Is Indocyanine Green 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 Indocyanine Green. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Data from one patient indicates that a low subcutaneous dose of indocyanine green is not detectable in breastmilk. The manufacturer reports 17 cases of indocyanine green use in lactating women with no reported adverse effects in infants. Indocyanine green appears to be acceptable during breastfeeding, but it should be used with caution, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
Effects on the breastfed infant
The manufacturer reports 17 cases of indocyanine green use in lactating women with no adverse events observed in the breastfed infant.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. A nursing mother with lower limb lymphedema was given indocyanine green intradermally for lymphangiography. Although the dosage was not stated, the article referred to other papers that used 0.2 mL of a 0.25% solution of indocyanine green injected subcutaneously into both lower extremities, with detection by fluorescent imaging of lymphatic drainage channels using an infrared camera. The mother expressed milk approximately after imaging was complete at about 3 hours after the dose. Observation of the milk was performed with an infrared camera, which revealed no fluorescent enhancement of the milk.[1]
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Indocyanine Green” (indocyanine_green). 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.