Is Flutemetamol F 18 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 Flutemetamol F 18. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Information in this record refers to the use of flutemetamol F 18 as a diagnostic agent. No information is available on the use of flutemetamol F 18 during breastfeeding. The manufacturer recommends withholding breastfeeding for 24 hours after a diagnostic dose of 185 MBq (5 mCi). This length of time is about 10 half-lives of fluoride F 18 and less than 0.01% of the radioactivity administered will remain in the body. The mother can nurse just before administration of the radiopharmaceutical. If the mother has expressed and saved milk prior to the examination, she can feed it to the infant during the period of nursing interruption.[1,2]
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.[3]
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
F18 is a positron emitter with a principal decay energy of 0.6335 MeV, annihilation photons of 0.511 MeV, and a physical half-life of 1.8 hours and 0.07% of an administered dose appears in breastmilk.[4]
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Flutemetamol F 18” (LM1134). 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.