Is Methoxsalen 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 Methoxsalen. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
No information is available on the use of methoxsalen during breastfeeding. Expert opinion indicates that due to the photosensitizing effects of methoxsalen, breastfeeding should be withheld for 24 hours after an oral dose to allow for 95% of the drug to be eliminated in the mother's urine.[1-3] The same precaution probably applies to patients receiving methoxsalen as a part of therapy for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Use of topical methoxsalen is not contraindicated during breastfeeding, but avoid direct contact of the treated skin with the skin of the infant.[4,5]
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.
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 Methoxsalen 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 “Methoxsalen” (LM1163). 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.