Is Dimethyl Sulfone 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 Dimethyl Sulfone. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Dimethyl sulfone (methylsulfonylmethane; MSM) is a normal oxidative metabolite found in the bloodstream and breastmilk. It is a metabolic product of endogenous methanethiol metabolism and intestinal bacterial metabolism. No studies have been done on the use of dimethyl sulfone (MSM) orally in nursing mothers, but its topical use and low toxicity indicate that it is unlikely to harm the breastfed 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 human milk samples were obtained from four healthy nursing women (one sample from each mother) at a mean of 80 days postpartum. The amounts of dimethyl sulfone were less in their milk than in infant formulas derived from cow’s milk.[1]
In a study of the milk of 429 Finnish mothers, milk levels of dimethyl sulfone ranged from 0.9 to 1.2 mcg/L.[2]
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 Dimethyl Sulfone 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 “Dimethyl Sulfone” (dimethylsulfone). 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.