Is Mitoxantrone safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Mitoxantrone. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
One mother received 3 daily doses of 6 mg/sq. m. of mitoxantrone intravenously along with 5 daily doses of etoposide 80 mg/sq. m. and cytarabine 170 mg/sq. m. intravenously. She resumed breastfeeding her infant 3 weeks after the third dose of mitoxantrone at a time when mitoxantrone was still detectable in milk. The infant had no apparent abnormalities at 16 months of age.[ 5 ]
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. A woman treated with mitoxantrone, etoposide and cytarabine for promyelocytic leukemia received 3 daily mitoxantrone doses of 6 mg per square meter intravenously. A mitoxantrone milk level of 120 mcg/L occurred immediately after the third dose. Milk mitoxantrone level dropped to a plateau value of about 20 mcg/L by 7 days after the third dose and remained at 18 mcg/L at 28 days after the last dose.[ 5 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
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.