Is Diflunisal 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 Diflunisal. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
The small amounts of diflunisal in milk do not appear to pose a serious risk to breastfeeding infants. However, a shorter-acting agent may be 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. Review articles report that milk levels are 2 to 7% of simultaneous maternal serum levels after 7 days of administration of 125 or 250 mg twice daily; however, no study details are provide.[1,2] This would represent milk levels ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 mg/L with a dose of 125 mg daily and 0.8 to 2.7 mg/L with a dose of 250 mg daily.
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 Diflunisal 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 “Diflunisal” (LM92). 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.