Is Crotalidae Immune F(ab')2 (Equine) 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 Crotalidae Immune F(ab')2 (Equine). The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Crotalidae Immune F(ab')2 (equine) is used to treat crotalid envenomation (rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, water moccasins). No information is available on the clinical use of crotalidae antivenin, polyvalent (equine) during breastfeeding. Because it is a mixture of large protein molecule, the amounts in milk are likely to be very low.[1] They are also likely to be partially destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and absorption by the infant is probably minimal.[2] The possibility of sensitization to horse proteins should be kept in mind.
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. 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 Crotalidae Immune F(ab')2 (Equine) 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 “Crotalidae Immune F(ab')2 (Equine)” (crotalid_antivenin). 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.