Nursing mom/teacher with student on Cytotoxic medication in my classroom

[jskingston]

Hi,

I'm a nursing mom who has a student on cytotoxic medication (specifically Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil)) in my classroom. My student's nurse informed me today that when I change his diaper that I need to wear gloves. I have also read that any body fluids (including saliva) can contain small amounts of cellcept.

I'm wondering what would be the side effects of this medication for my nursing child should it ever get into my system?

Thank you very much for any information/guidance you can offer!

[cpride]

Dear jskingston,

Mycophenolate is an immunosuppressive agent. We do not have data on how much of this drug enters breastmilk. It does have a long half-life (time it takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body) of almost 18 hours. This drug has the potential to decrease the function of the immune system (decrease the number of white blood cells and suppress the bone marrow). Symptoms you may observe at home would be vomiting, diarrhea, tremor, and increased number of colds or other illnesses. If you use protective equipment such as gloves and long sleeved gowns or aprons over your regular clothes when changing diapers or holding your student to prevent body fluids from coming into contact with your skin, these precautions would eliminate risk to your breastfeeding infant.

Sincerely,
Cindy Pride, MSN, CPNP
TTUHSC InfantRisk Center