Is Secnidazole 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 Secnidazole. 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 clinical use of secnidazole during breastfeeding and no studies have evaluated adverse effects of secnidazole on the infant during breastfeeding, but presumably they are similar to those of the closely related drug, metronidazole, such as increased risk of oral and rectal Candida infections.
As with metronidazole, concern has been raised about exposure of healthy infants to secnidazole via breastmilk, because of possible mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. Based on the elimination half-life of secnidazole of approximately 17 hours, the manufacturer recommends avoidance of breastfeeding for 96 after a single dose. Other drugs are available for bacterial vaginosis, and can be given vaginally, which should result in lower amounts in breastmilk.
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 Secnidazole 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 “Secnidazole” (LM1345). 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.