Is Calcitriol safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Calcitriol. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
A woman with hypoparathyroidism breastfed her infant from week 1 to week 32 postpartum while taking calcitriol. The dose was initially 0.5 mcg daily, but was decreased to 0.25 mcg daily after 8 weeks. The infant thrived during breastfeeding and had normal serum calcium levels at 1 and 3 weeks and 3 months of age.[ 3 ] A woman breastfed infants after two pregnancies while taking calcitriol in doses of 0.75 and 1 mcg daily. There were no reports of adverse reactions.[ 15 ] A woman breastfed her newborn infant for 9 days while taking calcitriol 0.5 mcg three times daily. Calcitriol was stopped at that time because of hypercalcemia, but restarted at 40 days postpartum in low doses that were gradually increased until the prepregnancy dosage of 1.5 mcg daily was reached just before weaning at 12.5 months postpartum.[ 5 ] A woman with discoid lupus was taking calcitriol 0.25 mcg every 2 days and several other medications concurrently. Her infant was breastfed for 12 months and followed up at 15 months of age. No adverse effects were reported during breastfeeding and the infant was growing and developing normally at 15 months of age.[ 16 ] A nursing mother with autosomal dominant hypoparathyroidism type 1 was treated with teriparatide for 8 months postpartum then calcitriol 0.5 mcg twice daily was substituted. She breastfed her infant exclusively for 6 months then with supplementation to 1 year. Her infant had no change in serum calcium when maternal calcitriol was begun. The mother began weaning at 11 months and at 1 year of age weaning was complete. Growth and development were normal at 1.5 years of age. [ 11 ] A mother had a total parathyroidectomy after noticing neck swelling during pregnancy. After the surgery she experienced symptoms of hypocalcemia. She was started on elemental calcium 4 grams daily and calcitriol 0.5 mcg twice a day, which resolved her symptoms. She began breastfeeding and one week after discharge, she had a serum calcium of 12.4 mg/dL. Calcium supp
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date. Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.