[Ski]

#1074056

PTU is known to cross into breastmilk, but lower doses have been deemed to be safe. PTU could not "kill" your baby’s thyroid, but it may suppress thyroid activity. It is possible to keep testing your baby’s thyroid function in order to keep that from happening. PTU is the safer of the two ATDs (methimazole being the other) for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

You may want to consult with a pediatric endocrinologist. Some doctors may not be completely aware of the circumstances.

Still, you are just diagnosed, so the likelihood is that you require a much higher dose of PTU than is typically deemed safe while breastfeeding. I feel for you, I know the special bond is something you’d prefer to continue. If there’s any chance you can pump in order to keep the flow going until your PTU dose is low enough to go back to breastfeeding more safely, you may want to explore that. I know that once a baby is bottle-fed, it’s harder to get them to go back to breastfeeding (they’re fed FAR more quickly on a bottle), but that may be worth a try.

[MonikaOH]

#1019787

I was told by endocrynologist it was safe to take PTU and breastfeed.
My family Dr who is baby’s pediatrician asked me to stop breastfeeding since PTU can harm baby’s thyroid and cause mental retardation.
Are any other meds safe?
This is my second day off and it is so hard on my son at night ” title=”Sad” />

[LaurelM]

#1074057

Hi MonicOH,

I was able to continue breastfeeding while taking Methimazole. I was 8 months postpartum when I started taking it. My endocrinologist supported my continued breastfeeding as did my family doctor (an associate professor at a leading medical school). She also consulted with the pediatric endocrinologists at the affiliated children’s hospital. They all gave the OK with the stipulation that my child have regular blood tests to check her thyroid levels – every 6 to 8 weeks. I was on a moderate sized dose. We continued to nurse for many months and her levels were consistantly normal. She is now a happy and healty 4 year old with a happy and healthy 2 year old sister.

I can really relate to your situation. Feel free to email me. I’ve been there.

Take care of yourself,

Laurel

[Jake_George]

#1074058

Ask your pharmacist. They are experts on what is safe or what level of meds can cross the milk barrier to your breast milk. They are also way mre up to date on the effects of drugs that can cross over to milk.

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