Is Sodium Iodide I 123 safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Sodium Iodide I 123. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
I 123 is a gamma emitter with a principal photon energy of 159 keV and a physical half-life of 13.1 hours.[ 1 ] Iodide is actively secreted into breastmilk by the NaI symporter, which is stimulated by lactation, and actively taken up by the mother's and infant's thyroid glands.[ 7 ] The maximum effective half-life of I 123 is 10.4 hours.[ 3 ] 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.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Sodium Iodide I 123 is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
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.