Here are some general rules for medications and breastfeeding: 1. Assume that any medication is safe until proved otherwise. Remember the risks of not breastfeeding!! The *conservative* approach is to continue breastfeeding until the the drug is really shown to have greater risks than not breastfeeding. 2. A drug which is used for infants can generally be used by breastfeeding mothers. Methylprednisolone is frequently given in large doses to infants. 3. A one injection of any drug, even methotrexate (as in to produce abortion) is a whole different kettle of fish than long term use. I would say that methotrexate in this situation is okay. And methylprednisolone, even if it weren't in the long term, is as a one injection drug. 4. The discomfort of the mother and baby need to be taken into account. Here is a drug being given for pain and inflammation, and yet the advice of the physician may result in the mother having pain and inflammation from breast engorgement. 5. Doctors and other health professionals who give wrong advice need to get feedback. There is no reason the doctor should have told the mother she needed to wean. The doctor will continue to tell nursing mothers they have to stop unless they hear otherwise. 6. The decision about continuing breastfeeding is the decision of the mother, not the doctor or anyone else. She needs good information to make this decision, not scare tactics. Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html