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I'm a physician and lactation consultant. I was asked by pregnant woman about safe using of mesalazine during breastfeeding. She suffers from ulcerus colitis and has to take 500 mg of mesalazine per rectum twice a day to keep her disease under control. Her physician says to her, that she must stop her treatment 2 weeks before childbirth and she will not be able continue use of mesalazine during breastfeeding. How is it dangerous/safe to take mesalazine from the first days of a child? I have read much controversial information about it
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Hi, thanks for your post.
In the USA, mesalazine is referred to by the generic names "mesalamine" or "5-ASA." The rectal version is marketed under the names "Rowasa" and "Canasa." You should be able to find more info by searching for some of these terms instead of "mesalazine."
We give the oral form of this drug an L3 safety rating (out of 5, "Probably compatible"). Not much of the drug is absorbed out of the GI tract. Babies exposed to mesalamine usually have no clinical symptoms, although a watery diarrhea is possible. Neither mesalamine nor any other 5-ASA-derivative has ever been associated with Reye syndrome, despite their structural similarities to aspirin.
Please call us at the InfantRisk Center if this has not completely answered your question.*(806)352-2519
-James Abbey, MD -
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