Steroids and breastfeeding
I was just in the hospital, where I was given I.V. methylprednisolone, a steroid. When can I start breastfeeding again?
Question:Debbi Donovan
Debbi Donovan is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, as well as a retired La Leche League Leader. For more than a decade, Debbi... Read more
This drug is the metabolized, or active form, of prednisone and the American Academy of Pediatrics has approved it for use in nursing mothers. It is excreted into breast milk in very small amounts. Prednisone has a short half-life (the time it takes for the concentration of a drug to reduce by one half in the blood) of only 3 hours. It's levels peak in your blood, and in your milk, at about 1 to 2 hours after dosage. To lessen your baby's exposure to the medication, could wait for 4 hours after administration before nursing your baby.
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