Is Apazone safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database published by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports about Apazone. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Apazone (azapropazone) is not approved for marketing in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Relatively small amounts of the drug are excreted into breastmilk; however, the toxicity of the drug limits its usefulness in nursing mothers.[1] An alternate drug is preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
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
Maternal Levels. Four women received apazone 600 mg intravenously within 2 hours postpartum, then twice daily for 5 to 10 days. Apazone was measured in the blood and breastmilk twice between days 4 and 6 postpartum at 4, 8 and 12 hours after the morning dose. The authors calculated that and average of 0.8 mg (range 0.2 to 1.3 mg) of apazone was excreted in milk over a 12-hour dosage interval.[2] Using reported infant and maternal body weights, a fully breastfed infant would receive an average of 2.13% (range 1.04 to 3.03%) of the mother’s weight-adjusted dosage.
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Apazone 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: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Apazone” (LM1117). LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.