The Basics
What is Thiopental?
Used to help people relax before general anesthesia with an inhaled medication.
Brand names for Thiopental
Pentothal
How Thiopental is classified
Anesthetics – Intravenous, Hypnotics and Sedatives
Thiopental During Pregnancy
Thiopental pregnancy category
Category CNote that the FDA has deprecated the use of pregnancy categories, so for some medications, this information isn’t available. We still think it’s useful to list historical info, however, given what a common proxy this has been in the past.
What we know about taking Thiopental while pregnant
Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Pentothal (thiopental sodium) . It is also not known whether Pentothal (thiopental sodium) can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Pentothal (thiopental sodium) should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed
Taking Thiopental While Breastfeeding
What are recommendations for lactation if you're taking Thiopental?
Amounts of thiopental in milk are very small. Existing data indicate that no waiting period is required before resuming breastfeeding after thiopental anesthesia. Breastfeeding can be resumed as soon as the mother has recovered sufficiently from general anesthesia to nurse.[1][2] When a combination of anesthetic agents is used for a procedure, follow the recommendations for the most problematic medication used during the procedure.
Maternal / infant drug levels
Amounts of thiopental in milk are very small. Existing data indicate that no waiting period is required before resuming breastfeeding after thiopental anesthesia. Breastfeeding can be resumed as soon as the mother has recovered sufficiently from general anesthesia to nurse.[1][2] When a combination of anesthetic agents is used for a procedure, follow the recommendations for the most problematic medication used during the procedure.
Possible effects of Thiopental on milk supply
A randomized, but nonblinded, study in women undergoing cesarean section compared epidural anesthesia with bupivacaine to general anesthesia with intravenous thiopental 4 mg/kg and succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg for induction followed by nitrous oxide and isoflurane. The time to the first breastfeed was significantly shorter (107 vs 228 minutes) with the epidural anesthesia than with general anesthesia. This difference was probably caused by the anesthesia’s effects on the infant, because the Apgar and neurologic and adaptive scores were significantly lower in the general anesthesia group of infants.[6]
Possible alternatives to Thiopental
Dexmedetomidine, Etomidate, Methohexital, Propofol.
List of References
Lactation sources: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2006-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501922/1. Andersen LW, Qvist T, Hertz J et al. Concentrations of thiopentone in mature breast milk and colostrum following an induction dose. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 1987;31:30-2. PMID: 3825473
2. Lee JJ, Rubin AP. Breast feeding and anaesthesia. Anaesthesia. 1993;48:616-25. PMID: 8346780
3. Mayo CW, Schlicke CP. Appearance of a barbiturate in human milk. Proc Staff Meet Mayo Clin. 1942;17:87-8.
4. Morgan DJ, Beamiss CG, Blackman GL, Paull JD. Urinary excretion of placentally transferred thiopentone by the human neonate. Dev Pharmacol Ther. 1982;5:136-42. PMID: 7151645
5. Esener Z, Sarihasan B, Guven H et al. Thiopentone and etomidate concentrations in maternal and umbilical plasma, and in colostrum. Br J Anaesth. 1992;69:586-8. PMID: 1467101
6. Sener EB, Guldogus N, Karakaya D et al. Comparison of neonatal effects of epidural and general anesthesia for cesarean section. Gynecol Obstet Investig. 2003;55:41-55. PMID: 12624551
Disclaimer: This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult your healthcare provider with any questions.
