Is Copper Cu 64 Dotatate 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 Copper Cu 64 Dotatate. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Copper Cu 64 dotatate is a radiolabeled somatostatin analog indicated for use with positron emission tomography for localization of somatostatin receptor positive neuroendocrine tumors. No information is available on the use of copper Cu 64 dotatate during breastfeeding. The manufacturer recommends that breastfeeding be interrupted for 12 hours after copper Cu 64 dotatate administration.
Mothers concerned about the level of radioactivity in their milk could ask to have it tested at a nuclear medicine facility at their hospital. When the radioactivity is at a safe level, she may resume breastfeeding. A method for measuring milk radioactivity and determining the time when a mother can safely resume breastfeeding has been published.[1]
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
Copper Cu 64 decays to nickel 64 (Ni 64) with a half-life of 12.7 hours by positron emission followed by emission of two 511 keV annihilation photons. It also decays to Ni 64 by electron capture and to zinc 64 by beta decay.
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 Copper Cu 64 Dotatate 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 “Copper Cu 64 Dotatate” (Cu_64_dotatate). 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.