM team of health professionals, and are based on updated scientific publications. It is not intended to replace the relationship you have with your doctor but to compound it. The pharmaceutical industry contraindicates breastfeeding, mistakenly and without scientific reasons, in most of the drug data sheets.

Jose Maria Paricio, Founder & President of APILAM/e-Lactancia

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Thank you for helping to protect and promote breastfeeding.

José María Paricio, founder of e-lactancia.

Other names

Butalbital is also known as


Butalbital in other languages or writings:

Groups

Butalbital belongs to these groups or families:

Tradenames

Main tradenames from several countries containing Butalbital in its composition:

Pharmacokinetics

Variable Value Unit
Oral Bioavail. 100 %
Molecular weight 224 daltons
Protein Binding 45 %
VD 0.8 l/Kg
pKa 8.48 -
Tmax 1 - 2 hours
35 - 61 hours

References

  1. Suddock JT, Cain MD. Barbiturate Toxicity. 2020 Jul 2. StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Abstract
  2. Burch R. Epidemiology and Treatment of Menstrual Migraine and Migraine During Pregnancy and Lactation: A Narrative Review. Headache. 2020 Jan;60(1):200-216. Abstract
  3. Burch R. Headache in Pregnancy and the Puerperium. Neurol Clin. 2019 Feb;37(1):31-51. Abstract
  4. Vohra V, Marraffa JM. Maternal use of acetaminophen-butalbital-caffeine product resulting in neonate butalbital exposure through breast milk. Abstract 273 in 39th International Congress of the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) 21-24 May 2019, Naples, Italy, Clin Toxicol. 2019;57:127.
  5. Worthington I, Pringsheim T, Gawel MJ, Gladstone J, Cooper P, Dilli E, Aube M, Leroux E, Becker WJ; Canadian Headache Society Acute Migraine Treatment Guideline Development Group. Canadian Headache Society Guideline: acute drug therapy for migraine headache. Can J Neurol Sci. 2013 Sep;40(5 Suppl 3):S1-S80. Review. Abstract Full text (in our servers)

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