Is Iron Dextran 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 Iron Dextran. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Limited data indicate that trace amounts of iron dextran are excreted into breastmilk. No information is available on the clinical use of iron dextran during breastfeeding. However, intravenous iron dextran has been used in preterm infants for anemia of prematurity and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. An alternate intravenous drug with more published data available may be preferred.
For additional information on iron use during breastfeeding, see the monograph on Iron Salts.
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. Iron dextran manufacturers report that trace amounts of unmetabolized iron dextran are excreted into human milk.
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 Iron Dextran 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 “Iron Dextran” (LM1061). 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.