A search in the Lactnet archives and in Dr. Hale's forums brings up conflicting and unclear information on whether Imuran is safe to use while breastfeeding. Most other sources I found online indicate it's not safe at all. Some Lactnet posts have posed the question, but these weren't really answered. On his forum, Dr. Hale responded to one query with, "While some caution is recommended, it's probably safe to use under good supervision of a pediatrician" -- but I'm not sure how to interpret that in practical terms.

I got a call from a mom with autoimmune hepatitis x5 years whose GI doc wants to switch her from prednisone, which she says isn't working well, to Imuran, and she'll have to wean her 3 1/2-month-old. It's her first baby, breastfeeding is going great, baby's "growing like a weed," she's otherwise very healthy, and she doesn't want to stop. She's seems to understand the risks and benefits either way and that she has limited alternatives.

I'd love to be able to tell her to go ahead and make the switch ... but here are the things you need to watch out for, precautions to take, etc. But if weaning is the best option, I'd like to be able to help her work through that choice also.

Thanks for any info,
Ilene Roizman
LLL Leader
Amherst, Mass.

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
Mail all commands to [log in to unmask]
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask])
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]