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Hello! I have had a hard time find this direct information anywhere... I am looking to see if hydrocortisone injections (ie: for carpel tunnel) are safe while breastfeeding. Mom is breastfeeding a 1 year old (but still feeding baby 5 times per day) and sounded like it was going to be a one-time injection for carpel tunnel pain. Is this safe?
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Hi, thanks for your post.
Studies on steroid injections into joints show that the drug leaks out over the course of weeks and results in only minimal drug levels in the blood. No satisfactory studies have been done about how much hydrocortisone gets into the milk, but it is expected to be quite low. The risk is even less in children older than 9 months because they consume much less breastmilk relative to body weight and their ability to clear medications is almost as good as an adult's. We give hydrocortisone an L3 (out of 5) ("Probably compatible") with regards to its lactation safety, principally because of the lack of direct studies.
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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-Thomas W. Hale, Ph.D. -
Thank you! This is very helpful and I appreciate the fast response! Just realized that I posted in the pregnancy forum instead of breastfeeding - oops!Comment
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