Last update Aug. 6, 2022

Tubocurarine

Likely Compatibility

Fairly safe. Mild or unlikely adverse effects. Compatible under certain circumstances. Follow-up recommended. Read Commentary.

It is a non-depolarizing muscle relaxant drug with a peripheral action that is used as premedication for endotracheal intubation, general anesthesia and mechanical ventilation. Tubocurarine chloride has also been used to control muscle spasms in tetanus. Intravenous administration.

It is one of the active principles of curare, which is obtained from the stem of the Chondodendron tomentosum plant. It has been withdrawn from the market and replaced by other drugs with fewer side effects and faster elimination.

At latest update, no relevant published data concerning excretion into breast milk were found.

Quaternary ammonium muscle relaxants are poorly absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract; its low oral bioavailability renders the pass of this agent to the infant's plasma highly unlikely. (Dalal 2014, Spigset 1994)

However, other muscle relaxants with a more rapid elimination time period and better known drugs are preferred.

Alternatives

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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José María Paricio, founder of e-lactancia.

Other names

Tubocurarine in other languages or writings:

Group

Tubocurarine belongs to this group or family:

Pharmacokinetics

Variable Value Unit
Oral Bioavail. ≈ 0 %
Molecular weight 682 daltons
Protein Binding 40 %
pKa 8.54 -
Tmax 1 - 2 hours

References

  1. Dalal PG, Bosak J, Berlin C. Safety of the breast-feeding infant after maternal anesthesia. Paediatr Anaesth. 2014 Abstract
  2. Spigset O. Anaesthetic agents and excretion in breast milk. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 1994 Abstract

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