Antidepressant
PREGNANCY RECOMMENDATION: No Human Data—Animal Data Suggest Low Risk
BREASTFEEDING RECOMMENDATION: No Human Data—Potential Toxicity
PREGNANCY SUMMARY
No reports on the use of protriptyline during human pregnancy have been located. (See also Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline.)
FETAL RISK SUMMARY
Protriptyline, a dibenzocycloheptene derivative, is a tricyclic antidepressant. Other antidepressants in this class are amitriptyline and its metabolite, nortriptyline.
Reproduction studies in mice, rats, and rabbits at doses about 10 times greater than the recommended human dose had no apparent adverse effects on reproduction (1).
It is not known if protriptyline crosses the human placenta. The molecular weight (about 264 for the free base) is low enough that exposure of the embryo–fetus should be expected.
BREASTFEEDING SUMMARY
No reports describing the use of protriptyline during lactation have been located. The molecular weight (about 264 for the free base) is low enough that excretion into breast milk should be expected. The effect on a nursing infant from exposure to the drug in breast milk is unknown. The American Academy of Pediatrics classifies amitriptyline, a similar antidepressant, as a drug whose effect on the nursing infant is unknown but may be of concern (see Amitriptyline).
Reference
1.Product information. Vivactil. Merck, 2000.