Pregnancy
Tazarotene should not be used during pregnancy because of the risk of harm to the fetus.
This is based on studies done on pregnant animals and pharmacology data on retinoids, one of which is tazarotene.
Treatment with tazarotene should begin only if a negative pregnancy test is obtained within 2 weeks of the start of treatment.
Tazarotene treatment should be discontinued immediately once a pregnancy is suspected or confirmed.
Category: X
Category A
Adequate and well-controlled studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus in the first trimester of pregnancy (and there is no evidence of risk in later trimesters).
Category B
Animal reproduction studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women.
Category C
Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks.
Category D
There is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience or studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks.
Category X
Studies in animals or humans have demonstrated fetal abnormalities and/or there is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience, and the risks involved in use of the drug in pregnant women clearly outweigh potential benefits.
Breastfeeding
Excretion into human milk: Unknown
There are no adequate studies to determine the risk of tazarotene during breastfeeding.
Tazarotene is not contraindicated in breastfeeding mothers. However, some experts feel that tazarotene should not be used on a skin area greater than 20% of the total body surface because of the absorption of tazarotene via the skin into the bloodstream. This is because the amount of tazarotene absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream depends on the formulation and the size of the area of skin treated.
Furthermore, do not apply tazarotene to the nipple area and make sure the infant’s skin does not come into contact with the areas of skin that have been treated with tazarotene.
There is no expected adverse effects of tazarotene on milk production.
References
- Medlineplus.gov. (2018). Tazarotene: MedlinePlus Drug Information. [online] Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a616052.html. [Accessed 24 May. 2018].
- Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. (2018). Tazarotene. [online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0045528/. [Accessed 24 May. 2018].
- Toxnet.nlm.nih.gov. (2018). Tazarotene. [online] Available at:https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~qyf6yV:3. [Accessed 24 May. 2018].
- Uptodate.com. (2018). Tazarotene. [online] Available at: https://www-uptodate-com.eresources.mssm.edu/contents/tazarotene-drug-information?search=tazarotene&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~30&usage_type=default&display_rank=1. [Accessed 24 May. 2018].
- Epocrates.com. (2018). Tazarotene. [online] Available at: https://online.epocrates.com/drugs/128010/tazarotene-topical/Monograph. [Accessed 24 May. 2018].